> The Cal cable used a side grip mechanism which resulted in the slot being off center. The cost of rebuilding the slot was one reason given for curtailing the California line at Van Ness when the California St. Cable RR Co. carhouse at Hyde and California was abandoned and the two systems consolidated ca. 1956. But I believe the overriding reason was DPW's desire that its precious Franklin-Gough one-way couplet not be discommoded by any cable cars stopping in the middle of intersections.

Cal Cable had two different cables because the speed west of the powerhouse was a couple of MPH faster than between the power house and the Ferry Bldg.

> It would have required 2 cables at Washington & Mason carhouse for the entire Cal cable line to Presidio Ave. but IIRC there is room for six cables on the sheaves. I am guessing the Sacramento St. line had required 2. And then one for Powell, one for Mason, one for Washington & Jackson Sts.

Washington-Mason is more centrally located to all the cable lines. The longest cable is the Calif St one because it takes the side trip up to the track connection of the Hyde St line so the Cal cars can move to and from the carbarn.

Market St had two cables in each slot, at least until Apr, 1906, so that if one failed, the other could be grabbed and used to keep going. When the street was torn up for the BART subway, they were still there -- one of them had never seen use.

> The Cal cable used a side grip mechanism which resulted in the slot being off center.

This is the reason the Powell St. lines have to drop the cable when crossing California St. Whichever line had to drop at a crossing was determined by which seniority: the newer line had to drop the cable. Since the Powell St line had to pick up and drop some 27 times (per George Hilton), it developed the bottom grip, which is used today by both the Powell and Calif St lines.

> The cost of rebuilding the slot was one reason given for curtailing the California line at Van Ness when the California St. Cable RR Co. carhouse at Hyde and California was abandoned and the two systems consolidated ca. 1956. But I believe the overriding reason was DPW's desire that its precious Franklin-Gough one-way couplet not be discommoded by any cable cars stopping in the middle of intersections.
> It would have required 2 cables at Washington & Mason carhouse for the entire Cal cable line to Presidio Ave. but IIRC there is room for six cables on the sheaves. I am guessing the Sacramento St. line had required 2. And then one for Powell, one for Mason, one for Washington & Jackson Sts.
> So much was lost at that time. DPW wanted tracks off Pine and off O'Farrell.

It was more a case of reducing costs by rationalizing the plant after Freida Klussman's successful campaign to keep them from going away altogether.