Most of the cable cars now operating are "brand new", built by Muni, including the hardware. When Elkton shop was being vacated, the carpenter shop was moved to the Tubbs Cordage site on outer 3rd Street, the consultants were blown away when they discovered that not only were there no blueprints for the cars, but that MSRy/Muni had been doing things this way for decades. Back then, Muni wasn't allowed to build new cars, one of those City Charter amendments or the like, so the Muni would save the roof assembly and build a new structure under it. This way they were only repairing the car.

Lighting is provided by batteries, which used to be Edison cells but are now probably NiCad or the like.