1924 Market Street Railway Co. 'White Front' car No. 798 works the Ferry Loop on the 11-line, only steps away from the site of the San Francisco Railway Museum.

At the site of today’s Green Division, crafts workers from the old Market Street Railway Company hand–built some 250 streetcars from 1923 to 1933. Car No. 798 is the only one left.

Retired after World War II, the body became a store in the Sierra Nevada foothills. It was saved from destruction in 1984 through private donations and presented to Muni, which invested more than $300,000 to have the body restored at a Tracy prison.

But Muni didn’t touch the car when it returned, and No. 798 started to deteriorate at Geneva Division. Market Street Railway volunteers have restored it again and are close to finishing their work in early 2007. Muni has a set of excellent operating trucks and motors historically accurate for this car under an unused work car (No. 0304), and has already restored a pair of controllers. With doors on all four corners, it could easily be operated by a single–person crew, restoring a critical part of the city’s transit history to the streets.

1924—Built by Market Street Railway crafts workers at Elkton Shops (now Green Division); operated mostly on 19-Polk and 11-line on Mission & 24th Street in Noe Valley (pictured at right).

1946—Retired by Muni (acquired with the Market Street Railway Company in 1944) and sold; body ultimately moved to Columbia, California, becoming a jewelry store.

1984—Threatened with destruction, car No. 798 body acquired for Muni through private donations arranged by volunteer Trolley Festival project manager Rick Laubscher, moved by Hetch Hetchy crews to San Francisco.

1989—Following prep work by Market Street Railway volunteers, No. 798 moved to Deuel Vocational Institute in Tracy for body restoration by prisoners; Muni paid $300,000 for this contract but did not complete the car on its return, leaving it to the elements in Geneva Yard.

2001—Deteriorating from neglect, Market Street Railway asked for the car to be moved to their Pharr Restoration Facility at Market & Duboce, where volunteers restored damaged areas, installed seats and interiors. Meantime, Muni appropriated trucks already restored for this car and used them on Melbourne tram No. 496.

Today—Market Street Railway will be ready to turn this last–of–its–kind car over to Muni for installation of trucks and motors.