Saturday, February 26, 2022

San Diego Cable Railway Company moved this house 3 times in an effort to sell real estate by getting interest in the potential for living in such a nice place, and hoping an additional result would be creating customers that would use the cable cars


A few years after this Eastlake style Victorian era house was constructed downtown during a brief, late 1880s building boom, the San Diego Cable Railway Company moved it along its line to University Heights. This spec house #1 was meant to enhance and increase interest in the more than 100 vacant lots along Adams Avenue that the company was offering for sale. The house was moved again around 1913 to its current location on Adams Avenue.





The east-west streets of the subdivision were named after U.S. presidents, including Adams Avenue towards the northern boundary and Fillmore Avenue (present-day University Avenue) at the southern boundary.
 The north-south streets were named after U.S. states and, from west to east, in a roughly clockwise geographical order starting in the northeast with Maine and ending in the Midwest with Missouri.

Despite the implosion of the Great Boom in the spring of 1888, Choate spearheaded several improvements for the subdivision, including installing water main pipes down every street and a steam-powered streetcar line to the college. 

According to another W.H. Holabird & Company ad in December 1888,  University Heights was the choice residence property of the city,” and the Electric Motor Rapid Transit Railroad was completed (San Diego Sun 1888). 

 Norcross & Howard touted the view from the bluffs and the convenience of half-hour trips on the Electric Motor Rapid Transit Railroad in its ads for University Heights.


Despite the promises of its promoters, the sales of lots in University Heights suffered as the real estate market in San Diego collapsed in 1889. 

Although the real estate market failed spectacularly in 1888, some important public and private improvements in University Heights continued to be developed. For example, the transit corridors between downtown San Diego and University Heights continued to evolve. The Electric Motor Rapid Transit Railroad completed an electric streetcar route up Fourth Avenue to the college site in University Heights in 1888, but quickly ended service in 1889 because it was not profitable. The San Diego Cable Railway Company redeveloped the same route with cable cars in 1890, and then extended the cable car system to the intersection of Adams Avenue and Park Boulevard in 1891. 

 Construction for the cable car system began in August 1889, despite the economic downturn. The first cable car ran through town on June 7, 1890, followed by a parade with the City Guard band. The first paying customer was beloved horticulturalist Kate Sessions. 

The cable car system had one route, which began at Sixth Avenue, turned west at C Street, then continued north on Fourth Avenue along the Electric Rapid Transit Company’s original route to the college site in University Heights.

 The entire line was powered by two large coal-fired steam engines located within a powerhouse near the intersection of Fourth Street (present-day Fourth Avenue) and Spruce Street. The engines turned massive 12-foot-diameter wheels that pulled the cables. In 1891, the line was extended north on Carolina Street (present-day Park Boulevard) and terminated at Adams Avenue, where the company created The Bluffs park and pavilion. 


Turntables for the one-ender cars were built at the present-day intersections of Sixth Avenue and L Street, Fourth Avenue and Spruce Street, and Park Boulevard and Adams Avenue. 

While the cable car line was popular, it was not profitable. The line was $4,000 in debt for coal and lost $1,100 each successive month it ran. In November 1891, the California National Bank failed due to “Wild Cat loans” and “reckless speculation”. Dare, the president of the company, left for Europe with funds from the California National Bank and never returned. The bank failed to open the following day, and Collins committed suicide. In March 1892, the San Diego Cable Railway Company was declared insolvent. 

The last cable car ran on October 15, 1892, following a court order to shut down for lack of funds. In 1895, George B. Kerper purchased and reorganized the company into the Citizens’ Traction Company, and converted the cable cars into electric streetcars. The cable winding equipment in the powerhouse at Fourth Street and Spruce Street was replaced with two generators. Overhead electric lines were installed and eight of the old cable cars were outfitted with 25-horsepower electric motors. 

New attractions were added at The Bluffs, which was renamed Mission Cliff Park, making it a popular end-of-the-line destination. However, the Citizens’ Traction Company did not survive the depression of the 1890s, and fell into receivership by 1898. The cable car only ran for a brief period of time, but it played a pivotal role in the development of northern University Heights. It was the first means of public transportation that reached the intersection of Park Boulevard and Adams Avenue, and it led to the creation of the immensely popular Mission Cliff Gardens.



https://sandiego.cfwebtools.com/search.cfm?display=districtrecords&dist_id=28&recordnum=5&dpr_id=23909&res_id=17583 

most unexpected vehicle I stumbled across today

 

came across these while on walkabout

 



it's been forever since I've seen a Geo Tracker


the paint looks fresh but the rims look really old

 


the top photo gets the job done, but the bottom one set in some nice angles on that home


adding more street pavement black 

what's the point of removing all traces of what state the plate is from? When, obviously its most likely going to be the state you're standing in (and the color of the month decal gives away that it's California)

 

Wth?

it's rare to see that anyone has had a bit of fun with their Audi

it's rare to see a car on city streets that hasn't been registered in 5 years


These Pontiacs are within a couple city blocks of each other... that's pretty weird, as rare as these are to see at anything but a car show

 

1938 railroad and coal yard, Omaha, Nebraska.

 interesting levels of railroad track, and mix of old fashioned steam locomotives in the center, and a streamlined new train engine on the far right

https://www.shorpy.com/node/25807

December 1941. War effort waste paper collecting in New York City, at 459 W 18th Street, by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration


https://www.shorpy.com/node/25825?size=_original#caption  every guy had to wear a hat it seems

the 50,000th post if coming up soon, what should I do to mark the occasion?

 I've been thinking I ought to do something, but, nothing comes to mind. 


Take a week off? Seems counter to my ambition to constantly add interesting stuff to my blog. 

have a celebration? Maybe, but how, with what? 

So, I'm totally uninspired, and clueless, on what to do, is it possible I'm simply asking the wrong question, and I perhaps should be asking whether or not TO mark the arbitrarily chosen 50k mark? 

here's a you tuber, that does a LOT of repairs, to old construction equipment, etc etc. Lots of things with dozers and loaders for your easy afternoon entertainment

example, fixing the Hyster winch on an old Cat D7...

a cold, slippery, tight hairpin curve, some get through with style, others lock them up and bonk into the bank. They are a hoot to watch, and one guy sits on the wall and applauds them. Coffee and donuts vid of the day

some cool old cars too, here in the historic vintage Monte Carlo Rally, at least 3 Stratos, a 2002, even an Alpine

But the blue car at the 7:14 mark? Autobianchi A112, I thought for sure he was going to smash it into the cliff!  (thanks Kim and David!)

the 1948 Davis is coming to auction


the unmistakable Davis Divan, was the brainchild of Glen Davis, a used car salesman from Indiana, and it was based loosely on a one-off custom designed by Frank Kurtis.

The three-wheeled Davis was promoted as the car of the future: a fuel-efficient, streamlined, aluminum-bodied runabout with a bench seat. Unfortunately, after failing to deliver on more than a million dollars in dealer contracts and deposits, Davis was convicted of fraud, and the Davis Company ordered shuttered by the courts.

This example is the 3rd produced and one of 12 known to exist. Preceded by two prototypes, it is the first “production” example of the rare model. 

After liquidation, the car went to Michigan where it was stored away but neglected, and it was discovered in 2011 by the most recent owners, who became devoted Davis enthusiasts. Under their care, it was restored in its present metallic brown exterior over a two-tone beige and brown interior.

This car features an L-head Hercules 4-cylinder engine paired with a three-speed manual gearbox, and a removable fiberglass hardtop
 


https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am22/amelia-island/lots/r0068-1948-davis-divan/1211452

my buddy Will bought a new truck a couple days ago. Only 275 miles on it when a moron in a Prius blows through a red light

he hadn't even used up the 1st tank of gas. 

6 months after losing the small claims court case, they sent me the check. Bizarre

just out of the blue, with no reason to wait until now, and no actions on my part to remind them to pay me. Bizarre, but, I never thought I'd get paid. So, that's finally done with

good morning! The first thing I saw when I looked online this morning:


 https://www.facebook.com/VintageMotorcycleMagazine/photos/a.120360254985422/1645821852439247/

Friday, February 25, 2022

West Shore R.R. depot, West Point, N.Y. 1895, a location used in the motion picture “The Long Gray Line” filmed by John Ford as graduates, in campaign hats and boots, departed during World War I.


 this cool piece of historic architecture (in the Queen Anne style I posted about last year http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2021/01/1959-photos-opf-fond-du-lac-train.html)

 was replaced with a building that wouldn't burn down in 1926

https://www.shorpy.com/node/25936

In 1926, about the time that the Hotel Thayer was replacing the original West Point Hotel near the Plain, the current station was completed. So the station used in “The Long Gray Line” was not the actual station used during World War I, but the newer (and current) station. It was also about this time that West Point (and all the boats passing on the Hudson River) lost a landmark. To widen the road to the station, it was necessary to remove some of the cliff near the station. Along with the rock outcroppings were lost the huge letters, “Bunker Hill, June 17th, 1775” that had been carved there in 1857

history of this station is at https://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=3879

a forgotten and never mentioned aspect of the WW2 rations, kids were using wagons to haul groceries. They lined up outside grocery stores awaiting customers because tire scarcity and gasoline rationing made their service a necessity

 https://www.shorpy.com/node/25976

1897. Cane fields in Louisiana

 https://www.shorpy.com/node/26003

one of 25 Rolls-Royces owned by Lt.-General His Highness the Maharaja Sir Bhupindra Singh of Patiala.

 http://www.doubledeclutch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2019ConcoursofElegance_jb_0110.jpg

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1934 type 59 Sports Bugatti

 

'The Thomas Crown Affair' Meyers Manx was just featured in a photo shoot in St Moritz

 https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/king-cools-meyers-manx-thomas-crown-affair-hits-ice-st-moritz

Morgan's new Super 3