San Francisco Cable Car Turned Post Office

Here's another postcard I found on an auction site. Now there surely must be a story behind this postcard. Does anyone know anything about it? What "convention station" is being referred to? Looks like AFL/CIO from the markings on the front of the car -- but what year?

It was postally used in 1960

You seem to have some great postcards. I wonder about the claim of being the "most unique Post Office in the world". Since 'unique' means one of a kind, 'most unique' should really be 'most unusual'. Unique does not have degrees of uniqueness. I know that uniqueness is probably in the dictionary.

Hi to all
Talking about post offices, there is one in the South Pacific on Mystery Island that is a tin can.
You put you mail in the can, some-one from Noumea or Vanuatu collects it and then it is posted anywhere in the world so long as the correct postage is on the article.
Horamakhet

Nice card. Historically the Post Office and san Francisco cable cars goes a lot further back. San Francisco was one of the city that use streetcar RPO. The streetcar RPO in San Francisco was started on September 14, 1896 and continued in operation until September 1905. After the termination of the streetcar rpo closed pouch mail distribution continued until April 18, 1906.


RPO cablecar from 1900


The end of closed pouch distribution with the 1906 earthquake

Here are postcard views of several other old San Francisco cable cars:

I read up a bit more on the Cable Car Post Office connection to the AFL/CIO banner on the initial postcard. It seems that the connection is that the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) is the organization that maintains all of the San Francisco Cable Cars.

Thanks to all of you who added info since my first post here. I may be 70, but this old dog is still learning. Keep it up!!

I found a related link on AFL/CIO and cable cars (complete with video) - http://www.aflcio.org/Multimedia/Vi...Cars-Running

ust one more reason to love San Francisco. What an great place to live and work. That is one city you really can get by without using/needing a car. Too bad other cities tore their trolley tracks up in favor of buses that now run (being kind)occassionaly, with grumpy drivers, smell and are in the way of traffic. I wonder if we had a contest to see how many stamps have trains on them and how many have buses which count would be higher. My vote would be hands down trains. We need more trains in this country and release us from the metal tins cans where we sit with our knees under our chins and deal with all sorts of hassles to get from one place to another. Nothing friendly about those skies either.
Nick

Though not a cable car, it is a similar type of transport. I don't know why Royal Mail claimed this Tram Post Office as a "World's First" as I'm sure they date from around the beginning of the 20th century in the USA.

Always wanted to go to San Fransisco. Neat cars.

We need more trains, yes. I believe there is an article / thread on Stamp Community about how buses overtook and took over from trains. Was the bus owners who did it I think. Forced the others out of business.

Too bad we couldn't all go solar or magnetic or something. I remeber the overhead tourist train in Sydney, Australia years ago. Neatest thing. Probably some ups and downs to it I suppose like everything.

We are strting to have hybrid buses here in Halifax now. Half diesel, half hydrogen I think. Still stink and have a carbon foorprint though.

Starting to see electric scooters saround too.