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The First Cable Line in the World: Clay Street Hill Wire Rope Railroad, Printed Broadside with Engraved Illustrations, San Francisco, December 1, 1885 (facsimile imprint), Late 19th–Early 20th Century
  • The First Cable Line in the World: Clay Street Hill Wire Rope Railroad, Printed Broadside with Engraved Illustrations, San Francisco, December 1, 1885 (facsimile imprint), Late 19th–Early 20th Century
  • The First Cable Line in the World: Clay Street Hill Wire Rope Railroad, Printed Broadside with Engraved Illustrations, San Francisco, December 1, 1885 (facsimile imprint), Late 19th–Early 20th Century
  • The First Cable Line in the World: Clay Street Hill Wire Rope Railroad, Printed Broadside with Engraved Illustrations, San Francisco, December 1, 1885 (facsimile imprint), Late 19th–Early 20th Century
  • The First Cable Line in the World: Clay Street Hill Wire Rope Railroad, Printed Broadside with Engraved Illustrations, San Francisco, December 1, 1885 (facsimile imprint), Late 19th–Early 20th Century
The First Cable Line in the World: Clay Street Hill Wire Rope Railroad, Printed Broadside with Engraved Illustrations, San Francisco, December 1, 1885 (facsimile imprint), Late 19th–Early 20th Century
$300.00

The Broadside

Title: The First Cable Line in the World: Clay Street Hill Wire Rope Railroad
Publisher/Attribution: San Francisco, December 1, 1885 (facsimile imprint at bottom)
Date: Original text 1885; this example on aged paper appears late 19th century or early commemorative printing
Medium: Printed broadside with engraved illustrations
Frame: Simple wood frame with matting, mid-20th century presentation

About the Subject

The Clay Street Hill Railroad was the world’s first operational cable car system, beginning service on August 1, 1873, on Clay Street in San Francisco. Conceived by Andrew Smith Hallidie, the system used a continuously moving underground cable gripped by specially designed cars, making it possible to ascend San Francisco’s steep grades safely and efficiently.

The Clay Street line ran from Kearny to Leavenworth Street, later extended to Van Ness Avenue, and proved the concept that would spread cable car systems worldwide.

About the Broadside

This broadside commemorates the invention and success of the Clay Street Hill Railroad. It includes:

  • A detailed image of the Clay Street Hill Railroad Co. car.

  • Technical engravings of the grip system, track bed, and railbed construction.

  • Historical narrative describing Hallidie’s early experiments, the financial and engineering challenges, and the eventual triumph of the system.

  • A printed date line: San Francisco, December 1, 1885, situating the text a little over a decade after the first run.

The paper exhibits visible age toning and period-style typography, suggesting either a late 19th-century printing or an early commemorative reproduction faithful to the original design. Regardless, it serves as both a piece of San Francisco history and a technical record of the birth of the cable railway system.

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