In an area of San Francisco south of Market Street many new companies are creating the most advanced technology in the world today - state of the art systems for the Internet and e-commerce. Things are changing so rapidly in this field that it is possible that what is new today can be obsolete within six months.
But something else is happening in a carpentry shop just a few blocks away. Here something is being built that has a life expectancy of as much as 100 years, and during that long life it will be a constant center of attention, oohed and aahed over by people from around the world.
San Francisco's new No. 9 cable car is being hand-built in the Municipal Railway's shop and will debut on the 100th anniversary of the death of Andrew Hallidie, who invented the cable car in 1873. Since then they have been a marvel of 19th century technology. While once they were pulled along the streets of many American cities, San Francisco has long had the distinction of having the last cable car system in the world, which explains why the whole network has been designated as the only moving national landmark in the United States.
A skilled crew of four carpenters and one pattern maker take about a year's labor to turn out a single car. The 7 ton cars are built mostly by hand to exact specifications well over 100 years old. The original blueprints were lost in the earthquake and fire of 1906, so the work is done by tradition and skill passed down orally from one generation to another. Even the car bell is made so that it produces a clear C note, just like the originals. The shop supervisor says the cars cost about $275,000 to build, and he guarantees them for 100 years of service. This is amazing when one considers that a new, modern car purchased for San Francisco's more modern streetcar lines costs about $3 million and might last for two decades.
I would venture to say that there is no place
in the world in which the extremes of modern and old technology
are so close to each other. This is just one of the many things
that make San Francisco one of the most balanced cities in the
world (and most of you know who I believe in "balance"
in life). I think it is marvelous to 
consider
that some programmer working on the latest Internet technology
in his office may ride a 100 year old cable car back to his apartment
in the evening (yes, cable cars are still used by some commuters).
Sincerely, Tommy
The men in overalls are the carpenters who helped built this cable car that is expected to last 100 years