Market Street Railway Museum

The San Francisco Railway Museum offers a variety of exhibits and displays that center around the history of the railroad in the city and northern part of California. It is located in the Ferry Building and is one of the few museums that allows visitors to experience vintage railroad transit in a natural habitat. Not only can you explore the exhibits of the museum, you can enjoy rides on trains, taking you back to simpler time when the railways were king. The museum explores the positive impact rail travel has had on San Francisco from cable cars and street cars to large locomotive trains. There is a full-sized replica of the motorman's platform of a San Francisco streetcar from 1911, allowing kids to get behind the controls and feel the thrill of operating a streetcar. Also in the collection are a variety of artifacts, displays, photographs and visual exhibits that look at the 19th and 20th century of railway transit. One of the most exciting parts of the Market Street Railway Museum is the gift shop, which features a variety of souvenirs, San Francisco gifts, and memorabilia. Part of the collection of merchandise includes the Market Street Railway's own Historic Travel Series of images from the 1920's and 1930's which are available to take home as posters. Members of the museum receive a discount on merchandise.