San Francisco Railway Museum

My son and I visited this small but very impressive museum. The gentleman who worked there gave us a short tour with a lot of historical information. He was very kind and knowledgeable. If you are interested in trains I recommend this museum if you are in the SF area.

If you take a trip to the Bay Area as a railfan, this place should be on your tourist list. The staff was very nice! Admission is free, and you can ride on streetcars and learn about the history of rail transit in the bay!

this place is amazing! Learn about the history of F Line as well as the cable car. It’s one of the crown jewel of SF. Love the staff here and we bought the F Line pin from this place - all 28 of them~ see in photos

Great volunteers staffing the museum. Able to answer all sorts of questions about the SF cable cars and street cars.

This is a gift shop. Which is great! Go and support them! However if youre looking for a museum, the Cable Car museum is better place to go. Also the hours on the door said it's closed Sun-Tue. So don't go then.

The guide is really nice, pointed out a lot of interesting parts of the exhibits here. Small area but really rich in information and history!

It's a tiny railway museum, but if you're headed to the ferry building, you should totally check it out! The people are super nice and professional. Just a heads-up, though: no public restrooms.

So friendly, welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable! Thank you to the staff and volunteers for making us so glad we stopped by. This is a small exhibition area with lots of information, models and a life size tram / trolley bus driving cabin. Free exhibit. Do stop by.

Small free museum and store at the end of market street and across from the ferry building. They have a small collection of items and information about street cars and railways. Stop by for a few minutes if you're in the area and interested. It was fun to take our niece.

I have visited this San Francisco Railway Museum Several Times!!!!!! And this is a neat store with a lot of Historical Items to look at!!!!!! I have bought several items at this San Francisco Railway Museum Gift Shop the items that I have bought would be Patches,& Souvenir Pins..... The only thing is I'm a local not a tourist This Gift Shop Is A Neat place For Tourists visiting from a another US State Or Another Country!!!!! Other than being at this San Francisco Railway Museum Gift Shop.... I have visited The Brooklyn Rail Transportation Gift Shop!!!!!!

I've been working blocks away from this building for years and never knew it existed (thanks to the user traingirlsummer on TikTok who posted about this!) This is a gift shop with vintage SF transit memorabilia displayed, which is what makes this count as a museum. The best part is that it's free! It's just a cute little stop to see on your way to the Ferry Building or Pier 39. There is a small model train that you can step inside to take photos and the staff let us know they have conductor hat props that you can use too (so adorable). There are cool displays such as the special holiday transit tickets and the fare for different years. I was excited to purchase a laminated Muni transfer bookmark, which is funny because I know I could print out anything and laminate it, but I'm a sucker for capitalism and spent $5 on one instead. Also, the day I went, they were giving out free calendars with every purchase.

I visited the San Francisco Railway Museum for the second time last week. Being a native San Franciscan, I was so excited to see all of the great historical memorabilia, books, scale models and photographs of San Francisco's old vintage streetcars and cable cars from the past on display. The video showing the old cable cars was great too. I can still remember riding the old green and cream "torpedo "shaped streetcars; which the museum had many pictures of; when I was growing up here in San Francisco. Seeing those pictures really brought back memories for me of how San Francisco used to be. I really enjoyed talking with Allison who was very knowledgeable about SF's past railway system. We both shared our memories of us riding the old streetcars when we were younger. I really want to support this museum and plan to make a donation very soon and to be become a member. I really recommend a visit to this museum if you want to learn more about San Francisco's railway past and the admission is free. It is also located near the trolley F Line.

For someone who counts them self as a transit enthusiast I was surprised I only just realised this place existed and stopped by. If trains, buses, muni, and SF history are your thing, this small little museum/gift shop will do you right. I stopped by specifically because I had seen someone post photos of their merch online and I had to get some of the cool magnets and buttons that referred to long defunct lines in SF. However, there were also some interesing photos of SF transit history to take in while there. Next time you're at the ferry building, take a quick detour towards market and you'll find this gem of a store. Bonus: it's free to get in (though you can and should do a little donation while you're there.)

Roger Thornhill: "The moment I meet an attractive woman, I have to pretend I have no desire to make love to her." Eve Kendall: "What makes you think you have to conceal it?" Roger Thornhill: "She might find the idea objectionable." Eve Kendall: "Then again, she might not." Roger Thornhill: *raises eyebrows* Oh I just love old Hitchcock classics from a bygone era! So much mystery and that 1950's innuendo lol! The San Francisco Railway Museum & Gift Shop brings you back to an era of Hitchcock & nickel rides! Yes, it's small and the kiddies might last a second in here, but hey, there's a lot of history, and the "Wilfred Brimly" gentleman that greeted me treated me like Cary Grant! And yes, it's FREE! Now that I got the FREE part out of the way... The San Francisco Railway Museum & Gift Shop is located where the historic F-line reaches the Embarcadero. It's small, but you really can't miss it since the F-line stops right in front before making the wide turn onto the waterfront. If coming from regular bus, Uber, biking, or walking... it's on 77 Steuart St. which is somewhat directly across the street of the south end of the Ferry Building. You enter through the gift shop part of the museum. And if the paid employee or volunteer isn't chatting with other visitors, you'll be warmly greeted. If not, feel free to enter and browse around. Not much interaction here, more like a load of information on the history of the historic trolleys, trains, and street cars of San Francisco. There is half a trolley you can touch, but most things are look only. The timeline was interesting, the uniforms from a bygone era, some local memorabilia. Lot's of vintage street signage can be seen here too. Since I'm a student of history this was a joy to experience, yet realize it's non-profit so note that walking-in. No pressure donations accepted in the fare box. In the end, I recommend stopping by the San Francisco Railway Museum & Gift Shop! Fun for those into history, transportation, and Americana. Open everyday except Monday. It's probably not for everyone but heck if you get bored there's so much other things to do in the area. Hop on the historic (museum in motion) F-line just outside and that might be enough history for you. Cheerio!

I came to partake in the Muni Heritage Weekend where the festivities were held in front of the San Francisco Railway Museum. The festivities included family-friendly activities in the plaza in front of the Museum and it was the departure point for the rides of the vintage streetcars and buses. Though I have walked by the area many times, I didn't realize that this was the location of the San Francisco Railway Museum. It's not a large museum, but it does provide a great insight on the role streetcars and cable cars played in the City's history. There are many displays of artifacts, photographs, and videos detailing the history. There are models and tokens from transit agencies from here and afar on display. Within the museum, there's a gift shop where you can get streetcar souvenirs, t-shirts, books, maps, postcards and more. The workers are friendly. While looking at a display, a worker came up and gave me more insight to it. If you're interested in the rails and its role in the history of San Francisco, check out the Museum. Admission is free and the restored vintage streetcars on the F and E lines depart right in front of the Museum too.

It's called a museum and gift shop, but it's literally one room. But regardless of size, it's definitely a unique attraction, with free admission, and educational, especially if you love learning about the history of technology, our transportation system, and SF in general. They share a lot of photos, fun facts, and stories about the railway system and its evolution through time. They have a partial replica of a streetcar that you can go inside and learn about the different controls. They even have actual parts of the old streetcars on display. And of course, plenty of souvenir items like magnets, toys, miniature streetcar replicas, posters, and memorabilia. It doesn't take long to get through the store/museum (again it only consists of one room... half is considered the museum, the other half the gift shop). But it's definitely a cool attraction to check out if you appreciate history and learning about these vintage vehicles and our transit system. The streetcars even stop right in front of the museum if you want to actually take a ride.

Though there are plenty of souvenirs featuring San Francisco's famed cable cars in nearly every gift shop in the city, trying to find replicas and items featuring the cool antique streetcars still in active use in this city is difficult. We'd hoped to find a souvenir featuring one in this railway museum and gift shop, but unfortunately their selection is quite limited. One other reviewer mentioned several items this shop could consider carrying that would most likely sell well, and I'm in agreement. The staff here was welcoming and they do have lots of memorabilia including old conductor uniforms, tickets from decades ago that were used to ride the system, scale model streetcars, advertisements, posters and placemats illustrating the cars currently in use on the system, and they even have a streetcar cab at the back of this museum where one can go inside and see and operate the controls of one of the original streetcars. There are also souvenirs and gift shop items, but unfortunately, few featuring the streetcars that run along the E and F lines, aside from some cheaper plastic fridge magnets. We ended up with a "collectible" metal wind up toy that kind of looks like either a steetcar or a cable car, which was priced at $10 which is fair. As others have mentioned, come here to see some history and memorabilia, peruse the displays and posters, fridge magnets, bookmarks made from old laminated tickets, pencils and other items for sale, but don't plan to spend a long time here as it's not large, and in our experience, when asking questions of the staff, expect them to give you a bit of information, then suggest you search the internet for more information or to find further details about the streetcar system and various cars still in use, etc.

Do you remember this classic Saturday Night Live skit from (gasp) 1976? ...http://www.jibjab.com/view/101069 Gilda Radner as the Wife: "New Shimmer is a floor wax!" Dan Ackroyd as the Husband: "No, New Shimmer is a dessert topping!" Wife: "It's a floor wax!" Husband: "It's a dessert topping!" Wife: "It's a floor wax, I'm telling you!" Husband: "It's a dessert topping, you cow!" Chevy Chase comes in..."Hey, hey, calm down, you two. New Shimmer is both a floor wax and a dessert topping!" Flash forward 32 years later...Jamie W. and I enter this place. Here is a dramatic re-enactment of our reaction. No animals were harmed in the production of this scene... Ed: "It's a museum!" Jamie: "No, it's a gift shop!" Ed: "Dammit, it's a museum, you Kentucky moron!" Jamie: "I'm telling you it's a gift shop, you Asian cream puff!"... Guy at the register chimes in...."Chill, you guys...it's a museum and a gift shop!" I actually did ask the guy at the register to tell me where the museum was. He told me I was standing in it. Oh. Lots of F-Line memorabilia. Magnets (I got a few of those). T-shirts. Sweatshirts. Tumblers. Vintage posters (I like those...and Jamie has them in his office). Framed vintage photos. Oh, there's a sign with some historical facts on it. And you can ring the bell in the faux-streetcar in the back. I thought the museum was behind the double doors. It's an understandable mistake. It could happen to anyone ...right?...RIGHT?

I am a sucker for trains and public transportation, so visiting the San Francisco Railway Museum and Gift Shop was shooting fish in a barrel for me. This small, but packed, museum is located near the Ferry Building and is next to one of the Historic F Line stops for easy access. The museum tracks the history of the San Francisco Municipal Railway - now known as MUNI - along side the history of its city. Admission is free with the whole museum easily seen in less than 30 minutes. It is really just a long room with a large gift shop in the front. You trace the history of the private systems and the modernization efforts after BART with lots of memorabilia and artifacts. Kids will be easily bored, but may like to play with the train. This is also a fun place to purchase unique souvenirs and gifts. MUNI is trying to restore their classic boat cars and maintain the history through donations and sales. It is a quick and interesting look into the history of San Francisco, and how its transit system helped shape the city we enjoy today.

I love this small museum! I never knew about it. I was walking to Market from the YMCA and just happened upon this. My love for museums and American history started as a child living near Washington, DC. I think SF has some real, authentic history. I am so happy someone made an effort to educate the public and show artifacts from a historical time in San Francisco. I am always taking the Muni in SF and I enjoy the history of the public transportation system here. I spent maybe less than 5 minutes here. There's some unique gifts. I didn't read all the info, but there's quite a bit of info and pictures. Really neat. Too bad it's tiny. But it's free and they accept donations.

Off to an interview today I arrived about twenty minutes early and with nothing better to do, strolled into the Rail museum hoping to kill a few minutes with some wonderment and awe. Fun stuff: The railway car in the back of the store The patches and pins sold in the front Memorabilia from the early days of public transport Missed points for me: No charms. (I would think a place like this would at least have one cablecar charm... nope) No pressed penny station No conductor hats sold No shot glasses No magnets with destination signs on them Generally this place tries too hard to be both a museum and a gift shop and does both poorly. It's about one step up from the first floor of the Flood building museum wise, and misses "gift shop," by a mile. It's sad too, because there's so much I'd love to see them sell and so much I was excited to learn about. Hopefully they'll add a few things and expand down the line.

We had a terrible experience there today. A truly unpleasant lady came up to my wife while she was reading "the little engine that could" to my toddler, and told her she couldn't read the book to my son unless she bought it first. Excuse me?!? You run a train museum and have children's books out and this is your attitude?!? This wasn't a priceless antique behind glass. And my son wasn't even touching it. I truly hope that the next time you go to a book store and are flipping through your "How to be nasty at customer service, and chase away your customers" they kick you out as well. Do NOT bring your kids here. Even if they love trains. My son was so upset afterwards, thinking he was a bad boy because some random awful lady decided to push her non existent power around. And if the manager is reading these reviews, you NEED to do something about this employee. She should NOT be allowed to interact with customers.

After visiting the New York Transit Museum this summer, this is EXACTLY what I have been waiting for SF to have! Well, granted, the NYTM is crazy huge, since it was a former subway station, but MSR is a cute little museum/giftshop right near the Ferry Building and sells the best looking and tasteful souvenirs that's distinctively SF. This place is literally just a room, but the exhibit and artifacts are all well presented, and whoever they got to do the graphic design for this place did a great job. Great place to read about some of the history of the trolleys and rails we see everyday and take for granted. The guy that works there is mighty friendly and answers anyone's question about getting around the city if you are visiting and busing around. This group is all volunteer based so I hope this museum will last and expand, so they can showcase some retired fleets! P.S. They are opened from Wednesday-Sunday 10a-6p

If you are a railway buff, into San Francisco history, or are just killing time near the Embarcadero/Ferry Building, the Railway Museum is a nice little diversion. Moreover, it's FREE. The museum features static displays, model railcars, and lots of paraphernalia. Older folks will love learning about the history of the streetcars and kids will enjoy going into the front portion of a streetcar and pretending to be a driver. The front half of the museum/room is a shop with t-shirts, posters, and trinkets.

I've walked by the Ferry Building a lot and only Sat 2/27/10 did I notice a sign for the FREE SF Railway Museum. It's at the Steuart St F-line stop, kitty-corner from the Ferry Bldg 1.5 blocks from the Calif St cable car terminal. It's a small museum & gift shop where you can read & see pics of every streetcar & cable car and read some history about them. Some books, postcards, magnets with SF cable car & streetcar on them. Time spent there: 15 min. Closed Mondays Tues-Sun 10am-6pm Tours & private parties welcome. Ph. 415-974-1948. Website: www.streetcar.org

As a San Francisco native, I love learning about the city's rich history. The Market Street Railway Museum not only has exhibits pertaining to the rail history of San Francisco, but to the city itself. The old photos of the city pre- and post-1906 earthquake are very cool and the replica posters and cards are of good quality. I am definitely planning on framing a few. I also really liked the t-shirts with old street car signage. My parents, both raised in the city, loved seeing signs for the streetcars they took as kids and my dad proudly wears his "Playland at Beach Cliff, Seal Rocks" shirt. But what's most cool about the museum/gift shop is that the funds raised will help preserve these historic street cars for generations to come, meaning my children will get to see what cars their grandparents rode as kids as well as other vintage street cars from around the world. It's one thing to check out exhibits in a museum, it's entirely another to experience them first hand. The Market Street Railway and its museum provide people with this opportunity. Using the museum as a tool to educate and share the city's rich cultural history, but also as a way to continue restoring the historic cars that run along the F Line and Wharves, the Market Street Railway allows people of all ages, from around the globe to take a ride on a piece of history.

I have passed by here several times and have not stepped in until now. But I sure am glad I made the decision to come here. Pros: - Free admission - Friendly staff members - Clean, organized facility Very interesting, educational and definitely a great way to learn about the history of streetcars and cable cars in San Francisco. This is definitely a lot of history in one facility on how the transportation system has evolved during the last century. Coming in here really gave me a clear picture of MUNI's beginning in 1912. Overall, positive experience here! They have posters and calendars of the streetcars and cable cars along with other souvenirs available. Donations are optional but it is always welcome. It is a great way to help preserve this precious history of San Francisco's world famous streetcars and cable cars. If you want to learn more, then here is the website: http://www.streetcar.org The F Market & Wharves line stops right in front!

"Come on ride the train it's the choo choo train. Come on ride the train it's the choo choo. Ride it, woo woo. Come on, ride the train, it's the choo choo train." I've walked by the San Francisco Railway Museum and Gift Shop so many times without ever noticing that it existed. Thanks to my visiting friend and his sharp tourist eyes, we spotted this tiny attraction and thought why not go in? More of a gift store in my opinion, the San Francisco Railway Museum and Gift Shop is a cute little break. It's low investment on your end in terms of time and money. It's free and it shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes or so to cover all the "exhibits" but it's good quirky fun and you will learn quite abit about the history of public transportation in SF. If you have extra time in the neighborhood, hop on in for a quick spin. "Clang ,clang, clang went the trolley; Ding, ding, ding went the bell."

Another thing that is FREE! Didn't realize that cable cars and streetcars are different things. It's definitely worthwhile to spend a good hour here. It's small but lots to read on. It's a museum and gift shop all-in-one.

It's a free museum in San Francisco! If you like San Francisco history, this is the place for you. You can learn about the streetcar fleet and see the restored front of a streetcar. Plenty of pictures of old SF are on display, and there some some interactive displays too. There was lots of stuff I wanted to buy at the gift shop. I got some slices of antique Cable Car rails. I tried buying them online, but could only find the mounted rails. If you go the museum in person, you can buy the unmounted rails. They make beefy paperweights. Once your visit is over, just step outside a few feet and take a streetcar ride!

I only found out about this little museum when I saw a little flyer about it on one of the F line street cars. Despite its proximity to the Ferry Building, it's easy to miss, being tucked away in a corner. Admission is free and inside, there's an interesting history of the various transportation systems in San Francisco, depicted in photos, posters, a timeline and some interactive exhibits. Kids, big and small, will be entertained by a full working mock up of a tram driver's cabin. There's a comprehensive gift shop with some unique gift items. Well worth a browse and not off the beaten track at all!

The Museum is small but jam packed full of flat screen multimedia presentations of the history of the "streetcars" of San Francisco. There is even a display where you can find out which of the historic & foreign cars are running. There is a new iPhone app that gives you the GPS coordinates of which cars are on the tracks. I am still trying to ride in the open air streetcar from Australia. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I was able to ask questions about some of the displays and items for sale. I had to buy some memorabilia. There are t-shirts, hats, pins, posters and books to name a few things. I just wish that there was a bigger space with a variety of cars to sit and climb on.

This little gem is hiding in plain sight right at the turn of the trolley onto Embarcadero. I was looking for black and white photos of San Francisco forever! And voila! I found them here. I am such a nerd. And proud of it! More than a hundred years of history is represented here, starting from the cable car and going all the way through the 19th century street car history. Many of the vintage cars were acquired from other U.S. and international sister-cities. My favorites are the Peter Witt trams of Milan, Zurich Tram, and San Francisco's own 1912-built Car No. 1. So much history! The gift shop is full of San Francisco memorabilia: books, maps, T-shirts, post cards, buttons, etc. I could not restrain myself from buying an adorable set of black-and-white postcards, a pin, and a nerdy book with hand-drawn maps. The mock-up tram driver cabin is a charm. All the controls, horns, even the bell, are real and - unlike in other museums - you can touch all of them! Please, donate for the history in re-making and restoration!

OK, so for my fellow dorks who absolutely love history and the living history that is San Francisco's F line, do yourselves a favor and visit the San Francisco Railway Museum and Gift Shop. It's located near the beginning of Market Street. They've got all kinds of cool old memorabilia, including T-shirts with prints of the signs they used to put on the streetcars. Those signs were strange but very to the point, unlike many signs today. And there's a neat interactive computer-screen thing at which you can check out every train in the F line's fleet.

We stumbled upon this place when leaving the Amgen prologue. This is a great small museum and the contagious enthusiasm of John who works there made it just such a great experience. There is a mock streetcar driver's station where he showed my daughter how all the controls work and she really enjoyed playing there. They have a nice selection of books about streetcars and related San Francisco history. It's the kind of place that I would drop in to whenever I'm in the area. It is a work in progress too so it'll be nice to see the new changes next time I come here. http://www.streetcar.org/

Small, cute, and free. I'm always up for FREE. Some cool old pictures, lots of knick-knacks and souvenirs. Nice place if you're into trains, streetcars, etc. (e.g. my 4 year old cousin). Not sure if I'll be back by myself, but wouldn't be a bad place to take some out of town guests.

I'm torn about this museum. I really am. Here's why: I love the Muni railway, the trolleys and particularly the old restored streetcars. So I was really looking forward to this museum. Somehow I blotted out the "and gift shop" part -- more than half of what's on display here is for-sale items such as calendars, t-shirts, pint classes and replicas. While I appreciated the collection -- a handful of old signs, lots of posters, a really awesome timeline and touchscreens that teach you about the restored streetcar fleet and the history of the railway -- I would have liked many more hands-on displays, such as the piece of motor that sits in the middle of the room. I think I will like this museum much more when they get their interactive conductor's booth exhibit working -- because I am much more of a hands-on learner, and I wanted to play with things more than I wanted to look at stuff on the walls or buy something. That said, I really like that they urge people to go out and ride the restored streetcars, which they call "museums on wheels." Each one is different and has a placard describing its history mounted inside the car. For someone who likes interactive learning, this really is the best way to get a sense of the railway's history.

This place is a great place to go if you want to learn all about the streetcars in SF. Pretty small, but it's free! Lots of information and lots of cool old pieces from way back when! The guy working that day was very friendly and actually helped us find the right cable car to get us to Grace Cathedral.

I walked in here on a lark and left absolutely thrilled. Such a cool place for SF-related history and gifts! I really enjoyed the history of the SF railcar system and the interactive displays were really cool. But I'll admit that despite not being much of a shopper, that the merchandise is what turned me on. Pint glasses and shirts made from authentic signage of old SF caught my eye, and the gf purchased a great set of cards called City Walks - 50 durable laminated cards with a map of a walk on one side and the difficulty, rationale and history tidbits on the other. Super cute! I also liked a set of "What happened here?" cards with local knowledge. The only one I could name without looking - they are a little obscure - was 710 Ashbury, home of the Grateful Dead. There were also beautiful prints and posters. Anyway, if you want to bring home a little gift emblematic of the city and your recipient already has an Alcatraz Swim Team shirt, this is a place to get cool, unique items that are truly reflective of the city's past. Well worth it just for the knowledge as well, though, and it only takes about 15 minutes to cover the whole room.

This museum is inherently interesting and only takes a few moments to enjoy it all. If you're interested in transit and rail history as I am, that's irresistible. I will note that I've been in here twice and on both occasions the clerks were, how shall we say, surly when questioned? No idea what that's about, but I still love the Railway Museum.

I've lived in San Francisco for 4 years, but have never rode on one of San Francisco's historic streetcars. I've rode on plenty of cable cars, but never the cute streetcar that runs the length of Market Street. So last Saturday, John and I headed out on a mission to ride the streetcar and it was fabulous. We hopped on the F line car at Van Ness and Market. We didn't take the first one because it was packed with tourists and I wanted my ride to be perfect. So we waited a few more minutes for a nice empty street car with only two passengers, one of which was a total Asian cougar with yellow thigh-high patent leather boots. I knew we picked the right car for my first time when I saw her. The streetcar ride is a completely different experience than the cable car. It's not as loud and much more comfortable. The inside of the cars have the "history of streetcars" plastered on the inside which makes the ride not only entertaining but educational. Plus once you hop on, you feel like you've been magically transported back to the turn of the century. We took the car all the way to the end at the Embarcadero and magically at that same spot is the San Francisco Railway Museum. The museum serves as a visitor center that tells the history of streetcars and cable cars and how they are used today in San Francisco. The museum is small but very entertaining. We spent about a half-hour looking at all the historic pictures, watching a historic film of a streetcar on Market street days before the big 1906 earthquake, and playing conductor on the full-size replica streetcar. We also managed to buy a streetcar magnet. A new treasure. Next time you are looking for something random to do in the city or want to learn a bit of history stop by the San Francisco Railway Museum on Steuart across from the Ferry Building. It's best to pretend you are a tourist so that the docent will give you his entertaining spiel on the history of the streetcar.

This is a small museum run by three full time staff members. They are clearly so passionate about what they do, and it is amazing to see what they have accomplished when you look at the restored street cars running down Market Street! There is great information in this museum on the rise and fall of the street car in San Francisco, and while we were there the staff member working was more than happy to show us around and give us even more information about all of the exhibits. There is even a movie from 100 years ago taken from a street car that shows the chaos that ensued on the streets with all the different lines at the time. The museum itself is free, but if you do pick up a souvenir from their shop, it benefits the non-profit organization that is restoring these great street cars. The holidays are coming up - maybe you need a cool San Francisco streetcar stocking stuffer?

This visit has been long awaited ever since I saw the brochure on the F Market streetcars from a year or two ago. It's a one-room museum so do not come to expect a grandeur tour of realisitic/replicas of the historic fleet. Admission is free but donations are gladly welcome to support the Market Street Railway cause! I would totally donate if I was a successful college grad, which I am not...yet. There are copies of the 2010 newsletters for sale at the back in bundles for $10-12. I wanted to take a look at the content but they are sealed. There are interactive touchscreen Apple cinema displays that will let you read about individual streetcars that are active in the fleet. Some souvenirs are sold on the tables and walls. The valuable items are the posters. Two small posters caught my eye, one being a "blueprint"-style of the made-in-San Francisco streetcars from several decades back. Bring hand sanitizer if you wish to touch the steering controls of a streetcar operator at the back wall of the museum. The one museum employee/volunteer/ambassador (I'm not sure of the title) that was staffed there was super welcoming and didn't hesitate to show me how to learn more about the historic fleet. He was on the phone a lot though, hopefully securing more funds for the MSR.

I simply loved the clerk that was working the day I went. He filled me with so much helpful and knowledgeable information about San Francisco's history and Railroad system. I was thinking it was gonna be as big as an actual Museum, But it's more like the size of a gift shop. Great location, easy to get to. An outstanding 5 star experience.

You won't spend a ton of time in here, since it's very small, but there is plenty of old San Francisco ephemera here to read and explore. I particularly enjoyed an old ad for the Sutro baths. It's free, so if you're already visiting the piers, the ferry building, or Chinatown, you might as well make a stop here for the neatness and a possible souvenir.

I planned to visit the Railway Museum on Sunday, April 16, 2017. When I arrived at 4:30, a woman was locking the door and leaving. I was still some distance away, so I yelled that the website shows they are open until 5:00. She just said sorry and walked away. My flight left San Francisco on Monday, and the museum is closed on that day. I missed my only opportunity because someone left work early. I certainly hope she is not being paid for the 30 minutes of her workday she did not complete. What a sorry ambassador for such a noble tradition!

I'm a big nerd about local history. I get into fights at parties about urban planning and mass transit, and I love walking and rail-ing it whenever I can. I do still love my car and driving -- out of town. So, I've been wanting to come here for a long time. Market Street Railway, a nonprofit named for the organization that used to operate the historic SF streetcars, runs this free admission museum/gift shop and they've done a hell of a job. It's a small, modest showcase of artifacts, books and narrated, pre-1906 earthquake footage of rail-heavy Market Street. The photo-heavy poster boards and timeline lay out the heyday of rail (1930s) all the way to its demise and resurgence, still in progress. As much as I complain about the F line (slow, pokey, crowded F, bless its heart), I do appreciate how it gets tourists and commuters around town. I appreciate Market Street Railway's support of the E Embarcadero, an ambitious rail project that would connect Mission Bay to Crissy Field. I learned how Third Street (home of the T-Third light rail) used to be Kentucky Street - a name that makes a lot of sense considering how the street grid is now really weird thereabouts. I learned how the 38-Geary bus replaced a lengthy rail line - funny, considering a recent push to get rapid bus service, instead of the 38 and cars, on the slow-going east-west thoroughfare. So, I put a few bucks in the donation bin and I think you should, too.

I stumbled in here quite by accident, having been looking at what I thought was just a window display of rail posters. It turned out to be things offered in this tiny, albeit cool tribute to the F line and more. They have lots of books, as well as posted information on the history of the street car in our fair City, as well as other local lore. Check out this cute little nod to one of unique modes of public transportation. And be sure to empty your pocket change into their donation can so they can keep the lights on.

I think the most important thing in going here is to set expectations properly. This is a small place and the free admission makes it pretty low stakes. I've found the gift shop to be exceptionally useful for the MUNI fans in my life, and the employees are very knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects - I got additional recommendations for more in-depth books when checking out. And it's definitely fun to see the displays - I would just make sure not to schedule TOO much time here, but if you're in the area, check it out!

We brought our family plus some kids, the staff was so friendly and engaged every age. Lots of interactive things to see, touch and experience. Thank you for the memories!

These are photos of some of my G Scale model P.C.C. Streetcars that I am currently building out of sheet metal & plywood. These models represent a Variation of one of the 23 different styles of cars that were built between the mid 1940's to the early 1950's by the St. Louis Car Company, Canadian Foundry, Pullman Standard, Clark Truck & Brake and Fiat which was one of the later car companies that put turn signals on there P.C.C. Streetcars or Trams as they are called in Europe. More recently in 2002- 2004 Philadelphia restored 18 P.C.C.Cars that were given the name P.C.C. I I Streetcars with modern style Air Conditioners,new style seats,lighting,wheel trucks and a new style dashboard and turn signals that really fascinate me with this great P.C.C.design. I love it and San Francisco has done a Beautiful job also restoring some of there Trolley Buses, Streetcars, Cable Cars and Diesel Motor Coaches. The P.C.C. Car in my opinion still has " So Much Potential "

My lovely wife and I took the F line here once again. Still a great but small museum for train and history buffs like myself.

Big disappointment. If you are trying to squeeze as many things into your San Francisco trip as possible leave this stop out. It is really not a museum. It is more of a gift shop. The one good thing about making purchases here is the proceeds go to helping maintain the restoration of the street cars. I was hoping for a museum like the Cable Car Museum or the Wells Fargo Museum, both well worth it.

I didn't know this place even existed until one day I was walking back from Boulevard towards Market Street. It's a perfect little place for anyone visiting SF to learn a little bit about the city history and pick up a little souvenir. It's also great for those of us who live here. And it's free!

This is a free museum and gift shop. Its pretty small and feels more like a gift shop than museum. However, you can learn some history and there's an excellent place to take pictures in what is a replica of a front of a car so one can pretend to be the conductor.

A little gem of a place. The clerk was very helpful and even reminded me that the N Judah streetcar would get me to where I wanted to go next better than the 71 bus. My only complaint is that I wish it was bigger.

I bought 3 one-day passes from this place. Loved the guy who originally helped me as he was very warm and personable. Sadly the day we were to use our passes Muni had a "sick-out" and the passes were useless as no cable cars were running. I went back to return them and a different guy was working there. He provided no guidance for a refund because the dates were scratched out, as we had expected to use them that day. Finally he phoned his manager, Brian L, for guidance and he still said there was nothing they could do. I went home and contacted Muni and they were terrific and are processing my refund now because Muni provides refunds for "non-operational" periods. So beware these guys are not Muni, and apparently do not bother to find out Muni policies. All the guy kept saying was "Sorry ladies....sorry ladies." A little work on customer service would be nice.