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Cable Car Day

History ยท January 17

A look at cable cars, the street vehicles pulled along by a moving cable beneath the road, and how to enjoy riding or learning about them.

Cable Car Day

Cable Car Day falls on Sunday, January 17, 2027. That is 82 days away.

A cable car is a streetcar with no engine of its own. Under the street runs a steel cable that never stops moving, and the car grabs hold of it to go and lets go to stop.

The part that does the grabbing is called the grip. An operator works it with a long lever, squeezing the cable to pull the car forward and releasing it to coast. Brakes do the rest. On a steep hill, that arrangement makes a lot of sense, because the heavy lifting happens somewhere else, in a powerhouse where big wheels keep the cable turning.

San Francisco is the place most Americans picture, with cars climbing hills and riders standing on the outside steps holding a pole. The city still runs cable cars as part of its transit system, and the bell the operator rings has become a sound people associate with the place. Riding one is slow, loud in a pleasant way, and full of small sensations: the clank of the grip, the hum of the cable, the lean on a turn.

People sometimes use the name for aerial lifts too, the cabins that hang from a wire over a valley or a ski slope. Those are a different machine. The street version stays on rails and holds the cable from below.

If you stand near a cable car line on a quiet stretch of street, you can often hear the cable moving in its slot, a steady whir that keeps going whether a car is there or not.

Ways to celebrate

Dates

YearDate
2026Saturday, January 17
2027Sunday, January 17
2028Monday, January 17
2029Wednesday, January 17
2030Thursday, January 17

All national days on January 17

Also on January 17

Categories: History days