Tests Showed Cable Car Brakes Faulty
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SAN FRANCISCO — The general manager of the San Francisco Municipal Railway said tests conducted in January raised doubts about the ability of cable car brakes to halt a fully loaded car on slick Hyde Street hill, where a cable car slammed into a truck Monday, injuring 31 people.
Based on the tests, general manager William Stead said there was little chance the cable car could have stopped before the collision.
In most circumstances, Stead said, “You can’t stop on a wet day.”
Stead said tests showed that loaded cable cars cannot stop using regular brakes unless they are firmly gripped to the cable, which moves underground at 9.5 m.p.h. Police estimated that the car in Monday’s accident was going 20 to 25 m.p.h. when it hit.
A loaded car might stop in 65 feet if an emergency brake was used before the car raced out of control, Stead said. Police said a preliminary investigation showed that the car’s emergency brake had not been applied until after the collision.
Crowded Car
The cable car was crowded, and had a reputation for being difficult to stop, veteran drivers said. Such cars are called “sliders,” meaning they skid easily.
Five people remained hospitalized, but officials said none was in a life-threatening condition.
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