Hydraulic Braking System for S.F.’s Cable Cars Is Scheduled

The head of the city’s rail system said San Francisco’s cable cars are going to be converted to a hydraulic braking system, but he said the decision was made before Monday’s crash in which 36 people were hurt.

William Stead, Municipal Railway general manager, said Wednesday that the two-year program will cost $130,000.

Tests in January showed that fully loaded cable cars cannot stop on the steep Hyde Street hill in rainy weather without using the emergency brake, he said.

In contrast, a prototype car with hydraulic brakes stopped within an acceptable range in the same tests, he added.

“We want to be able to stop the car without the (emergency) slot device,” he said.

The device, a steel wedge that drops into the cable slot, is designed to bring the car to a halt. Each time the blade is used it becomes jammed in the cable slot and must be removed by a work crew.

The cause of Monday’s crash, in which the cable car smashed into a truck, is under investigation. A key question is why the slot blade failed to stop the car in time.

Preliminary tests have shown that the brakes can be applied with greater pressure when using hydraulic rather than mechanical linkages on the car’s wooden brake shoes, said Bob Highfield, an engineer for the railway.

Attorney Melvin Belli filed a $2-million claim against the city Thursday on behalf of Harry and Lillian Shuttenberg, tourists from St. Charles, Mo., who were injured in the accident.

Lillian Shuttenberg remained hospitalized Thursday in stable condition with multiple fractures, bruises and possible internal injuries. Her husband’s injuries were less serious. Their claim is the first stemming from the accident.