Time capsules hide within San Francisco's cable cars

"Nearly every cable car has a secret. Hidden underneath the many of the benches - alongside GPS and electrical equipment - are small time capsules placed by the carpenters who repair the cars. Mark Sobichevsky, the longest-tenured employee of the Cable Car Carpentry Shop, who has been there 25-odd years, has tucked away photos of his granddaughters, and during the pandemic etched a phrase in one car that summed up his sentiments about the city at the time: "Should I stay or should I go?" It'll likely be decades before the mementos are found by the next generation of carpenters."

"As far as this generation goes, foreman Joseph Byrne is "the baby" of the group at 57 years young. The four-man team, with several lifetimes' worth of experience among them, wake up at 4:45 a.m. every day to clock in by 6 a.m. at an idyllic light-filled Dogpatch workshop. Sobichevsky jokes that the coffee is his favorite part of the job."

""I love my job. So is it really a job if I love it? It's like arts and crafts, that's what's keeping me here. I'm not building a house, I'm dealing with small pieces of wood," he said. The enthusiasm runs through the rest of the team, who gave me a tour of the carpentry shop on a sunny Friday afternoon."

""You better not be thinking about nothing else - your girlfriend, whatever. You've gotta be thinking about your fingers," said Sobichevsky of the tools. Thankfully, the crew's safety record is spotless."

Small time capsules are placed under benches in cable cars during repairs, hidden alongside equipment. The capsules are created by carpenters who work on the cars, including long-tenured workers who store photos and messages. One worker etched a pandemic-era phrase into a car, reflecting feelings about staying or leaving the city. A four-person carpentry team works early mornings in a light-filled workshop, with extensive experience and a high bar for joining. Apprenticeship and journeyman requirements precede testing for city carpenter roles. The shop emphasizes craftsmanship, tool awareness, and finger safety, while maintaining a spotless safety record.

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