Editing Tram (section)

===Cable-hauled===
{{Main|Cable car (railway)}}
[[File:Minories stationLBR.jpg|thumb|Winding drums of the [[London and Blackwall Railway|London and Blackwall]] cable-operated railway]]
Another motive system for trams was the cable car, which was pulled along a [[rail track|fixed track]] by a moving steel cable, the cable usually running in a slot below the street level. The power to move the cable was normally provided at a "powerhouse" site a distance away from the actual vehicle. The [[London and Blackwall Railway]], which opened for passengers in east London, England, in 1840 used such a system.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Robertson|first=Andrew|date=March 1848|title=Blackwall Railway Machinery|journal=The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal|publisher=Wiley & Putnam|location=New York|volume=11}}</ref>

The first practical cable car line was tested in [[San Francisco cable car system|San Francisco]], in 1873. Part of its success is attributed to the development of an effective and reliable [[cable grip]] mechanism, to grab and release the moving cable without damage. The second city to operate cable trams was [[Dunedin cable tramway system|Dunedin]], from 1881 to 1957.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dunedin Cable Car |url=http://www.dunedincablecars.co.nz/history.html |website=www.dunedincablecars.co.nz |publisher=Dunedin Cable Car |access-date=2 January 2021}}</ref>

The most extensive cable system in the US was built in [[Cable cars in Chicago|Chicago]] in stages between 1859 and 1892. New York City developed multiple cable car lines, that operated from 1883 to 1909.<ref>{{harvnb|Young|Meyers|2016|page=179}}</ref> Los Angeles also had several cable car lines, including the Second Street Cable Railroad, which operated from 1885 to 1889,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Second Street Cable Railroad (1885) |url=https://www.erha.org/sscr.htm |access-date=December 19, 2024 |website=erha.org}}</ref> and the Temple Street Cable Railway, which operated from 1886 to 1898.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Temple Street Cable Railway (1886) |url=https://www.erha.org/tscr.htm |access-date=December 19, 2024 |website=erha.org}}</ref>
[[File:Melbourne’s first cable tram.jpg|thumb|The first [[Melbourne cable tramway system|cable car service in Melbourne]], 1885. Melbourne operated one of the largest cable car networks in the world.]]
From 1885 to 1940, the city of [[Melbourne cable tramway system|Melbourne]], Victoria, Australia operated one of the largest cable systems in the world, at its peak running 592 trams on {{convert|75|km|mi}} of track. There were also two isolated cable lines in [[Sydney]], New South Wales, Australia; the North Sydney line from 1886 to 1900, and the King Street line from 1892 to 1905.{{citation needed|date = August 2024}}

In [[Dresden]], Germany, in 1901 an elevated [[suspension railway|suspended]] cable car following the ''Eugen Langen one-railed floating tram system'' started operating. [[Highgate Hill Cable Tramway|Cable cars]] operated on Highgate Hill in North London and [[Kennington]] to [[Brixton]] Hill in South London.{{when|date=March 2013}} They also worked around "Upper Douglas" in the [[Isle of Man]] from 1897 to 1929 (cable car 72/73 is the sole survivor of the fleet).{{citation needed|date = August 2024}}

In Italy, in [[Trieste]], the [[Trieste–Opicina tramway]] was opened in 1902, with the steepest section of the route being negotiated with the help of a [[funicular]] and its cables.{{citation needed|date = August 2024}}

Cable cars suffered from high [[infrastructure]] costs, since an expensive system of [[Wire rope|cables]], [[pulley]]s, [[stationary engine]]s and lengthy underground vault structures beneath the rails had to be provided. They also required physical strength and skill to operate, and alert operators to avoid obstructions and other cable cars. The cable had to be disconnected ("dropped") at designated locations to allow the cars to coast by inertia, for example when crossing another cable line. The cable then had to be "picked up" to resume progress, the whole operation requiring precise timing to avoid damage to the cable and the grip mechanism. Breaks and frays in the cable, which occurred frequently, required the complete cessation of services over a cable route while the cable was repaired. Due to overall wear, the entire length of cable (typically several kilometres) had to be replaced on a regular schedule. After the development of reliable electrically powered trams, the costly high-maintenance cable car systems were rapidly replaced in most locations.{{citation needed|date = August 2024}}
[[File:San Francisco Cable Car MC.jpg|thumb|The [[San Francisco cable car system|San Francisco cable car]]'s effectiveness on hills partially explains its continued use.]]
Cable cars remained especially effective in hilly cities, since their nondriven wheels did not [[rail adhesion|lose traction]] as they climbed or descended a steep hill. The moving cable pulled the car up the hill at a steady pace, unlike a low-powered steam or horse-drawn car. Cable cars do have wheel brakes and [[track brake]]s, but the cable also helps restrain the car to going downhill at a constant speed. Performance in steep terrain partially explains the survival of cable cars in San Francisco.{{citation needed|date = August 2024}}

The [[San Francisco cable car system|San Francisco cable cars]], though significantly reduced in number, continue to provide regular transportation service, in addition to being a well-known [[tourist attraction]]. A single cable line also survives in [[Wellington]] (rebuilt in 1979 as a [[funicular]] but still called the "[[Wellington Cable Car]]"). Another system, with two separate cable lines and a shared power station in the middle, operates from the Welsh town of [[Llandudno]] up to the top of the [[Great Orme]] hill in [[North Wales]], UK.{{citation needed|date = August 2024}}