Biography.guide
Home › People › Engineer › William Eppelsheimer
Portrait of William Eppelsheimer

William Eppelsheimer

1842 – 1920

American tramway engineer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About William Eppelsheimer

Lived 1842 – 1920 (aged 78). William Eppelsheimer was an engineer.

William Eppelsheimer (January 26, 1842 – June 9, 1920) was a tramway engineer known for his work on cable car systems. He was born in Alzey in Germany and studied engineering at the Polytechnikum Karlsruhe. In 1868 he left Germany by ship from Bremerhaven for the United States. Arriving in New York he changed his German first name Wilhelm to William.

Eppelsheimer designed the Clay Street Hill Railroad in San Francisco. This was the first practical cable car line in the world and the first line in what was to become the San Francisco cable car system, although that line is more often attributed to its promoter, Andrew Smith Hallidie. He later designed the Eppelsheimer bottom grip for the Geary Street, Park & Ocean Railway, another San Francisco line, and this is still used by that city's surviving cable cars.

Eppelsheimer went on to design the Chicago City Railway, at one time the world's largest and most profitable cable car system, and London's Highgate Hill Cable Tramway, Europe's first cable tramway.

After working in Edinburgh on the Edinburgh Northern Cable Tramways he returned to Germany by 1885.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

People in William Eppelsheimer's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped William Eppelsheimer's

Frequently asked questions

Who was William Eppelsheimer?

American tramway engineer (1842–1920)

When was William Eppelsheimer born?

William Eppelsheimer was born on 26 January 1842 in Alzey.

When did William Eppelsheimer die?

William Eppelsheimer died on 9 June 1920 in Frankfurt.

What was William Eppelsheimer's occupation?

William Eppelsheimer was an engineer.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: William Eppelsheimer

· Wikidata: Q8008624

· DBpedia: William Eppelsheimer

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Eppelsheimer. https://biography.guide/william-eppelsheimer/

MLA: "William Eppelsheimer." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-eppelsheimer/.

Chicago: "William Eppelsheimer." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-eppelsheimer/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 04:58 UTC