The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has landmarked the rich history of enginering in Northern California. The San Francisco section has a rich history both within its section (denoted with an * asterisk) and nearby in Northern California. (A full listing of all ASME landmarks in California is available.)

About the History and Heritage Program: Landmarks, sites and collections of historic importance to mechanical engineering are designated by ASME International through its History and Heritage Program. Landmark status indicates that the artifact, site or collection that has been designated by ASME represents a significant step forward in the evolution of mechanical engineering and is the best known example of its kind. A plaque is presented for display, a commemorative brochure is prepared, and a roster is kept to promote long-term recognition and preservation efforts.

• Ferries & Cliffhouse Cable Railway Power House (aka San Francisco Cable Car) (1887)*
  First ASME History and Heritage Landmark!
  Washington and Mason Streets, San Francisco, CA
  One of the most complicated cable-car systems to run from a single station.
  (Landmarked November 1973 by the San Francisco Section)
  More Details | Brochure (2.7MB PDF)
  
  
• Folsom Power House #1 (1895)
  Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, Folsom, California
  One of the first successful uses of hydroelectric power in the world, including the first successful long-distance transmission of power.
  (Landmarked September 1976 by the Sacramento/Sierra-Nevada Section)
  More Details | Photo | Brochure (4.7MB PDF)
  
  
• Joshua Hendy Iron Works (1906)
  Iron Man Museum, 401 East Hendy Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA
  Early 20th-century ironworks demonstrating the adaptability required for industrial survival.
  (Landmarked December 1978 by the Santa Clara Valley Section)
  More Details | Brochure (1.8MB PDF)
  
  
• Holt Caterpillar Tractor (1918)
  Holt Memorial Hall, Haggin Museum, Stockton, California
  Earliest track-type gasoline-powered tractor, influencing designs worldwide.
  (Landmarked April 1981 by the Mt. Diablo Section)
  More Details
  
  
• Southern Pacific #4294 Cab-in-Front Steam Locomotive (1944)
  California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, CA
  Example of the final phase of US steam locomotive development in size and power.
  (Landmarked May 1981 by the Sacramento/Sierra-Nevada Section)
  More Details | Brochure (1.8MB PDF)
  
  
• Anderson-Barngrover Cont. Rotary Pressure Sterilizer (1920)
  FMC Corporate Technology Center, Santa Clara, California
  World's first continuous-stream automation of the cooking and cooling system for canned food.
  (Landmarked May 1982 by the Santa Clara Valley Section)
  More Details | Brochure (1.0MB PDF)
  
  
• PACECO Container Crane (1959)*
  Originally in Alameda, CA, now at Port of Nanjing, China
  First high-speed, dockside container-handling crane.
  (Landmarked May 1983 by the San Francisco Section)
  More Details | Brochure (2.2MB PDF)
  
  
• Archimedean Screw Pump (1890)*
  Salt Ponds, San Francisco Bay, CA
  Oone of the US's oldest surviving examples of the wind-driven Archimedes screw-pump.
  (Landmarked Feburary 1984 by the San Francisco Section)
  More Details | Brochure (614KB PDF)
  
  
• IBM 350 RAMAC File (1956)
  IBM Building 12, San Jose, CA
  World's first computer storage device with random access to large volumes of data.
  (Landmarked February 1984 by the Santa Clara Valley Section)
  More Details | Brochure (5.7MB PDF)
  
  
• Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (1962)
  Stanford University, Menlo Park
  Unique electromechanical devices and systems in the longest electron-beam accelerator in the world.
  (Landmarked March 1984 by the Santa Clara Valley Section)
  More Details | Brochure (1.1MB PDF)
  
  
• SS Jeremiah O'Brien Triple expansion steam engine (1943)*
  Fort Mason Center, Building A, San Francisco, CA
  One of only two operating survivors of the US emergency-cargo fleet known as Liberty Ships.
  (Landmarked September 1984 by the San Francisco Section)
  More Details | Brochure (1.3MB PDF)
  
  
• Geysers Power Unit 1 (1960)*
  PG&E, Geyserville, CA
  First commercial geothermal electricity-generating station in North America.
  (Landmarked October 1985 by the San Francisco Section)
  More Details | Photo | Brochure (1.8MB PDF)
  
  
• Vallecitos Boiling Water Reactor (1957)
  Vallecitos Nuclear Center, Pleasanton, California
  World's first privately owned and operated nuclear power plant to deliver significant quantities of electricity to a public utility grid.
  (Landmarked October 1987 by the Mt. Diablo Section)
  More Details | Brochure (594KB PDF)
  
  
• Geared Locomotives Roaring Camp Narrow Gauge Railroad (1899)
  Felton, CA
  Early examples of small slow-speed 19-century geared locomotives.
  (Landmarked August 1988 by the Santa Clara Valley Section)
  More Details | Photo | Brochure (1.8MB PDF)
  
  
• Pelton Waterwheel Collection (ca. 1880)
  North Star Power House Museum, Grass Valley, California
  Collection on the origins of the Pelton turbine and its principle of the "splitter" bucket.
  (Landmarked October 1991 by the Sacramento/Sierra-Nevada Section)
  More Details | Brochure (974KB PDF)
  
  
• Knight Foundry and Machine Shop (1873)
  Sutter Creek, California
  One of the earliest US water-powered foundry-machine shops, including Knight impulse turbines.
  (Landmarked February 1995 by the Sacramento/Sierra-Nevadaa Section)
  More Details | Brochure (4.3MB PDF)
  
  
• NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (1956)
  Moffett Field, CA
  R&D facility for testing of supersonic aircraft and spacecraft.
  (Landmarked May 1996 by the Santa Clara Valley Section)
  More Details | Brochure (1.8MB PDF)
  
  
• Montgomery Glider (1883)
  Hiller Aircraft Museum, Redwood City, California
  First heavier-than-air human-carrying aircraft to achieve controlled piloted flight.
  (Landmarked May 1996 by the Santa Clara Valley Section)
  More Details | Brochure (1.1MB PDF)
  
  
• Bay Area Rapid Transit (1972)*
  San Francisco, CA
  Most advanced automated urban rail transit system incorporating many innovations, marking a new generation of rail travel.
  (Landmarked July 1997 by the San Francisco Section)
  More Details | Brochure (2.0MB PDF)