Carville by the Sea was a strange and wonderful part of early San Francisco. Retired horse cars and cable cars turned into homes, social clubs, and more. People bought them for $10 and set them up on the dunes. The best history of Carville is in Carville-by-the-Sea: San Francisco’s Streetcar Suburb by Woody LaBounty. Highly recommended.

I built a diorama to capture the spirit of it. Started with a Bachmann O-scale plastic model. Opened it up, added tissue curtains for a lived-in feel. Weathered it to show its age. The platform? Paper mache, real sand, and bits of jute for weeds. 3D-printed a bathtub. A fence made from wooden coffee stirrers. Tossed in more details to make it feel like home.

It came out great. Displayed it at art shows. Always gets people talking.