Pacific Electric Railway
Encyclopedia
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California
using streetcars, light rail
, and buses. The largest electric railway in the world at its greatest extent, around 1925, the system interconnected cities in Los Angeles County
and Orange County
, as well as in San Bernardino County
and Riverside County
.
The service was organized around two nexuses located in the city centers of Los Angeles and San Bernardino, which were each connected in 1914 by the 1200-volt San Bernardino Line.
The system shared some dual gauge
track with the narrow gauge Los Angeles Railway
, "Yellow Car" or "LARy" system. These were on Main Street
in downtown Los Angeles (directly in front of the busy 6th and Main terminal), on 4th Street and along Hawthorne Boulevard south of downtown LA toward the cities of Hawthorne, Gardena, and Torrance.
Originally, there was an Eastern District, but this was incorporated into the Northern District early in the company's existence.
Real estate tycoon Henry Huntington established The Pacific Electric Railway in 1901 by the consolidation of many smaller railroads. Henry Huntington also tried but failed to gain control of Southern Pacific Railroad
which his uncle, Collis P. Huntington
, had founded. Only a few years after the company's formation, most of Pacific Electric stock was purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which, in what was called the "Great Merger" of 1911, Southern Pacific Railroad bought out most of Huntington's railways except for the Los Angeles Railway
, a the narrow gauge street car system known locally as "Yellow Cars" and also the Pasadena and Pacific Railway.
Following these acquisitions Pacific Electric was the largest operator of interurban
electric railway passenger service in the world with over 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of track. The system ran to destinations all over Southern California, particularly to the south and east.
During the Roaring Twenties
profits were good and the lines were extended to the Pasadena area, to the beaches at Santa Monica, Del Rey, Manhattan/Redondo/Hermosa Beach, Long Beach in Los Angeles County and to Newport Beach and Huntington Beach in Orange County. Extra service beyond the normal schedules was provided on weekends, particularly in the late afternoon when everyone wanted to return at the same time. Comedian Harold Lloyd
highlighted the popularity and utility of the system in an extended sequence in his 1924 film, Girl Shy
, where, after finding one Red Car too crowded, he commandeers another and drives at breakneck speed through the streets of Culver City and Los Angeles.
The Pacific Electric operated frequent freight trains under electric power throughout its extensive service area (as far as 55 mile distant San Bernardino and 50 mile distant Redlands
, near Riverside), including operating electrically powered Railway Post Office routes, one of the few U.S. interurbans to do so. This provided important revenue. The PE was responsible for an innovation in a grade crossing safety device that was quickly adopted by other railroads which was the fully automatic electromechanical grade crossing signal nicknamed the "wigwag
". A few wigwags continued operation as of 2006.
During this period the Los Angeles Railway provided local streetcar service in central Los Angeles and to nearby communities. These trolleys were known as the "Yellow Cars" and actually carried more passengers than the PE's "Red Cars" since they ran in the most densely populated portions of Los Angeles, including south to Hawthorne and along Pico Boulevard to near West Los Angeles to terminate at the huge Sears Roebuck store and distribution center (which was the L.A Railway's most popular line, the "P" line). The Yellow Cars' unusual narrow gauge PCC cars, by now painted MTA two-tone green, continued to operate until the end of rail service in 1963 to the Sears complex on Pico Boulevard.
Large profits from land development were generated along the routes of the new lines. Huntington Beach
was incorporated in 1909 and developed by the Huntington Beach Company, a real-estate development firm owned by Henry Huntington, which still owns both land in the city and most of the mineral rights.
There are other local 'streetcar suburb
s'. Angelino Heights was built around the Temple Street horsecar, which was later upgraded to electric streetcar as part of the Los Angeles Railway Yellow Car system. Highland Park was developed along the Figueroa Street trolley lines and railroads linking downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena. Huntington owned nearly all the stock in the 'Pacific Electric Land Company'. West Hollywood
was established by Moses Sherman
and his partners of the Los Angeles and Pacific Railway. Moses Sherman, Harry Chandler
, Hobart Johnstone Whitley
, and others bought the entire southern San Fernando Valley in 1910. The electric railway and a "$500,000" boulevard called Sherman Way connected the 3 townsites they were selling. These included Van Nuys, Marion (now Reseda
), and Owensmouth (now Canoga Park). Parts of Sherman Way are now called Chandler Bl and Van Nuys Bl.
The railway company "connected all the dots on the map and was a leading player itself in developing all the real estate that lay in between the dots".
Huntington's involvement with urban rail was intimately tied to his real estate development operations. Real estate development was so lucrative for Huntington and Southern Pacific that they could use the Red Car as a loss leader
, however when most of the company's holdings had been developed by 1920 their major income source began to deplete. Many rural passenger lines were unprofitable, with losses offset by revenue generated from passenger lines in populated corridors and from freight operations. The least-used Red Car lines were converted to cheaper buses as early as 1925.
In the pre-automobile era, electric interurban
rail was the only way to connect outlying suburb
an and exurban
parcels to central cities.
Although the railway owned extensive private rights-of-way, usually between urban areas, much of the Pacific Electric trackage in urban areas such as downtown Los Angeles west of the Los Angeles River was in streets shared with automobiles and trucks. Virtually all street crossings were at-grade, and increasing automobile traffic led to decreasing Red Car speeds on much of its trackage. At its nadir, the busy Santa Monica Boulevard line, which connected Los Angeles to Hollywood and on to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, had an average speed of 13 miles per hour (20.9 km/h)
Traffic congestion was of such great concern by the late 1930s that the influential Automobile Club of Southern California
engineered an elaborate plan to create an elevated freeway-type "Motorway System," a key aspect of which was the dismantling of the streetcar lines, replacing it with buses that could run on both local streets and on the new express roads.
When the freeway system was planned in the 1930s the city planners planned to include light rail
tracks in the center margin of each freeway but the plan was never implemented.
The Whittier and Fullerton was cut in 1938. Redondo Beach, Newport Beach, Sawtelle via San Vicente, and Riverside in 1940. When the San Bernardino Freeway opened in 1941 but was not yet connected to the Hollywood Freeway, while the "Four Way" overpass was being constructed, westbound car traffic from the SB freeway poured onto downtown streets near the present Union Station. Pacific Electric's multiple car trains coming and going from Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Monrovia/Glendora used those same streets the final few miles to the 6th and Main PE terminal and were totally bogged down within this jammed traffic. Schedules could not be met, plus former patrons were now driving.
The San Bernardino line, Pomona branch, Temple City branch via Alhambra's Main St., San Bernardino's Mountain View local to 34th St., Santa Monica Blvd. via Beverly Hills, and all remaining Pasadena local service were all cut in 1941.
Pacific Electric carried increased passenger loads during World War II, when Los Angeles County's population nearly doubled as war industries concentrated in the region attracting millions of workers. There were several years when the company's income statement showed a profit, most notably during World War II, when gasoline
was rationed and much of the populace depended on mass transit. At peak operation toward the end of World War II, the PE dispatched over 1000 trains daily and was a major employer in Southern California.
The nation's last interurban RPO (Railroad Post Office) service was operated by PE on its San Bernardino Line. This RPO service was inaugurated comparatively late, being started on September 2, 1947. It left LA's Union Station interurban yard on the west side of the terminal turning north onto Alameda Street at 12:45 pm and San Bernardino at 4:40 pm, taking three hours for the trip. It did not operate on Sundays or holidays. This last RPO was pulled off May 6, 1950.
Aware that most new arrivals planned to stay in the region after the war, local municipal governments, Los Angeles County and the State agreed that a massive infrastructure improvement program was necessary. At that time politicians agreed to construct a web of freeways across the region. This was seen as a better solution than a new mass transit system or an upgrade of the Pacific Electric.
Large-scale land acquisition and destruction of neighborhoods for new freeway construction began in earnest in 1951. The original four freeways of the area, the Hollywood
, Pasadena, Harbor, and San Bernardino
, were in use or being completed. Partial completion of the San Bernardino Freeway to Aliso Street near downtown Los Angeles led to traffic chaos.
In the Southern District, passenger service to Santa Ana, Baldwin Park, Pasadena's Oak Knoll line, and Sierra Madre closed in 1950 as did in the Western District the last line to Venice and Santa Monica. The Pasadena and Monrovia/Glendora lines quit in 1951 due to the new LA freeways which were being constructed and opened in sections.
The various public agencies—City, County, and State—agreed with the PE that abandoning service was the thing to do, and the PE happily complied. PE management had earlier compared costs of refurbishing the Northern District interurban lines to Pasadena, Monrovia/Glendora, and Baldwin Park versus the alternative of converting to buses, and found in favor of the latter. Now they could do it.
Remaining Pacific Electric passenger service was sold off in 1953 to a company known as Metropolitan Coach Lines, whose intention was to convert all rail service to bus service as quickly as possible. Jesse Haugh, of Metropolitan Coach Lines was a former executive of Pacific City Lines
which together with National City Lines
and General Motors
acquired local streetcar systems across the country with the intention of shutting them down and converting them to bus operation in what became known as the Great American Streetcar Scandal.
Several lines operating to the north and the west which used the Belmont Tunnel from the Subway Terminal Building
downtown ceased operation - The Hollywood Boulevard and Beverly Hills lines were shut down in 1954 and service to the San Fernando Valley, Burbank and Glendale using newly acquired PCC streetcar
s lasted only to 1955. The Bellflower line to the south also closed in 1955 as the Golden State/Santa Ana (Interstate 5) neared completion.
had been formed in 1951. It was known as the MTA but is unrelated to the current MTA. This agency had been founded to study the possibility of establishing a publicly owned monorail line running north from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles and then west to Panorama City in the San Fernando Valley. In 1954, the agency's powers were expanded to allow it to propose a more extensive regional mass-transit system and in 1957, its powers were again expanded, this time to allow it to operate transit lines.
In 1958 the California state government, through its Public Utility Commission
took over the remaining and most popular lines from Metropolitan Coach Lines. The MTA also purchased the remaining streetcar "Yellow Car" lines of the successor of the Los Angeles Railway
, then called Los Angeles Transit Lines. LARy/LATL had been purchased from the Huntington estate by National City Lines
in 1945. The MTA started operating all lines as a single system on March 3, 1958.
The interurban Los Angeles to Long Beach passenger rail line served the longest - from July 4, 1903 until April 9, 1961. It was the both the first and last interurban passenger line of the former Pacific Electric. It still had long stretches of open country running on private right-of-way. With the closure of the Long Beach line the final rail link in the system was eliminated - replaced by the interurban Motor Coach 36f ("F" representing Freeway Flyer) route. This former PE route was the first of the new MTA light rail lines - rebuilt as the dual track Metro Blue Line.
The few remaining trolley-coach routes and narrow-gauge streetcar routes of the former Los Angeles Railway "Yellow Cars" were removed in early 1963. The public transportation system continued to operate under the name MTA until the agency was reorganized and relaunched as the Southern California Rapid Transit District
in September 1964.
PE's lucrative freight service was continued operation through 1964 under the Pacific Electric name by the Southern Pacific Railroad
using Diesel-Electric Locomotives on the heavy-duty PE rail-bed and rails and tripping the iconic "Wig-Wag
" crossing signals of the former PE. A Christmas tree lot was operated in the small stub yard at the northwest corner of Willow and Long Beach Blvd. - the stock arrived in and was stored in a steel sided box car until the Christmas trees were prepared for sale - the busy intersection was where dual trackage departed Long Beach Blvd. and joined the private right-of-way from Huntington Beach and Seal Beach towards Los Angeles. The crossing signal there was the first installation of the final design of the Magnetic Watchman wigwag
crossing signal and crossbucks. Oil tank cars were still shuttled to Signal Hill even as the surface street tracks were torn up from the center of Long Beach Blvd. long after the copper overhead catenary supply wires had been removed. Southern Pacific (now part of Union Pacific) continues to operate freight service utilizing former PE right-of-way.
. A 1974 inquiry in the Senate heard allegations about the role that General Motors
and other companies, including Pacific City Lines, played in the dismantlement of streetcar systems across the USA and in particular in Los Angeles in what became known as the Great American Streetcar Scandal. The plot of the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit
is loosely modeled on the alleged conspiracy to dismantle the streetcar lines in Los Angeles.
In 1976 the State of California formed the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission to coordinate the Southern California Rapid Transit District
's (SCRTD, advertised and known locally by Angelinos as the "RTD") efforts with those of various municipal transit systems in the area and to take over planning of countywide transportation systems. The SCRTD continued planning of the Metro Rail (Los Angeles County) Subway (the Red Line), while the LACTC developed plans for the light rail system. Construction began in 1985. In 1988, the two agencies formed a third entity under which all rail construction would be consolidated, and in 1993, the SCRTD and the LACTC were merged into the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(LACMTA).
When the Metro Blue Line commenced commuter service in 1990, electric rail passenger train service once again returned to Los Angeles with the opening of the route from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach using much of the same right-of-way as the original Pacific Electric line that ceased in 1961. Since then, the LACMTA has opened more lines.
Metro Red Line opened next in three parts, first from Union Station
in central Los Angeles. connecting with the very short subway which forms the northern terminus of Metro Blue Line at 7th/Figuroa station, and then west under Wilshire Blvd. onward to Western Ave. Construction halted due to an unrelated explosion of petroleum fumes in an underground portion of a store along the proposed route turning north at Fairfax Ave. to Hollywood, which was to service the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
, Museum Row and the La Brea Tar Pits
. The second portion was the diversion north under Vermont Ave. to Hollywood Blvd. turning west to Highland Avenue. When the Hollywood Freeway was built, two Pacific Electric tracks remained in the center, entering the canyon to Cahuenga Pass
under the freeway at what is now the northbound Highland Ave. onramp. The PE tracks continued to provide mass transit efficiently until the line was closed and the right-of-way became additional lanes to widen the 101 freeway, thereby reducing automotive congestion on the world's heaviest traveled road. RTD bus service replaced the rail service and remained the highest daily passenger volume corridor. When the third expansion of Metro Red Line subway opened, most long distance commuter bus routes from Downtown Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley were trimmed to connect with the new subway stations, reducing Diesel fumes and motor vehicle congestion. It tunnels deep under that corridor and far - the next station, Universal, boasts the world's longest continuous underground escalator. At the northern most Metro Red Line terminal, North Hollywood
, connections can be made to several MTA bus routes of the San Fernando Valley, including several routes along the private right-of-way Metro Rapidway Metro Orange Line (route 901) dedicated exclusively for MTA vehicles that replicates many PE thru lines by transferring buses.
Metro Green Line opened in 1995. Its right-of-way was planned from conception to be entirely isolated and protected, running in the median of Interstate 105, the Century Freeway
west from Norwalk, connecting at Rosa Parks Station with Metro Blue Line, then further west to Los Angeles International Airport, and then south on elevated tracks to Redondo Beach. The Century Freeway, named for Century Blvd. the equivalent of 100th St., was the world first freeway built to bypass and relieve traffic congestion from another freeway - the 91, Artesia Freeway
.
Metro Gold Line is the latest light rail line. Connecting downtown Los Angeles
to Pasadena
mostly at-grade along former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) historic Super Chief
right-of-way converted to dual track overhead electric light rail - incorporating California's oldest surviving iron railroad bridge built across the Arroyo Seco
(1895) in the conversion. The next extension was then east from Pasadena, again utilizing the former ATSF right-of-way in the median of Interstate 210, the Foothill Freeway
. The Gold Line Eastside Extension now connects Union Station, Downtown Los Angeles to East Los Angeles
.
Metrolink (Southern California)
provides weekday interurban commuters with high speed reversible trains - consisting of Diesel Locomotives hauling double-deck high capacity passenger cars servicing much of Los Angeles County and operating to connections in Ventura County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Orange County, and San Diego County as well.
Waterfront Red Car 1.5 miles (2 km) streetcar line connecting the World Cruise Center south to Ports O' Call and the 22nd St. terminal, where a shuttle bus connects other attractions along the San Pedro
waterfront. Two newly constructed Red Car replicas, #500 & #501, provide service along the line on cruise ship arrival/departure days as well as weekends - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In addition, a restored 1907-vintage Pacific Electric car, No. #1508 originally rebuilt from two wrecks as a unique motor coach, is available for special rail excursions. It began operation as a tourist attraction on July 19, 2003. The Port of Los Angeles
financed, constructed and operates the replica equipment on heritage PE track, one of many of its waterfront revival projects. A new pedestrian esplanade featuring public art and fountains, sculpture and fountains has been built alongside the track from the World Cruise Center to the Maritime Museum and Fire Boat Station. Connections to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
and other San Pedro attractions when using the Waterfront Red Car trolley/shuttle. There are plans to extend the Waterfront Red Car line approximately two more miles south to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
and the tidepools of Cabrillo Beach
. Current plans for an extension of the line north into Wilmington to Avalon Blvd. along existing trackage is in effect as a part of the waterfront improvement plan. Trackage is in place, but funding for additional improvements has not yet been identified. Some transit advocates have proposed linking this line to the Metro Blue Line Long Beach
terminus, a very intensive and expensive expansion. The Port of Los Angeles, Recreation, Waterfront Red Car Line
If construction funds are identified, the "Foothill Extension" of the Gold Line will extend the service to Montclair
, or possibly all the way to LA/Ontario International Airport by 2015.
There are several proposals for connecting the congested West Los Angeles
area with rail service. Construction has begun on the Expo Line, a light-rail line. A color has not yet been assigned to this line. Surveying activities began in May 2006, and construction commenced in October 2006. Service is scheduled to begin as far as Culver City
by 2011, and by 2014-2015 continue to Santa Monica
.
Other groups are lobbying to extend the renamed Purple Line to the west on Wilshire Boulevard
, the city's most densely populated corridor, as was originally planned in mass transit plans designed as early as the late 1960s. In 2005, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
made as one of his most publicized campaign promises a pledge to set the wheels in motion for eventual construction of the "Subway to the Sea" as he called it.
Also under consideration is a new passenger rail line on the abandoned Harbor Subdivision railway corridor, connecting Carson to downtown Los Angeles via Torrance and the LA west side. Connections to the Harbor Subdivision from the World Cruise Center cruise ship terminal in the San Pedro District of Los Angeles Harbor to the Long Beach Transit Mall and the Metro Blue Line are also under evaluation.
under development for cyclists and walkers which is being constructed along the former San Bernardino Line. The city Rancho Cucamonga
is acting as lead agency with the Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) and surrounding cities. The first sections were completed in 2006 and further sections in 2009. When completed the trail will run from Claremont to Rialto and also connect to a 6.9-mile rail trail project being planned from Claremont to San Dimas.
On San Bernardino's Electric Av., a grassroots group wants to develop a linear greenbelt heritage park on the Arrowhead Springs Pacific Electric right of way between Hillside Elementary School & 40th St.
The 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit
is loosely modeled on the alleged conspiracy to dismantle the streetcar lines in Los Angeles.
In The Simpsons
episode titled "Postcards from the Wedge
" that aired 14 March 2010 on Fox
, the film shown at the beginning of the episode is based on GM's promo films from the 1950s; in addition, the cars from the abandoned Springfield Subway are modeled after the PE cars.
A transportation attraction based on the Pacific Electric Railway, the Red Car Trolley
, is under construction at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort
in Anaheim
. The attraction, which is set to open in 2012, will feature replicas of Pacific Electric Railway rolling stock and will be the first attraction in the park to provide transportation. Construction began on January 4, 2010.
Streetcars of the Pacific Electric Railway are featured as atmospheric elements in L.A. Noire
.
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
using streetcars, light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
, and buses. The largest electric railway in the world at its greatest extent, around 1925, the system interconnected cities in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
and Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, as well as in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
and Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
.
The service was organized around two nexuses located in the city centers of Los Angeles and San Bernardino, which were each connected in 1914 by the 1200-volt San Bernardino Line.
The system shared some dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
track with the narrow gauge Los Angeles Railway
Los Angeles Railway
The Los Angeles Railway was a system of streetcars that operated in central Los Angeles, California and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods between from 1901 and 1963. Except for two short funicular railways it operated on tracks...
, "Yellow Car" or "LARy" system. These were on Main Street
Main Street (Los Angeles)
Main Street is a major north-south thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, and is the east-west postal divider for that city. It begins as a continuation of Valley Boulevard west of Mission Road in Lincoln Heights and ends at the Port of Los Angeles. At 9th Street, it merges with Spring Street in...
in downtown Los Angeles (directly in front of the busy 6th and Main terminal), on 4th Street and along Hawthorne Boulevard south of downtown LA toward the cities of Hawthorne, Gardena, and Torrance.
Districts
The system was divided into three districts:- Northern District: San Gabriel ValleySan Gabriel ValleyThe San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
(including PasadenaPasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, AlhambraAlhambra, CaliforniaAlhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's...
, El MonteEl Monte, CaliforniaEl Monte is a residential, industrial, and commercial city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte," and historically is known as "The End of the Santa Fe Trail." As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 113,475,...
, GlendoraGlendora, CaliforniaGlendora is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the population of Glendora was 50,073....
, PomonaPomona, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
,and MonroviaMonrovia, CaliforniaMonrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...
), as well as San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
, Riverside, and RedlandsRedlands, CaliforniaRedlands is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 68,747, up from 63,591 at the 2000 census. The city is located east of downtown San Bernardino.- History :...
in the Inland Empire.
- Southern District: Long BeachLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, Newport BeachNewport Beach, CaliforniaNewport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
, Huntington Beach, San Pedro via DominguezDominguezDominguez is a name of Spanish origin. It literally means son of Domingo . The name may refer to:-People:* Adolfo Dominguez , Spanish fashion designer* Alejandro Damián Domínguez , Argentine football player...
, Santa AnaSanta Ana, CaliforniaSanta Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
, El SegundoEl Segundo, CaliforniaEl Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on the Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is one of the Beach Cities of Los Angeles County and part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments...
, Redondo BeachRedondo Beach, CaliforniaRedondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
via GardenaGardena, CaliforniaGardena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gardena is located at ....
, San Pedro Via TorranceTorrance, CaliforniaTorrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
.
- Western District: Hollywood, Burbank/GlendaleGlendale, CaliforniaGlendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, San Fernando ValleySan Fernando ValleyThe San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, Beverly HillsBeverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, Santa MonicaSanta Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, ManhattanManhattan Beach, CaliforniaManhattan Beach is the wealthiest beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the...
/Redondo/Hermosa BeachHermosa Beach, CaliforniaHermosa Beach is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,506 at the 2010 census, up from 18,566 at the 2000 census....
es, Venice, Playa Del ReyPlaya del Rey, Los Angeles, CaliforniaPlaya del Rey is a beachside community within the city of Los Angeles, California. It has a ZIP code of 90293 and area codes of 310 and 424...
.
Originally, there was an Eastern District, but this was incorporated into the Northern District early in the company's existence.
Origins
Electric trolleys first traveled in Los Angeles in 1887. In 1895 The Pasadena and Pacific Railway was created from a merger of the Pasadena and Los Angeles Railway and the Los Angeles Pacific Railway (to Santa Monica.) The Pasadena and Pacific Railway boosted Southern California tourism, living up to its motto "from the mountains to the sea."Early years
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
which his uncle, Collis P. Huntington
Collis P. Huntington
Collis Potter Huntington was one of the Big Four of western railroading who built the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the first U.S. transcontinental railroad...
, had founded. Only a few years after the company's formation, most of Pacific Electric stock was purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which, in what was called the "Great Merger" of 1911, Southern Pacific Railroad bought out most of Huntington's railways except for the Los Angeles Railway
Los Angeles Railway
The Los Angeles Railway was a system of streetcars that operated in central Los Angeles, California and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods between from 1901 and 1963. Except for two short funicular railways it operated on tracks...
, a the narrow gauge street car system known locally as "Yellow Cars" and also the Pasadena and Pacific Railway.
Following these acquisitions Pacific Electric was the largest operator of interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
electric railway passenger service in the world with over 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of track. The system ran to destinations all over Southern California, particularly to the south and east.
During the Roaring Twenties
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism...
profits were good and the lines were extended to the Pasadena area, to the beaches at Santa Monica, Del Rey, Manhattan/Redondo/Hermosa Beach, Long Beach in Los Angeles County and to Newport Beach and Huntington Beach in Orange County. Extra service beyond the normal schedules was provided on weekends, particularly in the late afternoon when everyone wanted to return at the same time. Comedian Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
highlighted the popularity and utility of the system in an extended sequence in his 1924 film, Girl Shy
Girl Shy
Girl Shy is a 1924 romantic comedy silent film starring Harold Lloyd and Jobyna Ralston. The movie was written by Sam Taylor, Tim Whelan and Ted Wilde and was directed by Fred C...
, where, after finding one Red Car too crowded, he commandeers another and drives at breakneck speed through the streets of Culver City and Los Angeles.
The Pacific Electric operated frequent freight trains under electric power throughout its extensive service area (as far as 55 mile distant San Bernardino and 50 mile distant Redlands
Redlands, California
Redlands is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 68,747, up from 63,591 at the 2000 census. The city is located east of downtown San Bernardino.- History :...
, near Riverside), including operating electrically powered Railway Post Office routes, one of the few U.S. interurbans to do so. This provided important revenue. The PE was responsible for an innovation in a grade crossing safety device that was quickly adopted by other railroads which was the fully automatic electromechanical grade crossing signal nicknamed the "wigwag
Wigwag (railroad)
Wigwag is the nickname given to a type of railroad grade crossing signal once common in North America, named for the pendulum-like motion it used to signal the approach of a train...
". A few wigwags continued operation as of 2006.
During this period the Los Angeles Railway provided local streetcar service in central Los Angeles and to nearby communities. These trolleys were known as the "Yellow Cars" and actually carried more passengers than the PE's "Red Cars" since they ran in the most densely populated portions of Los Angeles, including south to Hawthorne and along Pico Boulevard to near West Los Angeles to terminate at the huge Sears Roebuck store and distribution center (which was the L.A Railway's most popular line, the "P" line). The Yellow Cars' unusual narrow gauge PCC cars, by now painted MTA two-tone green, continued to operate until the end of rail service in 1963 to the Sears complex on Pico Boulevard.
Large profits from land development were generated along the routes of the new lines. Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
was incorporated in 1909 and developed by the Huntington Beach Company, a real-estate development firm owned by Henry Huntington, which still owns both land in the city and most of the mineral rights.
There are other local 'streetcar suburb
Streetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...
s'. Angelino Heights was built around the Temple Street horsecar, which was later upgraded to electric streetcar as part of the Los Angeles Railway Yellow Car system. Highland Park was developed along the Figueroa Street trolley lines and railroads linking downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena. Huntington owned nearly all the stock in the 'Pacific Electric Land Company'. West Hollywood
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
was established by Moses Sherman
Moses Sherman
Moses Hazeltine Sherman was a land developer who built the Phoenix Street Railway in Phoenix, Arizona, and later built other lines and owned property in the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood, California. He also served on the Los Angeles Water Board.At the junction of his streetcar lines west of...
and his partners of the Los Angeles and Pacific Railway. Moses Sherman, Harry Chandler
Harry Chandler
Harry Chandler was an American newspaper publisher and investor who became owner of the largest real estate empire in the U.S.-Biography:...
, Hobart Johnstone Whitley
Hobart Johnstone Whitley
Hobart Johnstone Whitley , also known as H.J. Whitley is the "Father of Hollywood", was a real estate developer who helped create the Hollywood subdivision in Los Angeles, Southern California. He and his wife, Margaret Virginia Whitley named the town while on their honeymoon in 1886...
, and others bought the entire southern San Fernando Valley in 1910. The electric railway and a "$500,000" boulevard called Sherman Way connected the 3 townsites they were selling. These included Van Nuys, Marion (now Reseda
Reseda
Reseda may refer to:*Reseda , a plant genus also known as mignonette*1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the reseda plant genus*Reseda, Los Angeles, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California...
), and Owensmouth (now Canoga Park). Parts of Sherman Way are now called Chandler Bl and Van Nuys Bl.
The railway company "connected all the dots on the map and was a leading player itself in developing all the real estate that lay in between the dots".
Decline
Loss leader
A loss leader or leader is a product sold at a low price to stimulate other profitable sales. It is a kind of sales promotion, in other words marketing concentrating on a pricing strategy. A loss leader is often a popular article...
, however when most of the company's holdings had been developed by 1920 their major income source began to deplete. Many rural passenger lines were unprofitable, with losses offset by revenue generated from passenger lines in populated corridors and from freight operations. The least-used Red Car lines were converted to cheaper buses as early as 1925.
In the pre-automobile era, electric interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
rail was the only way to connect outlying suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an and exurban
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
parcels to central cities.
Although the railway owned extensive private rights-of-way, usually between urban areas, much of the Pacific Electric trackage in urban areas such as downtown Los Angeles west of the Los Angeles River was in streets shared with automobiles and trucks. Virtually all street crossings were at-grade, and increasing automobile traffic led to decreasing Red Car speeds on much of its trackage. At its nadir, the busy Santa Monica Boulevard line, which connected Los Angeles to Hollywood and on to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, had an average speed of 13 miles per hour (20.9 km/h)
Traffic congestion was of such great concern by the late 1930s that the influential Automobile Club of Southern California
Automobile Club of Southern California
The Automobile Club of Southern California is the Southern California affiliate of the American Automobile Association federation of motor clubs...
engineered an elaborate plan to create an elevated freeway-type "Motorway System," a key aspect of which was the dismantling of the streetcar lines, replacing it with buses that could run on both local streets and on the new express roads.
When the freeway system was planned in the 1930s the city planners planned to include light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
tracks in the center margin of each freeway but the plan was never implemented.
The Whittier and Fullerton was cut in 1938. Redondo Beach, Newport Beach, Sawtelle via San Vicente, and Riverside in 1940. When the San Bernardino Freeway opened in 1941 but was not yet connected to the Hollywood Freeway, while the "Four Way" overpass was being constructed, westbound car traffic from the SB freeway poured onto downtown streets near the present Union Station. Pacific Electric's multiple car trains coming and going from Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Monrovia/Glendora used those same streets the final few miles to the 6th and Main PE terminal and were totally bogged down within this jammed traffic. Schedules could not be met, plus former patrons were now driving.
The San Bernardino line, Pomona branch, Temple City branch via Alhambra's Main St., San Bernardino's Mountain View local to 34th St., Santa Monica Blvd. via Beverly Hills, and all remaining Pasadena local service were all cut in 1941.
Pacific Electric carried increased passenger loads during World War II, when Los Angeles County's population nearly doubled as war industries concentrated in the region attracting millions of workers. There were several years when the company's income statement showed a profit, most notably during World War II, when gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
was rationed and much of the populace depended on mass transit. At peak operation toward the end of World War II, the PE dispatched over 1000 trains daily and was a major employer in Southern California.
The nation's last interurban RPO (Railroad Post Office) service was operated by PE on its San Bernardino Line. This RPO service was inaugurated comparatively late, being started on September 2, 1947. It left LA's Union Station interurban yard on the west side of the terminal turning north onto Alameda Street at 12:45 pm and San Bernardino at 4:40 pm, taking three hours for the trip. It did not operate on Sundays or holidays. This last RPO was pulled off May 6, 1950.
Aware that most new arrivals planned to stay in the region after the war, local municipal governments, Los Angeles County and the State agreed that a massive infrastructure improvement program was necessary. At that time politicians agreed to construct a web of freeways across the region. This was seen as a better solution than a new mass transit system or an upgrade of the Pacific Electric.
The coming of the freeways
Hollywood Freeway
The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route over the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortcut between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley...
, Pasadena, Harbor, and San Bernardino
Interstate 10 in California
Interstate 10 , the major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States, runs in the U.S. state of California east from Santa Monica, on the Pacific Ocean, through Los Angeles and San Bernardino to the border with Arizona...
, were in use or being completed. Partial completion of the San Bernardino Freeway to Aliso Street near downtown Los Angeles led to traffic chaos.
In the Southern District, passenger service to Santa Ana, Baldwin Park, Pasadena's Oak Knoll line, and Sierra Madre closed in 1950 as did in the Western District the last line to Venice and Santa Monica. The Pasadena and Monrovia/Glendora lines quit in 1951 due to the new LA freeways which were being constructed and opened in sections.
The various public agencies—City, County, and State—agreed with the PE that abandoning service was the thing to do, and the PE happily complied. PE management had earlier compared costs of refurbishing the Northern District interurban lines to Pasadena, Monrovia/Glendora, and Baldwin Park versus the alternative of converting to buses, and found in favor of the latter. Now they could do it.
Remaining Pacific Electric passenger service was sold off in 1953 to a company known as Metropolitan Coach Lines, whose intention was to convert all rail service to bus service as quickly as possible. Jesse Haugh, of Metropolitan Coach Lines was a former executive of Pacific City Lines
Pacific City Lines
Pacific City Lines was a company formed in 1937 as a subsidiary to National City Lines in Oakland, California. Its function was to purchase streetcar systems in the western United States as part of what became known as the Great American streetcar scandal...
which together with National City Lines
National City Lines
National City Lines, Inc. , was a controversial company founded in Minnesota, United States in 1920 as a modest local transport company operating two buses which was reorganized into a holding company in 1936 with equity funding from General Motors, Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California and...
and General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
acquired local streetcar systems across the country with the intention of shutting them down and converting them to bus operation in what became known as the Great American Streetcar Scandal.
Several lines operating to the north and the west which used the Belmont Tunnel from the Subway Terminal Building
Subway Terminal Building
The Subway Terminal Building, now known as Metro 417, is an Italian Renaissance Revival building in Downtown Los Angeles located at 417 South Hill Street. It was designed by architects Schultze and Weaver and was built in 1925. It served as the downtown terminus for the "Hollywood Subway" branch...
downtown ceased operation - The Hollywood Boulevard and Beverly Hills lines were shut down in 1954 and service to the San Fernando Valley, Burbank and Glendale using newly acquired PCC streetcar
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
s lasted only to 1955. The Bellflower line to the south also closed in 1955 as the Golden State/Santa Ana (Interstate 5) neared completion.
Public ownership
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit AuthorityLos Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority was a public agency formed in 1951. Its original mandate was to do a feasibility study for a monorail line which would have connected Long Beach with the Panorama City district in the San Fernando Valley via Downtown Los Angeles.The agency's powers...
had been formed in 1951. It was known as the MTA but is unrelated to the current MTA. This agency had been founded to study the possibility of establishing a publicly owned monorail line running north from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles and then west to Panorama City in the San Fernando Valley. In 1954, the agency's powers were expanded to allow it to propose a more extensive regional mass-transit system and in 1957, its powers were again expanded, this time to allow it to operate transit lines.
In 1958 the California state government, through its Public Utility Commission
California Public Utilities Commission
The California Public Utilities Commission is a regulatory agency which regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies...
took over the remaining and most popular lines from Metropolitan Coach Lines. The MTA also purchased the remaining streetcar "Yellow Car" lines of the successor of the Los Angeles Railway
Los Angeles Railway
The Los Angeles Railway was a system of streetcars that operated in central Los Angeles, California and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods between from 1901 and 1963. Except for two short funicular railways it operated on tracks...
, then called Los Angeles Transit Lines. LARy/LATL had been purchased from the Huntington estate by National City Lines
National City Lines
National City Lines, Inc. , was a controversial company founded in Minnesota, United States in 1920 as a modest local transport company operating two buses which was reorganized into a holding company in 1936 with equity funding from General Motors, Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California and...
in 1945. The MTA started operating all lines as a single system on March 3, 1958.
The interurban Los Angeles to Long Beach passenger rail line served the longest - from July 4, 1903 until April 9, 1961. It was the both the first and last interurban passenger line of the former Pacific Electric. It still had long stretches of open country running on private right-of-way. With the closure of the Long Beach line the final rail link in the system was eliminated - replaced by the interurban Motor Coach 36f ("F" representing Freeway Flyer) route. This former PE route was the first of the new MTA light rail lines - rebuilt as the dual track Metro Blue Line.
The few remaining trolley-coach routes and narrow-gauge streetcar routes of the former Los Angeles Railway "Yellow Cars" were removed in early 1963. The public transportation system continued to operate under the name MTA until the agency was reorganized and relaunched as the Southern California Rapid Transit District
Southern California Rapid Transit District
The Southern California Rapid Transit District , was the successor to the original Metropolitan Transit Authority after it virtually went bankrupt...
in September 1964.
PE's lucrative freight service was continued operation through 1964 under the Pacific Electric name by the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
using Diesel-Electric Locomotives on the heavy-duty PE rail-bed and rails and tripping the iconic "Wig-Wag
Wigwag (railroad)
Wigwag is the nickname given to a type of railroad grade crossing signal once common in North America, named for the pendulum-like motion it used to signal the approach of a train...
" crossing signals of the former PE. A Christmas tree lot was operated in the small stub yard at the northwest corner of Willow and Long Beach Blvd. - the stock arrived in and was stored in a steel sided box car until the Christmas trees were prepared for sale - the busy intersection was where dual trackage departed Long Beach Blvd. and joined the private right-of-way from Huntington Beach and Seal Beach towards Los Angeles. The crossing signal there was the first installation of the final design of the Magnetic Watchman wigwag
Wigwag (railroad)
Wigwag is the nickname given to a type of railroad grade crossing signal once common in North America, named for the pendulum-like motion it used to signal the approach of a train...
crossing signal and crossbucks. Oil tank cars were still shuttled to Signal Hill even as the surface street tracks were torn up from the center of Long Beach Blvd. long after the copper overhead catenary supply wires had been removed. Southern Pacific (now part of Union Pacific) continues to operate freight service utilizing former PE right-of-way.
1970 - Present
During in the 1970s, there was serious discussion about the need for additional mass transit systems based on environmental concerns, increasing population and the 1973 oil crisis1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
. A 1974 inquiry in the Senate heard allegations about the role that General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and other companies, including Pacific City Lines, played in the dismantlement of streetcar systems across the USA and in particular in Los Angeles in what became known as the Great American Streetcar Scandal. The plot of the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
is loosely modeled on the alleged conspiracy to dismantle the streetcar lines in Los Angeles.
In 1976 the State of California formed the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission to coordinate the Southern California Rapid Transit District
Southern California Rapid Transit District
The Southern California Rapid Transit District , was the successor to the original Metropolitan Transit Authority after it virtually went bankrupt...
's (SCRTD, advertised and known locally by Angelinos as the "RTD") efforts with those of various municipal transit systems in the area and to take over planning of countywide transportation systems. The SCRTD continued planning of the Metro Rail (Los Angeles County) Subway (the Red Line), while the LACTC developed plans for the light rail system. Construction began in 1985. In 1988, the two agencies formed a third entity under which all rail construction would be consolidated, and in 1993, the SCRTD and the LACTC were merged into the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
(LACMTA).
When the Metro Blue Line commenced commuter service in 1990, electric rail passenger train service once again returned to Los Angeles with the opening of the route from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach using much of the same right-of-way as the original Pacific Electric line that ceased in 1961. Since then, the LACMTA has opened more lines.
Metro Red Line opened next in three parts, first from Union Station
Union Station (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
in central Los Angeles. connecting with the very short subway which forms the northern terminus of Metro Blue Line at 7th/Figuroa station, and then west under Wilshire Blvd. onward to Western Ave. Construction halted due to an unrelated explosion of petroleum fumes in an underground portion of a store along the proposed route turning north at Fairfax Ave. to Hollywood, which was to service the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
, Museum Row and the La Brea Tar Pits
La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits are a cluster of tar pits around which Hancock Park was formed, in the urban heart of Los Angeles. Asphaltum or tar has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years. The tar is often covered with water...
. The second portion was the diversion north under Vermont Ave. to Hollywood Blvd. turning west to Highland Avenue. When the Hollywood Freeway was built, two Pacific Electric tracks remained in the center, entering the canyon to Cahuenga Pass
Cahuenga Pass
The Cahuenga Pass is a mountain pass through the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Hollywood district of the City of Los Angeles, California....
under the freeway at what is now the northbound Highland Ave. onramp. The PE tracks continued to provide mass transit efficiently until the line was closed and the right-of-way became additional lanes to widen the 101 freeway, thereby reducing automotive congestion on the world's heaviest traveled road. RTD bus service replaced the rail service and remained the highest daily passenger volume corridor. When the third expansion of Metro Red Line subway opened, most long distance commuter bus routes from Downtown Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley were trimmed to connect with the new subway stations, reducing Diesel fumes and motor vehicle congestion. It tunnels deep under that corridor and far - the next station, Universal, boasts the world's longest continuous underground escalator. At the northern most Metro Red Line terminal, North Hollywood
North Hollywood (LACMTA Station)
North Hollywood is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located at the intersection of Lankershim Boulevard and Chandler Boulevard in the North Hollywood District of Los Angeles. This station is served by the Red Line as well as the Orange Line BRT service...
, connections can be made to several MTA bus routes of the San Fernando Valley, including several routes along the private right-of-way Metro Rapidway Metro Orange Line (route 901) dedicated exclusively for MTA vehicles that replicates many PE thru lines by transferring buses.
Metro Green Line opened in 1995. Its right-of-way was planned from conception to be entirely isolated and protected, running in the median of Interstate 105, the Century Freeway
Interstate 105 (California)
Interstate 105 is an Interstate Highway in southern Los Angeles County, California that runs east–west from near the Los Angeles International Airport to Norwalk...
west from Norwalk, connecting at Rosa Parks Station with Metro Blue Line, then further west to Los Angeles International Airport, and then south on elevated tracks to Redondo Beach. The Century Freeway, named for Century Blvd. the equivalent of 100th St., was the world first freeway built to bypass and relieve traffic congestion from another freeway - the 91, Artesia Freeway
California State Route 91
State Route 91 is a major east–west freeway located entirely within Southern California and serving several regions of the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area...
.
Metro Gold Line is the latest light rail line. Connecting downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
to Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
mostly at-grade along former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) historic Super Chief
Super Chief
The Super Chief was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was often referred to as "The Train of the Stars" because of the many celebrities who traveled on the streamliner between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.The Super...
right-of-way converted to dual track overhead electric light rail - incorporating California's oldest surviving iron railroad bridge built across the Arroyo Seco
Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County)
The Arroyo Seco, meaning "dry stream" in Spanish, is a seasonal river, canyon, watershed, and cultural area in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The Arroyo Seco has been called the most celebrated canyon in Southern California.-River course:...
(1895) in the conversion. The next extension was then east from Pasadena, again utilizing the former ATSF right-of-way in the median of Interstate 210, the Foothill Freeway
Interstate 210 (California)
Interstate 210 and State Route 210 together form a contiguous highway, called the Foothill Freeway, in the Greater Los Angeles area of the U.S. state of California. The western portion of the route is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, while the eastern portion is a state highway...
. The Gold Line Eastside Extension now connects Union Station, Downtown Los Angeles to East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
.
Metrolink (Southern California)
Metrolink (Southern California)
Metrolink is a commuter rail system serving Los Angeles and the surrounding area of Southern California; it currently consists of six lines and 55 stations using of track....
provides weekday interurban commuters with high speed reversible trains - consisting of Diesel Locomotives hauling double-deck high capacity passenger cars servicing much of Los Angeles County and operating to connections in Ventura County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Orange County, and San Diego County as well.
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
waterfront. Two newly constructed Red Car replicas, #500 & #501, provide service along the line on cruise ship arrival/departure days as well as weekends - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In addition, a restored 1907-vintage Pacific Electric car, No. #1508 originally rebuilt from two wrecks as a unique motor coach, is available for special rail excursions. It began operation as a tourist attraction on July 19, 2003. The Port of Los Angeles
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
financed, constructed and operates the replica equipment on heritage PE track, one of many of its waterfront revival projects. A new pedestrian esplanade featuring public art and fountains, sculpture and fountains has been built alongside the track from the World Cruise Center to the Maritime Museum and Fire Boat Station. Connections to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is an aquarium in San Pedro, California, United States, a community within Los Angeles. It concentrates on the marine life of Southern California...
and other San Pedro attractions when using the Waterfront Red Car trolley/shuttle. There are plans to extend the Waterfront Red Car line approximately two more miles south to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is an aquarium in San Pedro, California, United States, a community within Los Angeles. It concentrates on the marine life of Southern California...
and the tidepools of Cabrillo Beach
Cabrillo Beach
Cabrillo Beach is a historic beach located in San Pedro, California.Cabrillo has two separate beach areas.- Lifeguards : and Los Angeles County Lifeguards are responsible for the beach and ocean safety in and around the Cabrillo Beach area....
. Current plans for an extension of the line north into Wilmington to Avalon Blvd. along existing trackage is in effect as a part of the waterfront improvement plan. Trackage is in place, but funding for additional improvements has not yet been identified. Some transit advocates have proposed linking this line to the Metro Blue Line Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
terminus, a very intensive and expensive expansion. The Port of Los Angeles, Recreation, Waterfront Red Car Line
Proposed developments
More rail lines are in the planning and building stages. Light rail is being designed to connect the city center of San Bernardino with the University of Redlands via the Redlands Subdivision by 2016.If construction funds are identified, the "Foothill Extension" of the Gold Line will extend the service to Montclair
Montclair, California
Montclair is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 36,664 at the 2010 United States Census.The current mayor is Paul M. Eaton.-Description:...
, or possibly all the way to LA/Ontario International Airport by 2015.
There are several proposals for connecting the congested West Los Angeles
West Los Angeles (region)
The Los Angeles Westside is an urban region in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. It has no official definition, but, according to the Los Angeles Times, it comprises , encompassing 18 districts in the city of Los Angeles and two unincorporated neighborhoods, plus the cities of...
area with rail service. Construction has begun on the Expo Line, a light-rail line. A color has not yet been assigned to this line. Surveying activities began in May 2006, and construction commenced in October 2006. Service is scheduled to begin as far as Culver City
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
by 2011, and by 2014-2015 continue to Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
.
Other groups are lobbying to extend the renamed Purple Line to the west on Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
, the city's most densely populated corridor, as was originally planned in mass transit plans designed as early as the late 1960s. In 2005, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa , born Antonio Ramón Villar, Jr., is the 41st and current Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of...
made as one of his most publicized campaign promises a pledge to set the wheels in motion for eventual construction of the "Subway to the Sea" as he called it.
Also under consideration is a new passenger rail line on the abandoned Harbor Subdivision railway corridor, connecting Carson to downtown Los Angeles via Torrance and the LA west side. Connections to the Harbor Subdivision from the World Cruise Center cruise ship terminal in the San Pedro District of Los Angeles Harbor to the Long Beach Transit Mall and the Metro Blue Line are also under evaluation.
Heritage and popular culture
The 'Pacific Electric Trail', is a 21 mile Rail TrailRail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
under development for cyclists and walkers which is being constructed along the former San Bernardino Line. The city Rancho Cucamonga
Rancho Cucamonga
Rancho Cucamonga was a Mexican land grant in present day San Bernardino County, California given in 1839 to dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician, Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The grant encompassed present day Rancho Cucamonga...
is acting as lead agency with the Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) and surrounding cities. The first sections were completed in 2006 and further sections in 2009. When completed the trail will run from Claremont to Rialto and also connect to a 6.9-mile rail trail project being planned from Claremont to San Dimas.
On San Bernardino's Electric Av., a grassroots group wants to develop a linear greenbelt heritage park on the Arrowhead Springs Pacific Electric right of way between Hillside Elementary School & 40th St.
The 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
is loosely modeled on the alleged conspiracy to dismantle the streetcar lines in Los Angeles.
In The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode titled "Postcards from the Wedge
Postcards from the Wedge
"Postcards from the Wedge" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 14, 2010. In the episode, Homer and Marge once again try to discipline Bart after Mrs...
" that aired 14 March 2010 on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, the film shown at the beginning of the episode is based on GM's promo films from the 1950s; in addition, the cars from the abandoned Springfield Subway are modeled after the PE cars.
A transportation attraction based on the Pacific Electric Railway, the Red Car Trolley
Red Car Trolley
The Red Car Trolley is an upcoming attraction at Disney's California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, set to open by 2012...
, is under construction at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort
Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...
in Anaheim
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
. The attraction, which is set to open in 2012, will feature replicas of Pacific Electric Railway rolling stock and will be the first attraction in the park to provide transportation. Construction began on January 4, 2010.
Streetcars of the Pacific Electric Railway are featured as atmospheric elements in L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire is a 2011 crime video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows. It was released as a 3-disc game for the Xbox 360 console, which prompts the player to switch to another disc at certain points in the...
.
Routes and Facilities
- West Hollywood Car Barn and Yard
- Ocean Park Car Barn and Yard
- Torrance Shops
- Pacific Electric BuildingPacific Electric BuildingThe Pacific Electric Building opened in 1905 as the terminal for the Pacific Electric Red Car Lines running east and south of downtown Los Angeles, as well as the company's main headquarters building. It was designed by architect Thornton Fitzhugh...
(6th & Main Station) - Subway Terminal BuildingSubway Terminal BuildingThe Subway Terminal Building, now known as Metro 417, is an Italian Renaissance Revival building in Downtown Los Angeles located at 417 South Hill Street. It was designed by architects Schultze and Weaver and was built in 1925. It served as the downtown terminus for the "Hollywood Subway" branch...
(4th and Hill St. Station) - Belmont Tunnel (Hollywood Subway)
Fleet
Interurban cars
- Blimp MU (61 – Pullmans)
- St Louis Car Co Blimp MU 1930–1959
- Pullman Car Co Blimp MU coach 1913–1961
- Pullman Car Co Blimp MU baggage coach 1913–1959
- St Louis Car Co MU coach 1907–1950
- Jewett Car Co. 1000 "Business Car" 1913–1947
- Jewett Car Co. 1000-class MU interurban 1913–1954
- American Car Co trailer coach 1908–1934
- American Car Co trailer coach 1908–1934
- Pullman Car Co officer's car 1912–1958
- J.G. Brill Portland RPO-baggage 1913–1959
- 500-class interurban cars
- American Car Co 800 class interurban
- Standard Steel Car Co. 1100-class interurban car – Hammond, Indiana
- Pressed Steel Car Co. 1200-class Berdoo MU interurban 1915
- Pullman Car Co. 1222-class Long Beach MU interurban 1921
- Pullman Car Co. 1252-class Portland MU interurban 1912
- Pullman Car Co. 1299 "Business Car" 1912, converted from Portland trailer 1929
City and suburban cars
- St Louis Car Co double-truck Birney 1925–1941
- Pullman Car Co Submarine 1912–1928
- J. G. Brill Birney 1918–1941 (69)
- St Louis Car Co baby five MU coach 1901–1934
- St Louis Car Co medium five MU coach 1909–1934
- St Louis Car Co Hollywood car MU 1922–1959 (160)
- St Louis Car Co Hollywood car 1922 (50) numbered 600–649
- St Louis Car Co Hollywood car 1923 (50) numbered 650–699
- J. G. Brill Hollywood car 192x (50) numbered 700–749
- St Louis Car Co Hollywood car 1924 (10) numbered 750–759
- Pullman Standard PCC 1939 (30) numbered 5000–5029. Sold to Argentina in 1959
- St. Louis Car Co. 500 class DE streetcars
Freight cars
- LA&R flat-top cabooseCabooseA caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
1896 - PE flat-top caboose PE 1939
- LS&MS caboose 1915
- LV caboose 1926
- RF&P caboose 1905
- SSC box car 1924
See also
- Pacific Electric BuildingPacific Electric BuildingThe Pacific Electric Building opened in 1905 as the terminal for the Pacific Electric Red Car Lines running east and south of downtown Los Angeles, as well as the company's main headquarters building. It was designed by architect Thornton Fitzhugh...
- Pacific Electric Railroad BridgePacific Electric Railroad BridgeThe Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge or Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge is a historic double-tracked arch bridge located in Torrance, California USA, spanning Torrance Boulevard at Bow Street, a short distance west of Western Avenue...
- San Diego Electric RailwaySan Diego Electric RailwayThe San Diego Electric Railway was a mass transit system in Southern California, USA, using streetcars and buses.The SDERy was established by "sugar heir," developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels in 1892...
- Subway Terminal BuildingSubway Terminal BuildingThe Subway Terminal Building, now known as Metro 417, is an Italian Renaissance Revival building in Downtown Los Angeles located at 417 South Hill Street. It was designed by architects Schultze and Weaver and was built in 1925. It served as the downtown terminus for the "Hollywood Subway" branch...
- Belmont Tunnel
External links
- Pacific Electric Railway system map, 1920s
- Pacific Electric Railway system map, 1949
- Pacific Electric Railway Elec Railway Historical Association of So. California guide to PE traction heritage.
- Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society Online Image Archive
- Bill Volkmer collection of Red Car photos and post cards
- Orange Empire Railway Museum PE equipment site
- L.A. San Pedro waterfront Red Car line restoration and operation
- Pacific Electric photos (Jim Stubchaer)
- Pacific Electric Railway Monuments archival photographs
- Pacific Electric Subway photos (Elson Trinidad)
- Proposal to bring the Red Car back to Downtown Los Angeles year 2000
- The Red Cars of Los Angeles (USC archives)
- Pacific Electric Subway – Toluca Portal: 1925 – 1955 – 2008 photos (Harry Marnell)
- Tours in a Bygone Era (Tom Wetzel)
- Educational and informative documentary on the rise and fall of the Pacific Electric Red Car system in Los Angeles
- Article about the history of the Pacific Electric and other L.A. streetcar systems, with archival photos
- DVD Documentary - This Was Pacific Electric - Complete documentary on the Pacific Electric. Movies, stills, and interviews.
