The Life and Times of Pacific Electric 1260
Here are a collection of images of Pacific Electric no. 1260, its many adventures and even a prominent mishap, all captured by photographers back in the day.
Jack Finn Print Collection. Craig Rasmussen print. From the PERyhs.org archive.
Photographer: Unknown
Location: Westbound on the Santa Monica Air Line crossing Vermont Ave.
Date: 1949
Railroad: Pacific Electric
Line: Air Line
Car#: PE 1260 PE 1227
Notes on back of print: Santa Monica Air Line: 1260 – 1227, W.B. at Vermont Ave, 1949 LATL Strike
Collection of Craig A Rasmussen
Image notes: Photo appears in Interurbans Special Western District page 53. Photo credited to Magna Collection.
Image from the Jack Finn collection.
Photographer: Unknown
Date: Unknown
Location: San Pedro Street in downtown Los Angeles.
Notes on back of print: PE 1260 J 734
Image Notes: Scanned from a 3 /14 x 5 3/4 inch print
Steve Crise Archive – Acme Photo – Photographer unknown
Photographer: Acme Photo – Photographer unknown
Location: San Pedro Street south of 6th Street, Los Angeles, California
Date: November 28, 1943
Railroad: Pacific Electric
Locomotive: PE 1260
Notes on back of 8×10 print: LA 23697 (Los Angeles Bureau) TWENTY-TWO ESCAPE INJURY – LOS ANGELES – Twenty-two passengers of this Pacific Electric car miraculously escaped without even a scratch when it jumped the tracks and overtuned. Faulty brakes were believed to have been the cause of the accident. Bureaus Coast CREDIT LINE (ACME) 11-28-43 From Acme Newspictures, Inc Los Angeles Bureau, 1257 So. Los Angeles Street. Please credit Acme Photo. This picture is sold to you for your publication only and must not be loaned syndicated or used for advertising purposes without written permission from Acme.
Purchased from Historic Images
6073 Mt. Moriah Ext
Memphis TN 38115
historicimages.com ney01237 October 2016
Robert X Loewing photo, Craig Rasmussen collection. Steve Crise Archive
Photographer: Robert X Lowing
Date: April 1949
Railroad: Pacific Electric Railray
Car#: PE 1260
Location: Sentous Yard, La Cienega Blvd at Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, California. Present day location of the La Cienega Expo Line station.
Notes on back of 8 x 10 print: 1260 -1227 W.B. on Santa Monica Air Line at Sentous; 1949 (LATL Strike) Rob’t X. Loewing Photo.
Image notes: Photo taken during the 1949 Los Angeles Transit Lines strike. This explains the use of the 1200’s on the Air Line.
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I could be mistaken, but I believe this to be a Portland 12, not a Blimp.
Correct – let me delete! Thanks, Scott! – Ed.
This is the first time I even noticed but where did the fancy pilot come from?
For an unknown reason, the #1260 had PE style pilots on both ends, a mystery forever lost to history.
Regarding the PE style spoked pilots on 1260 – you will note in the photo of the wrecked 1260 next to the sidewalk of San Pedro St, you will see an undamaged PE style spoked pilot lying detached from 1260 on the street. This photo also shows a blimp passing by with gates on the end entrances which dates the photo to 1946 or earlier. Therefore, 1260 would have been given these spoked pilots sometime before 1946.
The middle car in the 3-car train of Tens is 1001-the sole surviving PE original interurban car in running condition.
In the 3rd photo, I can see scratches in the street which seems to indicate that 1260 skidded out of control from the adjacent track next to the 3-car train of “Tens” and came to rest against the curb. There are few things scarier than a “runaway” train.
Photos 2 and 3 are the same accident…November 1943. So the pilots were added before then. (Notice the destinations board has been jarred between Baldwin Park and El Monte in both.)
Photographer identification notes were added by Craig R. here: https://www.pacificelectric.org/pacific-electric/western-district/1260-at-vermont/#comment-25348