Ralph Cantos Collection
Pacific Electric no. 1001 and Los Angeles Railway no. 536 sit together at Travel Town in 1956. (Los Angeles Transit Lines no. 1160 sits behind 536.)
The little tree between the two cars would later grow up to be big enough to blow over and destroy 536 years later.
Ralph Cantos Collection, Craig Rasmussen Collection
Ralph Cantos Collection
Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority no. 1503 (former Pacific Electric no. 304) suffers an ignoble fate after losing control while descending the viaduct ramp at the 6th and Main Street station in 1960. This Los Angeles Herald Examiner photo illustration depicts the car's path before coming to rest at the nose of a tractor-trailer on San Pedro Street.
The caption reads:
FAULTY BRAKES BLAMED AS HUGE MTA STREETCAR JUMPS THE TRACKS
The Interurban Ran Wild Down Terminal Ramp Near Sixth Street, Leaped Off Rails and Zig-Zagged (Broken Arrow) Across San Pedro St., Then Hit Moving Vans (Arrows); Five Persons Were Hurt
From Ralph Cantos:
The last "BIG WRECK" of LA's "Interurban Era' happened in 1960 when the #1503 lost its brakes while descending the 6th & Main ramp. no one was seriously injured , but the #1503 (PE #304) was not repaired. It was towed to Fairbanks year by another Blimp and stored there until the end of Long Beach Line service on 4-9-1961
Ralph Cantos Collection
Ralph Cantos Collection
Ralph Cantos found this photo in an antique shop in Santa Monica; the only information known is noted on the image itself: Pacific Electric no. 1205 on a Railroad Boosters outing near Yorba Linda in 1939. The "Stern" may refer to someone in the photo or the photographer.
Ralph Cantos Collection
Ralph Cantos Collection
Pacific Electric Glendale-Burbank PCC service bulletin from 1940, announcing the institution of PCC car service beginning Nov. 24, 1940.
Ralph Cantos Collection... Read More
Ralph Cantos Collection
Los Angeles Railway car no. 285 is captured on either experimental trucks or "shop trucks" while wearing 9 Line signage. According to Ralph Cantos:
The trucks really change the appearance of the car. It is possible that the #285 was on "shop trucks" ,but it looks like she is "in service"
Ralph Cantos Collection
Ralph Cantos Collection
The Pacific Electric Fletcher Avenue Bridge in 1959.
From Ralph Cantos:
By 1959, the Fletcher Dr Trestle had become a liability ,young kids throwing rocks off the bridge onto passing autos below, and in some cases, daredevil motorists driving their autos over the bridge itself. The City had enough, and the bridge was taken down. This image shows the bridge in 1959 just before the end. It had been abandoned for almost 4 years.
Ralph Cantos Collection
Ralph Cantos Collection
Los Angeles Railway MU cars nos. 1432 (front) and 1421 (rear) pause at an unidentified loop during the same Railroad Boosters fan trip discussed here in January 1939. If you can identify this location, please leave a comment.
Ralph Cantos Collection
