Craig Rasmussen Collection – Page 3 – Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society

Redondo Beach End of The Line

The south end of Catalina Avenue at Avenue I in Redondo Beach marked the end of the tracks for the PE Del Rey Line, when this area was called Clifton or Clifton by the Sea. This is also the north end of what is today known as the Hollywood Riviera with great shops and eateries. PE 890 has just arrived and is being switched to head back north to Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and Play Del Rey and the trolley pole is yet to be changed over. The dash sign has all these destinations listed and on the top line it reads, “Local to Vineyard.” Llewellyns Cafe can be seen in the background to the left of the car. Photo by Harold Stewart (1940), Collection of Craig Rasmussen

Harold Stewart Photo, Craig Rasmussen Collection

461 Heads to Rubio Canyon

Pacific Electric no. 461 heads north on the Oak Knoll Line with a roller sign reading MOUNT LOWE and a dash sign reading RUBIO CANYON in this January, 1935 image; during the last years of operation of the Mount Lowe Division.

Unknown photographer, Craig Rasmussen Collection

PE and the Scripps Home

Pacific Electric streetcar no. 350 heads toward Pasadena along East Mariposa Street near North Raymond Avenue just north of Mountain View Cemetery. This is just east of North Fair Oaks and west of Marengo in Altadena. The roller sign reads NORTH LAKE AVENUE and was shot January 10, 1941 by C. E. Wright.

C. E. Wright Photo, Craig Rasmussen Collection

1123 at Christmas Tree Lane

Looking up Santa Rosa Avenue (aka Christmas Tree Lane) in Altadena, Pacific Electric no. 1123 heads into Los Angeles via the Pasadena Short Line along East Mariposa Street in 1938. This is just 18 years after Christmas Tree Lane came into existence and three years after the Mount Lowe line of the PE had been closed down.

Craig Rasmussen Collection

Here’s the view of this location today:

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Then and Now

Sierra Madre Shuttle

Former Pacific Electric and Southern Pacific Railroad employee Harold Stewart captured this image of Pacific Electric no. 113 heading into Pasadena from Sierra Madre on October 1, 1940. The banner on the side advertises the Flower Show in Pasadena and the river-rock constructed home in the background still survives today at the northeast corner of Del Rey and Sierra Madre Boulevard, in the old East Pasadena neighborhood of Lamanda Park.

Harold Stewart Photo, Craig Rasmussen Collection

And today…

1010 in Redondo Beach

Pacific Electric no. 1010 climbs up the hill on Diamond Street, approaching Pacific Coast Highway. While the cross street on the left, Sunset Court, is no longer there, Redondo Union High School still remains as one of the oldest high schools in the area. This car is inbound along the Gardena Line, January, 1940 and behind the car, in the haze lies the Pacific Ocean.

Bill North Photo, Craig Rasmussen Collection

Troop train pauses at San Dimas

Pacific Electric no. 1203 heads a five-car troop train where it pauses in San Dimas on its way to Los Angeles. The two PE employees (from left to right) are David Gillespie of Pasadena and Mr. Leath, while the soldier is none other than the well-known PE historian and collector Ray Younghans. Unknown photographer, taken July 11, 1943.

Craig Rasmussen Collection

Green Hotel behind Red Car

Pacific Electric no. 1359 makes a late day run heading south down Fair Oaks Avenue, just south of Green Street and the Green Hotel in Pasadena. The park and hotel are still there today, but most of the trees in this shot have been removed. Ernie Leo took this shot and notes it was taken at 6:39 pm, June 21, 1938. There must have been “June Gloom” even back then as the mountains cannot be seen in this north-facing shot.

Ernie Leo Photo, Craig Rasmussen Collection

543 at Country Club Drive and Olympic Boulevard

Craig Rasmussen Collection, Ralph Cantos Collection

By Ralph Cantos

Los Angeles Railway car no. 543 swings off of Country Club Drive onto Olympic Blvd. heading for its terminal at Mullen Street – directly across from Los Angeles High School in this May 1939 view.

Time was running out to the L Line. The Los Angeles Railway was under heavy pressure to abandon the rail service . Improvements to Olympic Blvd, the former West 10th Street was well under way. The rails had been in place since the early years of the 20th Century, and were not up to high standards that the City of LA was imposing on the LARY and Pacific Electric. Something had to give, and it did… the L line!!

About a year after this photo was taken, L line rail service was cut back to Olympic Blvd and Menlo St. leaving LA High School students at the mercy of the new bus line #90. Then in April 1940, the good old L line was gone for good, or bad. depending on what you call “progress.” As a special note, the telephone wire wood encasement over the trolley wires, remained in place over Olympic Blvd, as a reminder of the L line until about 2005, when new phone lines were strung at this location, and LAST vestige of the L line disappeared forever. I have not seen any more of these wood encasements around LA now for several years, the one here at Olympic and Country Club was the last one that I knew of.

Craig Rasmussen Collection, Ralph Cantos Collection

Passing Arcadia Tower at Speed

The Pacific Electric whizzes past Arcadia Tower in this undated image by Jack Whitmeyer. With all the construction in the area lately, the Gold Line Extension will be going by this area once again, in many places on the old P. E. right of way. Of course, now there will be no tower and no freight lines to cross. (Editor’s Note: Gold Line Extension to Glendora complete; extension to Montclair now in development.)

Jack Whitmeyer Photo, Craig Rasmussen Collection, Jack Finn Collection