Pacific Electric – Page 16 – Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society

PE 800s on 6th Street, Downtown Los Angeles, 1916

By Ralph Cantos

Here is another colorized postcard of Downtown Los Angeles, a two-car train of what appears to be single pole 800s making its way eastbound on 6th Street at Spring. The postcard dates to 1916.

No postcard showing the great metropolis of Downtown LA was without streetcars of the LARY or interurbans of the Pacific Electric Railway.

As with most colorized postcards of the time, some fine details were lost. But in this case, there is little doubt that the cars shown here are more than likely the mighty high-speed 800s in all their glory.

Ralph Cantos Collection

San Pedro Station, 1935

By Ralph Cantos

This spectacular photograph of the Pacific Electric’s San Pedro Station shows a 3-car train of 10 Hundreds waiting departure time to Los Angeles, as a former Portland Electric Express motor loads “LCL” cargo. The San Pedro Station was one of PE’s larger suburban stations. It remained in service until after the abandonment of the San Pedro Line in December of 1958. Today, there is no trace of this impressive station. Its cozy waiting room replaced by a lone wind swept bus stop bench on the street, all in the name of “progress” …What a bunch of crap!!

Craig Rasmussen Collection