Pacific Electric – Page 4 – Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society

Riverside – Rialto Line

A meet at Rialto Junction on June 8, 1940. The car on the right will soon depart for Riverside while the car on the left will continue its journey to San Bernardino.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1687804184785{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Above: A meet at Rialto Junction on June 8, 1940. The car on the right will soon depart for Riverside while the car on the left will continue its journey to San Bernardino.

An Excerpt from The Lines of the Pacific Electric; Eastern District, by Ira Swett, 1954

Maps by R.E. Younghans

Research by Steve Crise

Images provided by PERYhs.org

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1687804211881{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]The Crestmore Line (Riverside – Rialto) was unique in that it was not owned by the Pacific Electric; Union Pacific owned it in modern times but nevertheless it was a vital link in PE’s rail empire. Its 9.33 miles cut off the corner for trains to and from Los Angeles, saving Riversiders about 5.5 miles of extra travel had they been forced to journey on PE’s own rails via Colton and San Bernardino. Local service was provided on the Crestmore Line for many years, chiefly to serve the large Riverside Portland Cement Company’s plant near Crestmore. Interurbans provided nearly all the through service, doing local work en route. Under the agreement made by P.E. and U.P., all passenger service on this line was provided by P.E., while freight trains were operated by both railroads; P.E. using electric locomotives, U.P. using steam.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/hfs_pe_bloomington_twr-001.jpg” image_size=”full” title=”Looking south toward Riverside. The two tracks in the foreground are Southern Pacific’s Sunset Route that ran between Los Angeles and New Orleans.” caption_location=”outside-image”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1687804315068{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

Route

From the Rialto P.E. Station, south on Riverside Avenue, and private right of way; crossed AT&SF’s (Santa Fe) main line at MP (mile post) 0.50, and S.P.’s (Southern Pacific) main line at MP 3.40; then came Bloomington (MP 3.50), Cement Plant (MP 5.90) Alvarado (MP 7.99), Alamo (MP 8.45), Hancock (MP 8.89), and finally the Riverside P.E. Station (MP 9.58). The entire route was single track.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cementplant.jpg” image_size=”full” title=”A rare view of the stop at Cement Plant in Crestmore for the employees of the Riverside Portland Cement Company. The Union Pacific was the owner of this line, an unusual arrangement between two competitors.” caption_location=”outside-image”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1687804492184{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

History

In 1907 the Riverside Portland Cement Company built a large operation near Crestmore, and to provide transportation for employees, built a standard gauge railroad to Riverside. On February 28^th, 1908, this line (known as “The Crescent City Railway Company”) entered into an agreement with the Riverside and Arlington Railway Company by which the line was electrified. The R&A provided express and passenger service over it. The first electric car ran over the line on May 1^st, 1908. On May 20^th, 1911, the line was opened to Bloomington, and the final extension to Rialto opened on March 24^th, 1914. The P.E. began through service to L.A. over this line on March 15^th, 1915. All service was abandoned on June 9^th, 1940 (franchise car to November 18^th).

Operation

Service opened between Rialto and Riverside with a 90-minute headway. By 1921 we find 12 round trips daily plus three trippers each way between Riverside and Cement Plant. In 1924, 1926, 1928, 1929 and 1930 the dozen round trips daily prevailed as shown in the P.E.’s employees’ timetables, but the Cement Plant trippers dropped to two in March 1930 and to one in November 1930. The October 9^th, 1932 timetable shows but nine through trips and no trippers; this was increased to ten through trips on April 15^th, 1934, but was cut back to nine the following April 1^st. This continued until April 11^th, 1938, when service suffered a cut to but five round trips; this was cut to four on May 8^th, 1939, and to one on June 9^th, 1940.

The following data covers the only local cars: the best year for the line was 1914, when 360,694 passengers were carried, requiring 101,863 car miles with revenue of $16,098. In 1920, these figures became 123,728, — 37,927 — $14,424 respectively. In 1926 they dropped to 39,560 — 15,330 — $3,666 respectively. The average number of local passengers carried daily in 1926 was 108. For 1926, costs of operation was estimated to be $3,066 and taxes were $175, leaving a net income of but $425. In 1926, local cars made one round trip daily between Riverside and Rialto and three round trips between Riverside and Cement Plant. The former was a franchise trip, and the latter cared for workers meeting shift changes. One 400 class car was required.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/jlw_pe_xxx-01.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1687804570272{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

Miscellany

Trolley voltage on this line was 600 (volts DC), supplied by substations No. 27 at Riverside; substation No. 47 at Rialto put out 1200 volts only for the main (San Bernardino Line). As a result, weak power was a serious problem. From Rialto to Riverside was downgrade and power shortage was not a factor; in the reverse direction, the drop in voltage due to the operation of heavy 1200 Class cars affected the speed of the cars and illumination inside them to a marked degree. This condition was made even worse when P.E. freight trains were on the line. The solution was to change to 1200 volts, but this would have required rebuilding of overhead (wire), installing a 1200 – volt motor generator set at Riverside, and eliminating local cars from the line. Due to the crowded conditions of the Riverside substation, a new building would have been required. This would have totaled nearly $100,000, so it was never done.

The most glamorous trains on this line were the “Orange Empire,” “Citrus Belt Limited” and “Angel City Limited.” As of 1921, all were run daily, with the first two operating outbound from Los Angeles and “Angel City Limited” operating inbound. “Orange Empire” departed Rialto at 10:38am, arriving Riverside 11:00am; “Citrus Belt Limited” left Rialto at 6:11pm, arrived in Riverside at 6:30pm; “Angel City Limited” departed from Riverside at 7:30am and coupled onto the Los Angeles train at Rialto at 7:54am.

Rialto Junction was a busy place down through the years; there, in front of the ramshackle shed housing the substation, Riverside cars were coupled and uncoupled from the San Bernardino – Redlands cars. The usual train from Los Angeles was two cars; the second was cut off to run to Riverside. Returning, the Riverside car coupled to the San Bernardino car for the run to Los Angeles. The motorman making the tie-ons and cut-offs was responsible for registering and checking the train register; he also took the train orders when issued. All trains were first class; inbound (Riverside to Rialto) were superior by direction to outbound trains of the same class.

To properly celebrate the opening of this line, a great fete was held at White Park, Riverside, on March 24^th, 1914. A band concert, a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels, speeches, a parade, and an organ recital at the Mission Inn made it a day worth remembering.

Speed restrictions as of 1924 were; 20-mph within Riverside, 25-mph on the Santa Ana River bridge, 12-mph through yard limits Cement Plant, 15-mph over Colton Avenue, Bloomington, and 20-mph within Rialto.

The Crescent City Railway Company was organized by a group of officials of the Riverside Portland Cement Company in order to provide adequate transportation for their employees. Mr. M. A. Hinshaw, Crecent City Railway president, denied more than once that he was a P.E. figurehead. The eventual sale of the company to the Union Pacific was one of the few times the Pacific Electric & Southern Pacific ever played second fiddle. The Fontana Development Company offered the Crecent City Railway free right of way if it would build there instead of Rialto from Bloomington. The map shows all to clearly the advantage of the Fontana route.

From the Colton “Courier” for October 4^th, 1912: “the right of way between Bloomington and Rialto is all secured. Riverside contributed $4,000 to the fund which means that Riverside expects to get the trade of the Rialto district, which is growing like a weed. Right of way between San Berdoo and Rialto will cost $5,000. It is worth a hundred times more to that city, and San Berdoo seems to be having a real sick spell over raising the money.” Ira L. Swett – 1954[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/rey_pe_crestmore_line-map-06-scaled.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1687804647658{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]While doing research for this article I ran across an aerial photo of Rialto that clearly shows a Pacific Electric Railway car, perhaps an 11 or 12-hundred class car, stopped at Rialto Junction between runs. It is spotted directly across the street from the Rialto Station which is still standing as of the writing of this piece. The photo was taken some time in 1938.

Steve Crise 2023.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/rialto_station_pacific_electric_1938-01.jpg” image_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Interurban Memories on Vinyl, 1961

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Ira Swett

With this posting we offer you four recordings from side one of the 1961, 33 1/3 phonograph album release titled “Interurban Memories” from Fidelity in Motion.

The following liner notes are from the typewriter of Ira Swett, photos are from the PERyhs Archive or as noted.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/826196358?share=copy”][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ils_office_westmoreland-03.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1684763682211{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Seated at the typewriter is traction historian Ira L. Swett seen here with other traction fans at his home at 1416 S. Westmoreland Ave in Los Angeles, c.1950. Standing, second from the left is cartographer Raymond E. Younghans, the creator of many of the map published in Ira’s Interurban Specials.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/bw_lamta_1522_16th-006.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1684763675192{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]A view of the area railfans called “Whistle Alley” between Olympic Bl. and Washington Bl. LAMTA is passing the scaffolding for the construction of the Santa Monica freeway at 16th Street. 12/03/60.[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1684763616255{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Track One January 4, 1959; Afternoon.

Our mikes have been set up in “Whistle Alley,” a stretch of four-track main line in Los Angeles on Long Beach Ave. between Olympic Blvd. and Washington Blvd. Familiar PE whistles, often shrieking into wild harmonics, chronicle the comings and goings of “Blimps” – 73 feet long and 65 tons heavy of Big Red Car. They’re running on the Long Beach Line, last of PE’s once impressive array of interurban electric railway lines. Listen to the echoing of those whistle blasts as they ricochet back and forth of buildings lining the railroad![/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/dnd_pe_410_wall_st-04.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1684763667386{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Donald Duke captured PE Blimp # 410 inbound on the Main Street Station viaduct perfectly demonstrating the length of these massive vehicles. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1684763713183{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Track Two January 4, 1959; Afternoon.

Again the whistles and rumblings of the Blimps are starred. PE operated 71 of these massive vehicles, among the largest interurban cars ever built. The last Blimps were retired on April 9, 1961 when the Long Beach Line was abandoned. The line had served since 1902 as the chief rail artery between Los Angeles County’s two largest cities.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ref_lamta_1801_amoco-04.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1684763943113{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Track Three November 1, 1959; 1:15 P.M.

Again aboard for a ride to Watts on the PE’s famed “Hollywood” cars! It’s the last full day of operation for the Watts Local, which operates on the outside tracks of the Long Beach Line from L.A. to Watts, 7.45 miles south. We’re riding on the 1801, one of the few survivors of the 160 Hollywoods built in the Twenties chiefly for service on busy Hollywood Blvd. Our mikes have been set up just behind the motorman; the conductor stands half way back in this center-entrance car and his calling of streets will be heard faintly. Also to be heard, and much more plainly, are the chatterings of a loose window, the bangs of the front exit door, the conductor’s bell signal, some conversation between the motorman and a deadhead buddy, the wigwags at grade crossings, and above all that ubiquitous PE whistle with its vocal pyrotechnics. Our ride begins at the great Sixth & Main Station, and proceeds down the elevated, along San Pedro St. and Olympic Blvd with its diesel buses, then onto the local track. From there on it’s a continuing symphony of wigwag belles, auto horns, railroad crossings at Amoco Tower, Vernon Ave. and Slauson Ave., passing Blimps, buzzers sounded accompanying electric railway operations. We conclude by pulling into Watts, with it’s substation, interlocking tower, three diverging routes with their complex of slip switches, dwarf signals, and car house. It’s been a wonderful ride hasn’t it![/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/dnd_lamta_dusk_shot-01.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1684763814994{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Track Four January 4, 1959; Afternoon.

We bid goodbye to the Big Red Cars by again listening to the talk of the four-track main, with those heavy Blimps charging down on us, then fading into the distance. This was PE – World’s Greatest Interurban![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Harold F. Stewart: In His Own Words

Pacific Electric # 969 on the Venice Short Line at Vineyard Junction. The West Blvd. Bridge is seen just behind the car. This area was just south of the old Sears Pico store on West Pico Blvd.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Steve Crise

One of the difficulties in scanning, cataloging, and adding useful metadata to the thousands of files we have in our archives is the general lack of information not recorded on many of our original transparencies, negatives and prints. Most photographers of the day never bothered to label their own work with their name, date, or a location. Hours can be spent on a single image researching who the original creator of the work was, where the photo was taken and its approximate date of creation.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hfs_pe_1114_pasadena-002.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1683894054932{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Sometimes we are blessed with an item that has a great amount of history attached to it by the original author. In the example we present here, Pacific Electric motorman and photographer extraordinaire Harold F. Stewart left us with plenty of very detailed information affixed to the back of his print of PE 969 in the form of a typewritten letter. Harold dutifully recorded information on not only the 900 Class cars employed on the Pacific Electric, but he also noted the route and the location of the photo he made at Vineyard Junction on March 6, 1949. And as an extra added attraction, Harold gave us a little bit of commentary on his feeling towards the city fathers of that time.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hfs_pe_969_vineyard-002a.jpg” image_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

A Little Slice of Life

H.L. Kelso photo from the Craig Rasmussen Collection: PE 1370 and LARy 934 meet on the streets of Los Angeles.

By Steve Crise

The United States of America was engaged in its second year of WW II when Harley L. Kelso made this timely shot of Los Angeles Railway car 934 and Pacific Electric interurban car 1370 meeting at the intersection of Vernon Avenue and Long Beach Avenue back in 1943.

There are may sights to behold at this moment frozen in time. The L.A. Railway car is stopped just short of Long Beach Avenue to pick up and drop off passengers. It would soon depart to the eastern terminus of its V-Line run at Leonis Boulevard and Downey Road in the City of Vernon.

Pacific Electric 1370 is seen crossing Vernon Avenue in a southerly direction toward the harbors of San Pedro and Long Beach. The roller sign at the top of the car reads “Special” and all the passengers in the windows appear to be members of various branches of the military, suggesting this could be a special troop transport exclusively scheduled for military personnel only.

The “Red Spot Liquor Store” must have had a very good customer base at this location where two heavily trafficked transit lines intersected. Note the shoeshine booth has both chairs full of customers having their shoes shined.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this photo is the small girl that is seemingly framed by the photographer between the two trolleys. She stares down the track as if she was disappointed that she could not board the Special train of servicemen and is looking for the next regular service car to arrive.

Also note the absence of any noticeable grade crossing apparatus protecting the trains, automobiles and pedestrians from colliding with each other. In researching this image and comparing it to other photos taken at the intersection in our collection, we could not find evidence of any grade crossing protection being installed until sometime after the war.

Today this area is still a vital transit intersection where the Metro A-Line (Blue) interchanges with Metro bus passengers of the 105, 611 and 705 Lines.

Merry Christmas from PERYHS to You!

Pacific Electric Magazine for December 10, 1927

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PE 1141 on Huntington Drive at Warwick Road, San Marino

By Steve Crise

Late in the afternoon in July 1947, eighteen-year-old photographer Donald Duke captured this shot of a Pacific Electric Railway two-car train of “elevens” speeding inbound towards Los Angeles. It is very likely this train, lead by PE 1141, started out its run at the Glendora Station; the eastern-most end of the Monrovia – Glendora Line.

The train is rounding the bend on Huntington Drive gliding past Warwick Road in San Marino, California. Incidentally, San Marino happens to be the hometown of the photographer Donald Duke, who made many photographs of Pacific Electric Railway trains speeding along Huntington Drive.

In researching this image to verify its location, we discovered the home seen in the background of the photo on Warwick Road is still standing. If only we could make the same claim about PE car 1141!

A Blue Goose on a Red Car Line

By Steve Crise

Over the years there have been a good number of steam and diesel locomotives displayed along Exposition Boulevard courtesy of Pacific Electric Railway’s Santa Monica Air Line. Several examples of forthcoming railroad technology and in some cases complete passenger train sets have been exhibited for public review on this busy section of track. Cross country passenger trains from the three railroads that served Los Angeles took advantage of this prime location to show off their latest equipment right in the heart of the city. Passenger trains of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads at some point had all displayed their newest passenger trains in this area. Even General Motors showed off their “Train of Tomorrow” by making an appearance here in 1947.

This location was an obvious choice for such a public event since the area was directly across the street from Exposition Park and the campus of the University of Southern California. Streetcar service was provided by no less than four lines of the Los Angeles Railway including J, K, U and the V-Line on Vermont Avenue. All combined, they provided plenty of service to this location from almost any point in the city. The PE was also able to handle passengers that wished to visit the exhibits by providing service on their Santa Monica Air Line route.

Early on the morning of February 20, 1938, a photographer caught one of these Exposition Boulevard display events in the making as Pacific Electric freight locomotive 1616 hauls Santa Fe’s 3460, their one and only streamlined steam locomotive, across South San Pedro Street at 30th Street, once again using the Air Line rails to tow the beautiful new engine to the display area. The train seems to have paused in the middle of the crossing perhaps to give the photographers a moment to make their shots before the procession continues on its journey and proceeds to rattle across the tracks of Los Angeles Railway’s S-Line.

It is interesting to note that two key features in this photograph still remain in place at this intersection. The building at the northeast corner, 2916 S. San Pedro Street, mostly remains in its original state. And, the unusual steel lattice-work power pole is also a feature that remains in place making this an easy location to verify on Google Earth.

3460 remained in service for the Santa Fe until 1957 when she met the cutting torch at Sheffield Steel in Kansas City, Missouri, at the ripe old age of 20. She died with most of her streamlining features still intact, although by this time her beautiful two-tone blue paint job had become dirty and faded.

Pacific Electric 1616 was a Baldwin – Westinghouse product and came to the railroad as part of the last two locomotives ordered from them to be delivered to the PE in 1920. The 1616 has appeared in many photos over the years probably due to the fact most of her working life was spent in the Terminal District of downtown Los Angeles and in West Hollywood. As one would expect, the 1616 was ill-fated to a similar end that would take place in February of 1955 at Lipsett Steel Company of Huntington Park. The 1616 fared a bit better than the 3460 in terms of longevity, lasting a total of 35 years in service to the PE.

This wonderful photo came to us from the Craig Rasmussen Collection as part of his Joe Moir photo collection. Unfortunately the photographer’s name was never recorded, so it remains a mystery as to who the actual creator of this interesting photo was.

(6/15/2022)

Anatomy of an Excursion

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Steve Crise

A good portion of the images we see on the PERyHS website are the result of railfan excursions trips. These excursions were put on largely by groups like the Electric Railway Historical Association (ERHA), Railroad & Locomotive Historical Society (R&LHS), Pacific Railroad Society (PRS, formerly Railroad Boosters) and many other clubs and organizations. These excursions were once so numerous that on almost any given weekend there could be an excursion on a railroad or streetcar line somewhere in Southern California.

Excursions were unique events because they gave the participants the opportunity to stop and pose the car or train at various locations along a prescribed route. Railfans would disembark from the train and line up shoulder to shoulder and make photographs of the equipment stopped at key locations along the route. However not all of the excursion riders were interested in taking photos of the cars, some just liked to go along for the ride because it was becoming obvious to them that sooner or later all of the streetcars and interurbans of Los Angeles were going to disappear forever.

As the routes of the Pacific Electric, Metropolitan Coach Lines and the Los Angeles Transit Lines became fewer and fewer, excursions became more frequent. But these excursions didn’t happen spontaneously; it took a lot of planning on the part of both railfan clubs and the hosting railroad. These excursions had to be planned so as not to interfere in any way with regular operations. Precise planning was important in making everything run as smoothly as possible. Schedules were created for each excursion that listed the beginning point, end point and all the stops in between and the length of time allowed for each stop.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/picture1.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1651675322526{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]One particular excursion we will examine is from a railfan group that I have very little information on that called themselves “The Friends of the Big Red Cars.” The Friends of the Big Red Cars organized an excursion with the Metropolitan Coach Lines that was to take place on September 7, 1957. Above is the original charter order typed up on Metropolitan Coach Lines stationery that describes the times and locations on which the excursion train would travel on the day of the excursion. As indicated on the charter order, the Friends of the Big Red Cars even had the opportunity to choose which two cars they wanted to use for the excursion. For this particular excursion they chose MCL 498, a longtime favorite car of railfans for excursions because of its large baggage doors, and MCL 316, both former Pacific Electric cars. It is interesting to note the bold capitalized letters in red ink reading on the charter order that read “OPERATION OF THIS TRIP IS IN NO WAY TO INTERFERE WITH REGULAR PASSENGER SRVICE.” One has to wonder with all of the stops along the way, how this event didn’t somehow run afoul of normal passenger operations or cause some inconvenience to a freight train movement. Interestingly, there is no mention of any kind of a penalty for disruption of regular service that the excursion may cause.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/picture2.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1651675371968{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

Above is a scan of one of the original flyers announcing the September 7, 1957 excursion sponsored by The Friends of the Big Red Cars. For the princely sum of $6.75 one could travel by rail from Watts to San Pedro, the Catalina Docks, Bellflower, Morgan Yard, Fairbanks Yard, and the 6^th & Main Street Station The excursion also made allowances in the schedule to make many photo stops between destinations. And if that wasn’t enough, lunch and refreshments were also part of the fare. As a point of interest, $6.75 in 1957 dollars would be about $70.00 in 2022.

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Pacific Electric combination car 498 had a long and illustrious existence. It was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1913 for use on Southern Pacific’s Interurban Electric Railway that ran in the east bay area of San Francisco. When operations ceased on the IER in July of 1941, their cars came to Los Angeles and operated on the Pacific Electric for the United States Maritime Commission (USMC). Their first duty was to transport wartime workers to and from the shipyards in San Pedro mostly on the Long Beach and San Pedro Line. USMC 4702 was to be renumbered to PE 498 during an upgrading campaign in 1947. She joined the ranks of the average workaday fleet of PE cars mostly operating on the Long Beach Line. She lived out her days until being retired from service from the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority in April of 1961. But during PE 498’s long service record she became a favorite of excursion planners since it was only one of four cars to have the two large sliding doors where railfans jostled each other for the prestigious spots at the doors. In regular service these doors were very useful for crews to make quick work out of loading and unloading LCL freight or baggage at stations and stops along the route.

Above we see PE 498 in her daily work routine heading north on San Pedro Street about to cross 8^th Street. In two blocks, the train will turn left onto the ramp that leads up to the 6^th and Main Street Station. Judging by the dash sign, this train is returning from a trip from Bellflower, California sometime around 1947.

[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/picture4.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1651675604535{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Ten years later and just a few short blocks north of where the photo of PE 498 was made is this shot from Ernest Hasse, one of the excursion participants. It shows the now re-lettered Metropolitan Coach Lines car 498 on the same day of the September 7, 1957 excursion. By this time most remaining cars of the former Pacific Electric are now working for the Metropolitan Coach Lines Company. MCL was a rail / bus operation with the intention of abandoning all rail lines within two years from its purchasing of the remaining passenger operations from the Southern Pacific. So you can understand why trips like these were so popular amongst railfans both young and old. They clearly understood that time was running out for this mode of transportation in Los Angeles. Incidentally, located just behind sister car MCL 316 is the ramp leading up to the 6^th and Main Street station. This scene shows the train making its first photo stops on San Pedro Street before embarking on its appointed rounds. If the train is running according to schedule, this photo would have been taken at about 12:15 pm on the day of the excursion.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/picture5.jpg” image_size=”full”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1651675646878{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

By 4:00 pm the excursion train has made its way to the end of the line at Bellflower. Now MCL 316 will be on the point of the two car train for the trip inbound and be back at the Watts Car House to be put back in the barn by 5:00pm. Another regular service car is seen in the background on a storage track. By this late date, cars no longer ran all the way to Santa Ana making Bellflower the end of the line for passengers.

In this photo we can clearly see these 1913-built vehicles are really showing their age. The deterioration is really obvious on the weather worn face of MCL 316. Visible are many areas of rust, different colors of paint and a twisted wooden ladder on the roof. These are only a few indicators that these cars are operating on borrowed time. But today fans are only thinking about getting their final photos of the Big Red Cars in action. This is another great Kodachrome shot by Ernest Hasse that has been preserved in the PERyHS Archives along with many other of Ernest’s wonderful shots from this era.

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As these cars began to slip into oblivion a few farsighted individuals took on the responsibility of purchasing their favorite cars from the railroads as they became available. Trolley fans ended up preserving a very respectable number of Pacific Electric, Los Angeles Railway and Los Angeles Transit Lines cars for future generations to enjoy. This fledging group of railfans was once known as the Orange Empire Trolley Museum, and eventually made their home in the town of Perris, California. Today they are known as the Southern California Railway Museum. PE 498 was chosen for being saved from the scrap heap because of her unique baggage doors that made her an unusual item in the PE fleet. As this photo illustrates, Pacific Electric 498 has been returned to her former glory by the museum staff. She is one of those lucky survivors that have managed to live on into the 21 century. As of this writing, PE 498 is well past the century mark at 109 years old.

On this beautiful March day in 2018, I made my contribution to the legacy of PE 498 and made this portrait with motorman Harvey Laner at the controls. Harvey is member number 007, one of the original founding members of the museum. Both Harvey and the 498 are in excellent running condition and make frequent excursion trips around the expansive museums trackage during the museums weekend operations.

I think it would have been difficult for anyone at the St. Louis Car Company to believe this car would have lasted over 100 years, would have been employed by five different transit agencies, and then enjoy a leisurely retirement basking in the warm sun of Southern California.

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Video: 1930s – Views of Los Angeles in color [60fps, Remastered] w/added sound

Colorized film of 1932 downtown Los Angeles screen grab

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]From Ralph Cantos:

This video is making the rounds today on the internet, its FANTASTIC!. I put the year as 1932. Notice the “new LARY H-3s” working the 5 line. The LARY scenes are on Broadway at 7th and the PE scenes are on Hill St. at 6th. Craig Rasmussen found it today. I am sure all the railfan world is waiting to see it. Best Wishes.. Ralph

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All that remains of the Santa Monica Air Line, 2011

Abandoned Pacific Electric Air Line trackage near Amoco Tower

By Steve Crise

This abandoned Pacific Electric Railway right of way was once part of the route that was affectionately known as the “Santa Monica Air Line”. In this 2011 view we are looking east from Nevin Avenue toward the former location of the Amoco Tower at Amoco Junction. Amoco Junction was located on the Four Track mainline of Pacific Electric Railway’s Long Beach Line.

This was all that remained of the once vital freight and passenger route when I made this shot for our “Pacific Electric Railway Then & Now” book. Presently the right of way seems to be occupied by a police impound yard, how ironic.

Originally surveyed and built by the Los Angeles & Independence Railroad which opened the line for business in 1875. The line was then sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad on July 4^th, 1877. The Southern Pacific leased a portion of line to the Los Angeles Pacific on July 1^st, 1908. This lease only included trackage that ran from the Port of Los Angeles (in Santa Monica) to Sentous, a point just west of present day La Cienega Blvd. where the La Cienega / Jefferson Metro station is now located. Los Angeles Pacific eventually fell under the control Pacific Electric Railway in the Great Merger of 1911 and the line was henceforth operated by the PE.

The Pacific Electric effectively ended passenger service on the Santa Monica Air Line in 1953 and removed the overhead wire in that same year. From this point forward, diesel locomotives assumed the responsibility handling all of the freight traffic on the line.

The majority of the western section of Santa Monica Air Line, which was officially known as the Santa Monica Branch on the SP, was abandoned in 1988 with only a short segment of the line just west of Amoco Junction retained for service to a customer that was located near the Nevin Avenue crossing. With the SP’s abandonment of the Santa Monica Branch it brought to a close of over 100 years of passenger and freight traffic service to West Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

Presently the remaining section of the Santa Monica Air Line west of the 110 Harbor Freeway is utilized by its modern day counterpart the Expo Line, E Line or Line 806 as it is now officially named by the LACMTA.

In this now dated 2011 view we can see a LACMTA Blue Line train racing past the old location of Amoco Junction on its northward journey to downtown Los Angeles. Now in 2021, even the Blue Line car in this photo has become part history.