804 for San Pedro via Wilmington
Charles D. Savage Photo, Donald Duke Collection
Pacific Electric interurban no. 804 rolls down Ocean Avenue in Long Beach on its way to San Pedro via Wilmington.
Charles D. Savage Photo
Donald Duke Collection
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I could be wrong, but I think the 800-series wood interurban cars were, a direct descendant of the Pacific Electric’s first true interurban, PERy Co. #257 – an open-ended railcar.
In a few days, a Suydam HO scale PE wood interurban coach #801 will become a part of my growing brass model train collection. Collecting scale model brass trains representing the Pacific Electric’s traction equipment from a bygone era is one good way for us railfans to keep the big Red Cars from ever becoming forgotten icons of the past.
I think the 800s were the next step up from the 500s. The 200s (in the new PE numbering scheme) were a standard gauge Huntington standard with open sections on both ends. A mumber of 500s are preserved at Orange Empire, and replica cars 500 and 501 run on the San Pedro Red Car Line in the LA Harbor area. None of the PE 200s survived, although several were sold off to movie studios. The only surviving 800 was destroyed in a disastrous fire on the “back lot” at Orange Empire about 25 years ago; the body of an 800 does survive (greatly altered) as part of a restaurant in Hollywood.
There is one remaining 800 class car, the 1498 is preserved at Travel Town. The 1498 was modified into a box motor from an 800 by cutting a middle door into the body. If you ignore the door, it is easy to imagine you are looking at an 800.
Based upon what I have read, the 800’s were about the fastest of the PE cars.
1498 left Travel Town many years ago. It was deteriorating badly and was moved to Orange Empire in the 1980s. Unfortunately, it was stored in the back area and was destroyed by a brush fire in 1992.