View source for Pacific Electric

{{Short description|Transit company in Southern California}}
{{Redirect|Red Car|the taxis of Hong Kong|Taxicabs of Hong Kong|the British town|Redcar|the content production company|Pacific Electric Picture Company}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox rail
|railroad_name     = Pacific Electric
|logo_filename     = PELogo.svg
|logo_size         = 150px
|system_map        =
|map_caption       =
|map_size          =
|marks             = PE
|image             = File:Pacific Electric Building and Main Street Los Angeles.jpg
|image_size        =
|image_caption     = Pacific Electric Building and Main Street
|locale            = [[Greater Los Angeles Area]]
|start_year        = {{Start date and age|1901}}
|end_year          = &nbsp;{{End date and age|1961}} (passenger)<br/>– {{End date and age|1965}}<br/>(freight)
|predecessor_line  =
|successor_line    = [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] (freight)<br />[[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority]], [[Los Angeles Metro Rail]] (passenger)
|gauge             = {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}}
|old_gauge         =
|electrification   = {{600 V DC|conductor=overhead}}, {{1200 V DC}} (San Bernardino Line only)
|length            =
|hq_city           = Los Angeles, California
|website           =
}}
The '''Pacific Electric Railway Company''', nicknamed the '''Red Cars''', was a privately owned [[Public transport|mass transit]] system in [[Southern California]] consisting of electrically powered [[streetcar]]s, [[interurban]] cars, and [[bus]]es and was the largest electric railway system in the world in the 1920s. Organized around the city centers of [[Los Angeles]] and [[San Bernardino]], it connected cities in [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]], [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], [[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino County]] and [[Riverside County, California|Riverside County]].

The system shared [[dual gauge]] track with the {{RailGauge|3ft6in|lk=on}} [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow-gauge]] [[Los Angeles Railway]], "Yellow Car," or "LARy" system on [[Main Street (Los Angeles)|Main Street]] in downtown Los Angeles (directly in front of the 6th and Main terminal), on 4th Street, and along [[Hawthorne Boulevard (Los Angeles County)|Hawthorne Boulevard]] south of downtown Los Angeles toward the cities of Hawthorne, Gardena, and Torrance.

== Districts ==
[[File:Los Angeles Pacific Electric Railways (Red Cars).svg|thumb|upright=1.25|Los Angeles Pacific Electric (Red Cars) network]]
The system had four districts:
* Northern District: [[San Gabriel Valley]], including [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]], [[Mount Lowe Railway|Mount Lowe]], [[South Pasadena, California|South Pasadena]], [[Alhambra, California|Alhambra]], [[El Monte, California|El Monte]], [[Covina, California|Covina]], [[Duarte, California|Duarte]], [[Glendora, California|Glendora]], [[Azusa, California|Azusa]], [[Sierra Madre, California|Sierra Madre]], and [[Monrovia, California|Monrovia]].
* Eastern District: [[Pomona, California|Pomona]], [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]], [[Arrowhead Springs, San Bernardino, California|Arrowhead Springs]], [[Riverside, California|Riverside]], [[Rialto, California|Rialto]] and [[Redlands, California|Redlands]] in the [[Inland Empire]].{{efn|Usually included in the Northern District{{sfn|Karr|1973|p=4}} }}
* Southern District: [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], [[Newport Beach, California|Newport Beach]], [[Huntington Beach]], [[San Pedro, California|San Pedro]] via [[Dominguez Rancho Adobe|Dominguez]], [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]], [[El Segundo, California|El Segundo]], [[Redondo Beach, California|Redondo Beach]] via [[Gardena, California|Gardena]], and [[San Pedro, California|San Pedro]] Via [[Torrance, California|Torrance]].
* Western District: [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], [[Glendale, California|Glendale]]/[[Burbank, Los Angeles County, California|Burbank]], [[San Fernando Valley]], [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]], [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]], [[Manhattan Beach, California|Manhattan]]/[[Redondo Beach, California|Redondo]]/[[Hermosa Beach, California|Hermosa Beaches]], [[Venice, California|Venice]], [[Playa Del Rey, Los Angeles, California|Playa Del Rey]].

== History ==

=== Origins ===
Electric trolleys first appeared in Los Angeles in 1887.<ref>{{harvnb|Kuntsler|1993|p=208}}</ref> In 1895 the Pasadena & Pacific Railway was created from a merger of the Pasadena and Los Angeles Railway and the Los Angeles Pacific Railway (to Santa Monica). The Pasadena & Pacific Railway boosted Southern California tourism, living up to its motto "from the mountains to the sea."

[[File:Old PE car at San Gabriel Mission circa 1905.jpg|thumb|[[Los Angeles Pacific Railroad#Old Mission Trolley|Old Mission Trolley]] [[streetcar]] of the Pacific Electric makes a stop at [[Mission San Gabriel Arcángel]], 1905.]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Pioneer And South Street Historical Photo.jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric railway car approaching intersection of Pioneer Boulevard and South Street in [[Artesia, California]] 1915.]] -->
[[File:Three Pacific Electric tickets.jpg|thumb|Three PE tickets. The top two (front and back views) between downtown LA and Santa Monica, the bottom for a transfer from Hollywood to the San Fernando Valley.]]
The Pacific Electric Railway was created in 1901 by railroad executive [[Henry E. Huntington]] and banker [[Isaias W. Hellman]].<ref name=lah-1901nov13>{{Cite news |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=November 13, 1901 |title=Ten Million Dollars Is The Capital Stock; Huntington Lines Organize; Articles of Incorporation Filed Giving the Company the Right to Build a Network of Interurban Electric Roads |volume=29 |page=1 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Herald]] |issue=43 |url=http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19011113.2.2 |via=[[California Digital Newspaper Collection]]}}</ref>  As a Vice President of the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] (SP), operated by his uncle, [[Collis P. Huntington]], Huntington had a background in electric trolley lines in San Francisco where he oversaw SP's effort to consolidate many smaller street railroads into one organized network.<ref>{{harvnb|Walker|2006|p=7}}</ref> Hellman, the President of the Nevada Bank, San Francisco's largest, became one of the largest bond holders for these lines and he and the younger Huntington developed a close business relationship. The success of their San Francisco trolley adventure and Hellman's experience in financing some early Los Angeles trolley lines led them to invest in the purchase of some existing downtown Los Angeles lines which they began to standardize and organize into one network called the [[Los Angeles Railway]]. When his uncle Collis died, Henry lost a boardroom battle for control of the Southern Pacific to Union Pacific President [[E. H. Harriman]].  Huntington then decided to focus his energies on Southern California.

In May 1901, Hellman, who had been Southern California's leading banker for almost three decades (and owned much property down there), wrote Huntington that "the time is at hand when we should commence building suburban railroads out of the city."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=May 21, 1901 |title=Letter: IW Hellman to Henry Huntington |series=Hellman Collection |publisher=California Historical Society |volume=27 |pages=270–71}}</ref> Hellman added that he had already tasked engineer [[Epes Randolph]] to survey and lay out the company's first line which would be to Long Beach. In that same year, Huntington and Hellman incorporated a new entity, the Pacific Electric Railway of California, formed to construct new electric rail lines to connect Los Angeles with surrounding cities. Hellman and his group of investors owned the controlling majority of stock (double that of Huntington's) and the newspapers of the time referred to it as the Huntington-Hellman syndicate. Using surrogates, the syndicate began purchasing property and rights-of-way. The company's first main project, the [[Long Beach Line|line to Long Beach]], opened July&nbsp;4, 1902.

Huntington experienced periods of opposition from organized labor with the construction of the new railways. Tensions between union leaders and like-minded Los Angeles businessmen were high from the early 1900s up through the 1920s. Strikes and boycotts troubled the Pacific Electric throughout those years until they reached the height of violence in the [[1919 Streetcar Strike of Los Angeles]]. The efforts of organized labor simmered with the onset of [[World War I]].

Railroads were one part of the enterprise. Revenue from passenger traffic rarely generated a profit, unlike freight. The real money for the investors was in supplying electric power to new communities and in developing and selling real estate. To get the railways and electricity to their towns, local groups offered the Huntington interest opportunities in local land. Soon Huntington and his partners had significant holdings in the land companies developing [[Naples, Long Beach|Naples]], [[Seal Beach, California|Bay City (Seal Beach)]], Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Redondo Beach.
[[File:Pacific Electric 1001.jpg|thumb|left|Pacific Electric #1001 at the [[Southern California Railway Museum]] in Perris, California.  The museum has a very large collection of streetcars - over 200 streetcars, locomotives and other rolling stock.]]

Harriman, who controlled the powerful [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific Railroad]], was concerned with the competition that these new electric lines gave his steam railroad traffic, and had been prodding Huntington for joint ownership of the lines but Huntington refused to negotiate. In early 1903, Harriman proposed a franchise plan with three-cent fare plan to the Los Angeles City Council, a plan which, if accepted, would have handicapped the other railways severely. Huntington countered with a ticket book which gave the rider {{convert|500|mi}} of travel for $6.25{{efn|{{Inflation|US|6.25|1903|fmt=eq}} }}, which undercut the Harriman strategy. The Council vetoed the franchise idea, unable to believe adequate service could be provided for such a low fare.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=74}} Then, on April 14, 1903, Harriman bought Hook's Los Angeles Traction Company, which ran lines within the downtown area and, through its California Pacific subsidiary, was constructing a line from [[Los Angeles]] to [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]].{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=75}}

The final confrontation came over a bidding war for the 6th Street franchise, in which the franchise (thought to be worth maybe $10,000), finally went to the top bidder for $110,000,{{efn|equivalent to ${{format price|{{Inflation|US|110000|1903}} }} in {{inflation year|US}}}} with Harriman the secret winner.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=75}} In May 1903, Huntington made an overnight trip to [[San Francisco]] and worked out an arrangement with Harriman. The Pacific Electric would get the Los Angeles Traction Lines, SP's San Gabriel Valley Rapid Transit Railway line, the 6th Street franchise, and some downtown trackage. In return, Harriman got 40.3% of PE stock, an amount equal to Huntington's, with Hellman, Borel and De Guigne owning the remaining 20%. Huntington could expand the PE as he saw fit, but he was not to compete with existing SP lines.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=75–76}} A byproduct of this sale was that Harriman sold the banking unit of his [[Wells Fargo]] Company to Hellman who merged it with his Nevada Bank operations and established the Pacific Coast's largest, most powerful bank.

=== Construction ===
[[File:Pacific Electric and Salt Lake Railroad station in Long Beach, 1905 (CHS-2468).jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric & Salt Lake Railroad station in Long Beach, 1905]]
[[File:Pacific Electric Building and station.jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric Building, Located at Sixth and Main Streets was the Pacific Electric's principal station. The view shows platforms and umbrella sheds east of Los Angeles Street, the tracks at this point being elevated some {{convert|16|feet}} above the level of the street. This improvement was made in 1916.]]
On June&nbsp;6, 1903, Huntington created the Los Angeles Inter-Urban Railway, capitalized at $10&nbsp;million,{{efn|equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|10000000|1903}} }} in {{inflation year|US}} }} with plans to extend lines to [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]], [[Newport Beach, California|Newport Beach]], the [[San Fernando Valley]], [[La Habra, California|La Habra]], [[Redlands, California|Redlands]] and [[Riverside, California|Riverside]], with branches to [[Colton, California|Colton]] and [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]]. He simultaneously created the Los Angeles Land Company.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=76}} Huntington owned almost all the stock in the companies, with token amounts allotted to company directors. Although the company allowed Huntington to proceed with construction plans unencumbered by outside interference, the poor state of the bond market meant that he had to turn to stockholders to finance expansion.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=76}} In 1904 he acquired and finished the Los Angeles and Glendale Railway.  In June, LAIU assumed control of the Riverside and Arlington Railway and the Santa Ana and Orange Motor Railway, and soon after, PE and LAIU finished their extension to [[Huntington Beach, California|Huntington Beach]] and began building a line to [[Covina, California|Covina]].{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=77}}

Huntington continued to expand and not declare profits. On December 7, 1904, the Hellman group sold the rest of their shares and bonds in PE and LAIU to Huntington and Harriman for $1.2&nbsp;million.{{efn|equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|1200000|1904}} }} in {{inflation year|US}} }} Huntington and Harriman were now equal partners in ownership of the Pacific Electric. The Hellman syndicate retained their 45% interest in the [[Los Angeles Railway]], which they thought would eventually declare dividends.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=78}}

By 1905, the Newport and Santa Ana lines were completed. In 1906, the Newport line was extended to Balboa, and in late 1906, lines to Sierra Madre and Oak Knoll in Pasadena were finished. The two firms controlled {{convert|449|mi}} of track, with the Pacific Electric at {{convert|197|mi}} and the LAIU, {{convert|252|miles}}.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=78–79}} Huntington purchased the Los Angeles and Redondo Railway in July 1905, along with the Redondo Land Company, which owned 90% of the land in the beach community. This announcement precipitated a land boom in the area which resulted in a quick return of Huntington's entire investment in the area and in the railway.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=90}}

On March&nbsp;19, 1906, an agreement was reached to sell control of the [[Los Angeles Pacific Railroad]] lines, owned by [[Moses Sherman]] and [[Eli P. Clark]], for a reported $6&nbsp;million{{efn|equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|6000000|1906}} }} in {{inflation year|US}} }} to Harriman; this turned over all the lines in downtown [[Los Angeles]] to [[Santa Monica]] and down the coast to [[Redondo Beach, California|Redondo Beach]] to the Southern Pacific.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=87}} In January 1907, the [[Isaias W. Hellman|Hellman]] syndicate, after seeing that Huntington ran the [[Los Angeles Railway]] similarly to PE, continually expanding and not declaring dividends, sold their 45% stake in the [[Los Angeles Railway]] to Harriman and the Southern Pacific.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=85}}

The [[Covina, California|Covina]] line was completed in 1907, as well as a line from [[Monrovia, California|Monrovia]] to [[Glendora, California|Glendora]]. The system reached [[La Habra, California|La Habra]] in 1908. By 1910 PE operated nearly {{convert|900|mi}} of track.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=101}} Routes had been built into or passed through areas just beginning to grow.

1905 was the Pacific Electric's most profitable year, when the road made $90,711.{{efn|equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|90711|1905}} }} in {{inflation year|US}} }} Profits from the Huntington Land and Improvement Company made up for the poor earnings of the interurban system, with profits of $151,000 in 1905 rising to $402,000 in 1907.{{efn|equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|151000|1905}} }} and ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|402000|1907}} }} in {{inflation year|US}} }}{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=83}} However, in 1909, earnings were only $75,000.{{efn|equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|75000|1909}} }} in {{inflation year|US}} }}{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=101}}

Huntington had begun long negotiations with Harriman about consolidating the [[Los Angeles]] electric railways beginning in 1907. There had always been a difference between the two men as to the purpose of the railway, with Huntington seeing the PE as a means to facilitate his real estate efforts, and Harriman seeing it as part of the Southern Pacific's overall transportation system in [[Southern California]].{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=100}} Harriman left Huntington alone until 1910, when the former refused to allow the latter to run a line to [[San Diego]] that would have interfered with a competitive arrangement Harriman had worked out with the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe Railway]].{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=81}}

In July 1908, Huntington leased all the lines of the Los Angeles Inter-Urban Railway to Harriman.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pacific Electric takes interurban car lines |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114428065/ |access-date=11 December 2022 |newspaper=Los Angeles Herald |via=Newspapers.com |date=July 22, 1908 |page=12}} {{free access}}</ref> In 1909 he sold the systems in [[Fresno, California|Fresno]] and [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara County]] to the Southern Pacific.  Talks paused after the death of Harriman on September 9, 1909, but resumed in early 1910.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=101–102}} On September&nbsp;27, 1910, Huntington and Southern Pacific management came to a final agreement. In a complicated stock and bond transaction, Huntington conveyed his 50% of Pacific Electric to the Southern Pacific, while he acquired SP's 45% interest in the Los Angeles Railway. In addition, Huntington conveyed the Los Angeles and Redondo Railway to the Southern Pacific.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=102–103}} Huntington retained control of the [[Los Angeles Railway]], the narrow-gauge street car system known locally as "Yellow Cars," until a controlling interest in this company was sold off by Huntington's estate in 1944.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |date=October 1951 |title=Los Angeles Railway History |journal=Interurbans: The National Electric Railway News Digest |volume=Interurbans Special |issue=11}}</ref>

=== The Great Merger and the "New" Pacific Electric ===

[[File:Pacific Electric Railway substations Lankershim and Olive.jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric Railway substations [[Lankershim, Los Angeles County, California|Lankershim]] and Olive (1912)]]

In what was called the "Great Merger" of September&nbsp;1, 1911, the [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] created a new Pacific Electric Railway Company, with all electrical operations now under the Pacific Electric name. The constituent railroads were:{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=103}}

* Original "old" PE owned by [[Henry E. Huntington|Huntington]]
* [[Los Angeles Inter-Urban Railway]]
* [[Los Angeles Pacific Railroad|Los Angeles Pacific Railway]]
* [[Los Angeles and Redondo Railway]]
* [[San Bernardino Valley Traction Company]]
* [[San Bernardino Interurban Railway]]
* [[Redlands Central Railway Company]]
* [[Riverside and Arlington Railway Company]]

Following these acquisitions, PE was the largest operator of [[interurban]] electric railway passenger service in the world, with 2,160 daily trains over {{convert|1000|mi|km}} of track.{{sfn|Demoro|1986|p=12}} It operated to many destinations in Southern California, particularly to the south and east.

The [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] now began to emphasize freight operations. From 1911, when revenue from freight was $519,226,{{efn|${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|519226|1911}} }} adjusted for inflation}} freight revenue climbed to $1,203,956 in 1915,{{efn|equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|1203956|1915}} }} in {{inflation year|US}} }} 13% of total revenue.{{sfn|Friedricks|1992|p=103}}

During the 1920s profits were good and the lines were extended to the Pasadena area, to the beaches at Santa Monica, Del Rey, Manhattan/Redondo/Hermosa Beach and Long Beach in Los Angeles County, and to Newport Beach and Huntington Beach in Orange County. Extra service beyond the normal schedules was provided on weekends, particularly in the late afternoon when passengers wanted to return simultaneously. Comedian [[Harold Lloyd]] highlighted the popularity and utility of the system in an extended sequence in his 1924 film ''[[Girl Shy]]'', where, after finding one Red Car too crowded, he commandeered another and drove at high speed through the streets of Culver City and Los Angeles.

In response to a proposal to establish the first [[Peoples' Motor Bus Company|bus company]] in Los Angeles by [[William Gibbs McAdoo]], Pacific Electric and the [[Los Angeles Railway]] proposed their own system, the [[Los Angeles Motor Bus Company]]. A public referendum chose the latter in May 1923. The first service began in August 1923, and by 1925 had 53 miles of bus routes, the second-most in the nation after [[Chicago]].<ref name=":02"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mandelkern |first=India |date=2023-08-18 |title=LA's first bus line got rolling 100 years ago today: here's to a century of innovation and grit |url=https://thesource.metro.net/2023/08/18/las-first-bus-line-got-rolling-100-years-ago-today-heres-to-a-century-of-innovation-and-grit/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=The Source |language=en-US}}</ref>

PE operated frequent freight trains under electric power throughout its service area (as far as {{convert|65|mi|disp=sqbr}}) to [[Redlands, California|Redlands]], including operating electrically powered [[Railway Post Office]] routes, one of the few U.S. interurbans to do so. This provided important revenue. The PE was responsible for an innovation in grade crossing safety: the automatic electromechanical grade crossing signal, nicknamed the [[wigwag (railroad)|wigwag]].{{Sfn|Van Norden|1911}} This device was quickly adopted by other railroads. A few wigwags continue in operation {{as of| 2006|lc=y}}.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
[[File:Southern California Railway Museum 05.jpg|thumb|left|Pacific Electric #418 at the [[Southern California Railway Museum]].  Many of the museum's streetcars are serviceable and operated for the public.]]

During this period, the Los Angeles Railway provided local streetcar service in central Los Angeles and to nearby communities. These trolleys were known as the "Yellow Cars" and carried more passengers than the PE's "Red Cars" since they ran in the most densely populated portions of Los Angeles, including south to Hawthorne and along Pico Boulevard to near West Los Angeles to terminate at the huge Sears Roebuck store and distribution center (the L.A. Railway's most popular line, the "[[P (Los Angeles Railway)|P]]" line). The Yellow Cars' unusual narrow-gauge [[PCC streetcar]]s, by now painted MTA two-tone green, continued to operate until the end of rail service in 1963.

Large profits from land development were generated along the routes of the new lines. [[Huntington Beach, California|Huntington Beach]] was incorporated in 1909 and developed by the Huntington Beach Company, a real-estate development firm owned by Henry Huntington, which still owns both land in the city and most of the mineral rights.

There are other local [[streetcar suburb]]s. [[Angelino Heights, Los Angeles|Angelino Heights]] was built around the Temple Street horsecar, which was later upgraded to electric streetcar as part of the Yellow Car system. [[Highland Park, Los Angeles|Highland Park]] was developed along the Figueroa Street trolley lines and railroads linking downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena. Huntington owned nearly all the stock in the Pacific Electric Land Company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Britt |first=Rex L. |date=<!--undated--> |title=Ride The Big Red Cars to Redlands |url=http://www.redlandsfortnightly.org/papers/Britt03.htm |website=The Fortnightly Club of Redlands, California}}</ref> [[West Hollywood, California|West Hollywood]] was established by [[Moses Sherman]] and his partners of the Los Angeles and Pacific Railway. Moses Sherman, [[Harry Chandler]], [[Hobart Johnstone Whitley]], and others bought the entire southern San Fernando Valley in 1910. The electric railway and a $500,000 boulevard called Sherman Way connected the three townsites they were selling. These included [[Van Nuys]], Marion (now [[Reseda, Los Angeles|Reseda]]), and Owensmouth (now [[Canoga Park]]). Parts of Sherman Way are now called Chandler Boulevard and [[Van Nuys Boulevard]].

The railway company "connected all the dots on the map and was a leading player itself in developing all the real estate that lay in between the dots".<ref>{{harvnb|Kuntsler|1993|pp=208, 211}}</ref>

=== Decline ===
[[File:Relief map Pacific Electric Railway.jpg|thumb|400px|Map of Pacific Electric rail routes, 1920.]]
Huntington's involvement with urban rail was intimately tied to his real estate development operations. Real estate development was so lucrative for Huntington and SP that they could use the Red Car as a [[loss leader]]. However, by 1920, when most of the company's holdings had been developed, their major income source began to deplete. Many rural passenger lines were unprofitable, with losses offset by revenue generated from passenger lines in populated corridors and from freight operations.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} The least-used Red Car lines were converted to cheaper bus routes as early as 1925.<ref name="Curb 2017/9/20">{{Cite news |last=Chiland |first=Elijah |date=September 20, 2017 |title=Who's really to blame for the death of LA's streetcars? |language=en |work=Curbed LA |url=https://la.curbed.com/2017/9/20/16340038/los-angeles-streetcar-conspiracy-theory-general-motors |access-date=December 18, 2019}}</ref> In 1936, Pacific Electric acquired the Motor Transit Company, which operated intercity bus service within Southern California.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 1945 |title=25,000,000 Passengers |pages=5–13 |work=Pacific Electric Magazine |url=http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/employeenews/PE_Mag_1945_Sep.pdf}}</ref>

In the pre-automobile era, electric [[interurban]] rail was the most economical way to connect outlying suburban and [[Commuter town|exurban]] parcels to central cities.

Although the railway owned extensive private roadbeds, usually between urban areas, much PE trackage in urban areas such as downtown Los Angeles west of the Los Angeles River was in streets shared with automobiles and trucks. Virtually all street crossings were at-grade, and increasing automobile traffic led to decreasing Red Car speeds on much of its trackage.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2000 |title=Pacific Electric Subway |url=http://www.westworld.com/~elson/larail/PE/tunnel.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030621112515/http://www.westworld.com/~elson/larail/PE/tunnel.html |archive-date=June 21, 2003 |website=Westworld}}</ref>  At its nadir, the busy Santa Monica Boulevard line, which connected Los Angeles to Hollywood and on to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, had an average speed of {{convert|13|mph|km/h|0}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Cecil |date=January 10, 1986 |title=Did General Motors destroy the LA mass transit system? |url=http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_335.html}}</ref>

Traffic congestion was of such great concern by the late 1930s that the influential [[Automobile Club of Southern California]] engineered an elaborate plan to create an elevated freeway-type Motorway System, a key aspect of which was the dismantling of the streetcar lines, replacing them with buses that could run on both local streets and on the new express roads.<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=June 15, 1938 |title=Motorways Plan Revealed: System of Roads Designed to Cure Traffic Ills |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2008/06/june-15-1938.html |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

When the freeway system was planned in the 1930s the [[city planner]]s planned to include [[interurban]] tracks in the center margin of each freeway but the plan was never implemented.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hall |first=Peter |title=Cities in Civilization: Culture, Technology, and Urban Order |publisher=Pantheon |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-394-58732-5 |oclc=39045234 |author-link=Peter Hall (urbanist)}}</ref> There was one exception that was within the Hollywood Freeway through Cahuenga Pass. The San Fernando Valley line from Hollywood took to the center of the Freeway over the pass and exited at Lankershim Boulevard. When that service was terminated, the freeway was expanded onto the former PE roadbed.

The Whittier & Fullerton line was cut in 1938, Redondo Beach, Newport Beach, Sawtelle via San Vicente, and Riverside in 1940. When the San Bernardino Freeway opened in 1941 but was not yet connected to the Hollywood Freeway, while the "Four Way" overpass was being constructed, westbound car traffic from the SB freeway poured onto downtown streets near the present Union Station. PE's multiple car trains coming and going from Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Monrovia/Glendora used those same streets the final few miles from private right-of-way to reach the 6th and Main PE terminal and were bogged down within this jammed traffic. Schedules could not be met, plus former patrons were now driving. The San Bernardino line, Pomona branch, Temple City branch via Alhambra's Main Street, San Bernardino's Mountain View local to 34th Street, Santa Monica Boulevard via Beverly Hills, and all remaining Pasadena local services were all cut in 1941. Permission was received in September 1942 to abandon the shuttle line to General Hospital which company officials said had been operating at a loss for several months.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 24, 1942 |title=Pacific Electric to Drop Line in L. A. |volume=49 |page=5 |work=The San Bernardino Daily Sun |agency=United Press |location=San Bernardino, California}}</ref>

The Glendale line survived to the early 1950s due to the convenience of a subway into downtown Los Angeles and used the company's only modern equipment, a group of streamlined PCC cars. In 1940, Pacific Electric sold its [[Glendale, California|Glendale]], [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], and [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]] operations to [[Pacific City Lines]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 6, 1940 |title=PACIFIC ELECTRIC RY. SELLS LOCAL SERVICES; Bus and Rail Lines Conveyed by Southern Pacific Unit |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9907E0DE1E30E53ABC4E53DFB066838B659EDE&legacy=true |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 24, 2016 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]] operations were sold to San Bernardino Valley Transit.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Omnitrans Timeline |url=http://216.36.221.237/about/fleet_timeline_2.shtml |access-date=October 24, 2016 |archive-date=October 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024224607/http://216.36.221.237/about/fleet_timeline_2.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

PE carried increased passenger loads during World War II, when Los Angeles County's population nearly doubled as war industries concentrated in the region attracting millions of workers. There were several years when the company's income statement showed a profit when gasoline and rubber were rationed and much of the populace depended on mass transit. At peak operation toward the end of the war, the PE dispatched over 10,000 trains daily and was a major employer in Southern California. However, the equipment in use was old and suffered from deferred maintenance.

The nation's last interurban [[Railroad post office]] (RPO) service was operated by PE on its San Bernardino Line.{{sfn|Demoro|1986|p=19}} This was inaugurated comparatively late, on September 2, 1947. It left LA's new Union Station interurban yard on the west side of the terminal, turned north onto Alameda Street at 12:45 pm and reached San Bernardino at 4:40 pm, taking three hours for the trip while making postal stops en route as required. It did not operate on Sundays or holidays. This last RPO was pulled off May 6, 1950.

Aware that most new arrivals planned to stay in the region after the war, local municipal governments, Los Angeles County and the state agreed that a massive infrastructure improvement program was necessary. At that time politicians agreed to construct a web of freeways across the region. This was seen as a better solution than a new mass transit system or an upgrade of the PE.{{r|Curb 2017/9/20}}

=== Freeway construction ===
[[File:Pacific Electric Railway 1299.JPG|thumb|Pacific Electric #1299 Business Car.]]
Large-scale land acquisition for new freeway construction began in earnest in 1951.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} The original four freeways of the area, the [[Hollywood Freeway|Hollywood]], [[Arroyo Seco Parkway|Arroyo Seco (formerly Pasadena)]], [[Interstate 110 and State Route 110 (California)|Harbor]], and [[Interstate 10 in California|San Bernardino]], were in use or being completed. Partial completion of the San Bernardino Freeway to Aliso Street near downtown Los Angeles led to traffic chaos when inbound automobiles left the freeway and entered city streets.

The Southern District's passenger service to Santa Ana and Baldwin Park ended in 1950 as did the Northern District's Pasadena's Oak Knoll line, and the Sierra Madre line. The Western District's last line to Venice and Santa Monica also ended. The Pasadena and Monrovia/Glendora lines ended in 1951.

The various public agencies—city, county, and state—agreed with PE that further abandoning service was necessary and PE happily complied. PE management had earlier compared costs of refurbishing the Northern District interurban lines to Pasadena, Monrovia/Glendora, and Baldwin Park versus the alternative of converting to buses, and found in favor of the latter.
[[File:Pacific-Electric-Red-Cars-Awaiting-Destruction.jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric cars are piled up awaiting destruction at Terminal Island, 1956]]
Remaining PE passenger service was sold off in 1953 to Metropolitan Coach Lines, which was given two years of rent-free usage of rail facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=<!--undated--> |title=Metropolitan Coach Lines |url=http://www.erha.org/mcl.htm |website=Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California |quote=Metropolitan Coach Lines was incorporated in California on May 18, 1953; Haugh capitalized it at $8.5 million, $7.2 million of which was to cover the purchase price of the Pacific Electric assets and the remainder was for organizational expenses and working capital. The sale was completed on October 1, 1953, with PE’s entire passenger operating rights and all facilities and property related to the bus lines being turned over to Metro. These included the Pasadena, Ocean Park and West Hollywood garages, Macy Street shops, servicing and storage locations at Van Nuys, Sunland, Long Beach (Morgan Avenue) and Echo Park Avenue, stations at Pomona, Riverside and Whittier, and 695 buses.}}</ref><ref name=lat-1953jul08>{{Cite news |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=July 8, 1953 |title=PE Bus Franchise Transfer Gets OK |page=A1 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/166511184 |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 7, 2017 |archive-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630230559/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/166511184.html |url-status=live |id={{ProQuest|166511184}}}}</ref> Jesse Haugh, of Metropolitan Coach Lines, was a former executive of [[Pacific City Lines]] which together with [[National City Lines]] acquired local streetcar systems across the country with the intention of shutting them down and converting them to bus operation in what became known as the [[Great American Streetcar Scandal]].<ref name=gass>{{Cite web |last=Span |first=Guy |date=<!--undated--> |title=Paving the Way for Buses– The Great GM Streetcar Conspiracy – Part I – The Villains |url=http://www.baycrossings.com/Archives/2003/03_April/paving_the_way_for_buses_the_great_gm_streetcar_conspiracy.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030404184331/http://baycrossings.com/Archives/2003/03_April/paving_the_way_for_buses_the_great_gm_streetcar_conspiracy.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 4, 2003 |access-date=October 26, 2010 |website=San Francisco Bay Crossings}}</ref>

Several lines operating to the north and the west which used the [[Belmont Tunnel / Toluca Substation and Yard|Belmont Tunnel]] from the [[Subway Terminal Building]] downtown ceased operation – the Hollywood Boulevard and Beverly Hills lines were shut down in 1954 and service to the San Fernando Valley, Burbank and Glendale using newly acquired [[PCC streetcar]]s lasted only to 1955. The Bellflower line to the south closed in 1958 as the Golden State/Santa Ana (Interstate 5) neared completion.

=== Public ownership ===
The [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority]] was established in 1951 to study the possibility of establishing a publicly owned [[monorail]] line running north from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles and then west to Panorama City in the San Fernando Valley. In 1954, the agency's powers were expanded to allow it to propose a more extensive regional mass-transit system. In 1957, it was given the authority to operate transit lines.

In 1958, the California state government through its [[California Public Utilities Commission|Public Utility Commission]] took over the remaining and most popular lines from Metropolitan Coach Lines.<ref name=lat-1955may06>{{Cite news |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=May 6, 1955 |title=Plan for Public Purchase of Transit Lines Revealed: Legislature Will Get Bill to Legalize Agreements on Sale With Metro and LATL |page=1 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/166781491 |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 7, 2017 |archive-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701002049/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/166781491.html |url-status=live |id={{ProQuest|166781491}}}}</ref><ref name=lat-1961apr06>{{Cite news |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=March 4, 1958 |title=Transit Authority Begins Operating LATL and Metro: Public Now Owns Big Bus Lines |page=B1 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/167260104 |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 7, 2017 |archive-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630235113/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/167260104.html |url-status=live |id={{ProQuest|167260104}}}}</ref> The MTA also purchased the remaining streetcar "Yellow Car" lines of the successor of the [[Los Angeles Railway]], then called Los Angeles Transit Lines. LARy/LATL had been purchased from the Huntington estate by [[National City Lines]] in 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vondrak |first=Otto M. |date=December 13, 2007 |title=Book Review: Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars |url=http://www.railroad.net/articles/columns/reviews/larailway/index.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813232931/http://www.railroad.net/articles/columns/reviews/larailway/index.php |archive-date=August 13, 2013 |access-date=October 26, 2010 |website=The Railroad Network |quote=By the end of World War II, the Huntington estate had sold its majority interest to Chicago-based National City Lines. LARy became the Los Angeles Transit Lines, and bigger changes were in store. Many lines were converted to bus operation through the late forties and fifties. Never mind that NCL was partially owned by bus (GM), tire (Firestone), and gasoline (Standard Oil) suppliers. Though federal anti-trust action was taken against NCL, the damage was already done. Los Angeles was officially in love with the automobile.}}</ref>  The MTA started operating all lines as a single system on March 3, 1958.

The Los Angeles-to-Long Beach passenger rail line served the longest, from July 4, 1902, until April 9, 1961. It was both the first and last interurban passenger line of the former Pacific Electric system. It was replaced by the Motor Coach 36f ("F" representing Freeway Flyer) route. The line, which used long stretches of open country running on private right-of-way, was later utilized when the Southern California RTD was designing and building the [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro Blue Line]] light rail line. The Blue Line, the first modern mass transit line in Los Angeles since the discontinuation of the Red Car service, was first opened in 1990.

The few remaining trolley-coach routes and narrow-gauge streetcar routes of the former Los Angeles Railway "Yellow Cars" were removed in early 1963. The public transportation system continued to be operated by the Los Angeles MTA until the agency was reorganized and relaunched as the [[Southern California Rapid Transit District]] in September 1964.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=Matthew |title=New Mass Transit Plans: Los Angeles 1951-Present |url=http://www.mta.net/images/HuntingtonLibrary.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810081035/http://www.mta.net/images/HuntingtonLibrary.pdf |archive-date=August 10, 2007 |publisher=Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library}}</ref>

The [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] approved the merger of Pacific Electric into the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] on August 12, 1965.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lennon |first=J |title=Establishing Trails on Rights-of-Way |publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]] |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |page=51}}</ref>  Prior to the merger, PE's lucrative freight service had been by Southern Pacific diesel-electric locomotives on the heavy-duty PE rail-bed and rails and tripping the "[[Wigwag (railroad)|Wig-Wag]]" crossing signals.

A Christmas tree lot was operated in the small stub yard at the northwest corner of Willow Street and Long Beach Boulevard – the stock arrived in and was stored in a steel sided box car until the Christmas trees were prepared for sale – the busy intersection was where dual trackage departed Long Beach Boulevard and joined the private right-of-way from Huntington Beach and Seal Beach towards Los Angeles. The crossing signal there was the first installation of the final design of the Magnetic Watchman [[Wigwag (railroad)|wigwag]]  crossing signal and crossbucks.{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}} Oil tank cars were still shuttled to Signal Hill even as the surface street tracks were torn up from the center of Long Beach Boulevard long after the copper overhead catenary supply wires had been removed. Southern Pacific (now part of [[Union Pacific]]) continues to operate freight service utilizing former PE right-of-way.

== Post-closure ==
{{Main|Los Angeles Metro Rail}}

=== Successors ===
During the 1970s, there was serious discussion about the need for additional mass transit systems based on environmental concerns, increasing population and the [[1973 oil crisis]]. A 1974 inquiry in the Senate heard allegations about the role that [[General Motors]] and other companies, including Pacific City Lines, played in the dismantlement of streetcar systems across the United States and in particular in Los Angeles, in what became known as the [[Great American Streetcar Scandal]].<ref name=gass /> The plot of the 1988 movie ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' is loosely modeled on the alleged conspiracy to dismantle the streetcar lines in Los Angeles.

In 1976, the [[California State Legislature]] formed the [[Los Angeles County Transportation Commission]] to coordinate the [[Southern California Rapid Transit District]]'s (SCRTD, advertised and known locally by Angelenos as the RTD) efforts with those of various municipal transit systems in the area and to take over planning of countywide transportation systems. The SCRTD continued planning of the [[Los Angeles Metro Rail|Metro subway]] (the [[B Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Red Line]]), while the LACTC developed plans for the light rail system. [[Caltrans]] surveyed the condition of former Pacific Electric lines in 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 1982 |title=1981 Inventory of Pacific Electric Routes |url=http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/pacificelectric/1981-caltrans-inventory-of-routes.pdf |access-date=June 3, 2020 |publisher=Caltrans}}</ref> Construction began in 1985. In 1988, the two agencies formed a third entity under which all rail construction would be consolidated, and in 1993, the SCRTD and the LACTC were merged into the [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (LACMTA).

[[File:19951007 07 RTD LRT Compton, CA (5379432836).jpg|thumb|left|A Blue Line (now [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|A Line]]) train heads south out of [[Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station]] along former right of way of the [[Long Beach Line]], October 1995]]
When the [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro Blue Line]] commenced commuter service in 1990 from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach, electric rail passenger train service returned to Los Angeles, using much of the PE roadbed that ceased in 1965. Since then, the LACMTA has opened additional lines.

The [[B Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro Red Line]] subway opened next in three parts between 1993 and 2000, first from [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] in central Los Angeles connecting with short subway which forms the northern terminus of Metro Blue Line at 7th/Figueroa Metro Center station, and then west under Wilshire Boulevard onward to Western Avenue. Construction was halted in 1985 due to an unrelated explosion of methane fumes in an underground portion of a [[Ross Dress for Less]] store along the proposed route turning north at Fairfax Avenue to Hollywood, which was to service the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]], Museum Row and the [[La Brea Tar Pits]]. Afterwards, the [[United States Congress]] prohibited federal funding for subway construction underneath Wilshire Boulevard past Western Avenue at the request of then-Congressman [[Henry Waxman]], which resulted in the subway being re-routed. The second portion was the result of this: the subway now traveled north under Vermont Avenue to Hollywood Boulevard turning west to Highland Avenue. When the Hollywood Freeway was built, two PE tracks remained in the center, entering the canyon to [[Cahuenga Pass]] under the freeway at what is now the northbound Highland Avenue onramp. PE trackage continued to provide mass transit efficiently until the line was abandoned; the former roadbed was eventually converted for highway use. RTD bus service replaced rail service and remained the highest daily passenger volume corridor. When the third expansion of the Red Line subway opened, most long-distance commuter bus routes from Downtown Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley were trimmed to connect with the new subway stations, reducing diesel fumes and motor vehicle congestion. At the northernmost Metro Red Line terminus, [[North Hollywood (LACMTA Station)|North Hollywood]], connections can be made to several MTA bus routes of the San Fernando Valley, including several routes along the private right-of-way Metro Rapidway [[G Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro Orange Line (route 901)]] dedicated exclusively for MTA vehicles that replicates many PE thru lines by transferring buses.

The [[C Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro Green Line]] opened in 1995. Its right-of-way was planned from inception to be entirely isolated and protected, running in the median of [[Interstate 105 (California)|Interstate 105, the Century Freeway]] west from Norwalk, connecting at Rosa Parks Station with Metro Blue Line, then further west to Los Angeles International Airport, and then south on elevated tracks to Redondo Beach. The Century Freeway, named for Century Boulevard the equivalent of 100th Street, was the world's first freeway built to bypass and relieve traffic congestion from another freeway – the [[California State Route 91|91, Artesia Freeway]]. It reutilized a segment of the [[West Santa Ana Branch]] for its part of its route.

The [[L Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro Gold Line]] opened in 2003, connecting [[downtown Los Angeles]] to [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]]. Mostly at-grade, the line runs along the former [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad|Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad]] (AT&SF) historic ''[[Super Chief]]'' right-of-way, which was converted to dual track overhead electric light rail. California's oldest surviving [[Santa Fe Arroyo Seco Railroad Bridge|iron railroad bridge]], built across the [[Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County)|Arroyo Seco]] (1895), was also included in the conversion. The Gold Line Eastside Extension now connects Union Station, Downtown Los Angeles to [[East Los Angeles, California|East Los Angeles]]. A second extension extended east from Pasadena, again utilizing the former AT&SF right-of-way in the median of [[Interstate 210 (California)|Interstate 210]].

[[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]] provides weekday interurban commuters with high speed reversible trains – consisting of Diesel Locomotives hauling double-deck high capacity passenger cars servicing much of Los Angeles County and operating to connections in Ventura County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Orange County, and San Diego County as well.

[[File:Pacific Electric Replica 501 in San Pedro.jpg|thumb|right|[[Waterfront Red Car]] in San Pedro, California. No. #501 PE "Huntington" type wooden streetcar is a replica operated on heritage tracks]] [[Waterfront Red Car]] {{convert|1.5|mi|km|0|adj=on}} was a streetcar line connecting the [[Port of Los Angeles#World Cruise Center|World Cruise Center]] south to Ports O' Call and the 22nd Street terminal, where a shuttle bus connected other attractions along the [[San Pedro, Los Angeles, California|San Pedro]] waterfront. Two newly constructed Red Car replicas, #500 & #501, provided service along the line on cruise ship arrival/departure days as well as weekends – Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In addition, a restored 1907-vintage Pacific Electric car, No. #1508 originally rebuilt from two wrecks as a unique motor coach, was available for special rail excursions. It began operation as a tourist attraction on July 19, 2003. The last day of service was on September 27, 2015.  The [[Port of Los Angeles]] financed, constructed and operated the replica equipment on heritage PE track, one of many of its waterfront revival projects. A new pedestrian esplanade featuring public art and fountains, sculpture and fountains was built alongside the track from the [[Port of Los Angeles#World Cruise Center|World Cruise Center]] to the Maritime Museum and Fire Boat Station. It connected to the [[Cabrillo Marine Aquarium]] and other [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]] attractions when using the [[Waterfront Red Car]] trolley/shuttle. There were plans to extend the Waterfront Red Car line approximately two more miles south to the [[Cabrillo Marine Aquarium]] and the tidepools of [[Cabrillo Beach]], which never came to pass.  Plans for an extension of the line north into Wilmington to Avalon Boulevard along existing trackage were discussed as a part of the waterfront improvement plan. These same plans led to this line being discontinued in favor of redevelopment. Some transit advocates{{which|date=January 2021}} proposed linking this line to the [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro Blue Line]] [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]] terminus, a very intensive and expensive expansion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=<!--undated--> |title=Waterfront Red Car Line |url=http://www.portoflosangeles.org/recreation/waterfront_rcl.asp |publisher=The Port of Los Angeles}}</ref>

The '''E Line''' (formerly the '''Expo Line''' from 2012–2019) is a 22-mile (35&nbsp;km) [[light rail]] line in [[Los Angeles County, California]], running between [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]] to [[East Los Angeles, California|East Los Angeles]]. It is one of the six lines in the [[Los Angeles Metro Rail]] system and is operated by the [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (Metro).

The western portion of the E line was originally named the Expo Line after Exposition Boulevard, along which it runs for most of its route, the line was renamed the E Line in late 2019, while retaining the aqua-colored line and icons used to designate it on maps. After the [[Regional Connector]] opened on June 16, 2023, the original E Line was joined with the Eastside portion of the [[L Line (Los Angeles Metro)|L Line]] to create the current extended E Line, which is colored gold on maps.

The '''K Line''' is a [[light rail]] line running north-south between the [[Jefferson Park, Los Angeles|Jefferson Park]] and [[Westchester, Los Angeles|Westchester]] neighborhoods of [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], passing through various [[South Los Angeles]] neighborhoods and the city of [[Inglewood, California|Inglewood]]. It is one of six lines in the [[Los Angeles Metro Rail]] system operated by the [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (LACMTA). It was opened on October 7, 2022, making it the system's newest line.

The current K Line represents the initial operating segment of the '''Crenshaw/LAX Line''' project, which began construction in 2014. A segment connecting to the [[C Line (Los Angeles Metro)|C Line]] via a [[Wye (rail)|wye]] opened in November 2024; the C and K Lines were integrated and services realigned at that time. The C Line's western terminus was also redirected to the [[LAX/Metro Transit Center]] and the K Line extended to [[Redondo Beach station]] in June 2025. A connection to the new [[LAX Automated People Mover]] is planned for late 2025.

The '''Regional Connector Transit Project''' constructed a 1.9-mile (3.1&nbsp;km) light rail [[tunnel]] for the [[Los Angeles Metro Rail]] system in [[Downtown Los Angeles]]. It connected the [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|A]] and [[E Line (Los Angeles Metro)|E]] lines with the former [[L Line (Los Angeles Metro)|L Line]]. The A and E lines previously both terminated at [[7th Street/Metro Center station]], while the L Line ran through Little Tokyo/Arts District to either [[Azusa, California|Azusa]] or [[East Los Angeles, California|East Los Angeles]]. The project provides a one-seat ride into the core of Downtown for passengers on those lines who previously needed to transfer, thus reducing or altogether eliminating many transfers of passengers traveling across the region via Downtown Los Angeles.

Hybrid rail (known as the [[Arrow (rail service)|Arrow]]) was designed to connect the city center of San Bernardino with the University of Redlands via the Redlands Subdivision and opened in October 2022. It also is the first line in the country with a zero-emission, hydrogen-operated passenger train, starting in 2025.

The "Foothill Extension" of the Gold Line has continued with Phase 2 to extend the service to [[Montclair, California|Montclair]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=About FAQ |url=https://foothillgoldline.org/default/about-faq/ |access-date=August 17, 2022 |website=Foothill Gold Line |language=en-US}}</ref> As of March 2020, there was some support for extending the Gold Line to [[Ontario International Airport]], though there are neither plans nor funding for this segment as of 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Scauzillo |first=Steve |date=March 11, 2020 |title=Gold Line board warms to Ontario airport light-rail connection bill |work=[[San Gabriel Valley Tribune]] |url=https://www.sgvtribune.com/2020/03/11/gold-line-board-warms-to-ontario-airport-light-rail-connection-bill/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817031810/https://www.sgvtribune.com/2020/03/11/gold-line-board-warms-to-ontario-airport-light-rail-connection-bill/ |archive-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The line opened to Azusa on March 5, 2016. Phase 2B of the [[Foothill Extension]] began construction on July 10, 2020.<ref name="Aug2020">{{Cite news |date=July 10, 2020 |title=Major Construction Begins on Foothill Gold Line Extension Project |agency=NBC Los Angeles |url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/major-construction-begins-on-foothill-gold-line-extension-project/2394227/?amp |access-date=August 18, 2020}}</ref> The extension opened on September 19, 2025.

=== Proposed developments ===

In 2005, with growing congestion along Wilshire Boulevard to the Westside, then Congressman [[Henry Waxman]] introduced legislation to repeal the ban on federal dollars being used for subway tunneling underneath Wilshire Boulevard he had caused to be enacted 20 years earlier. The ban resulted in the Red Line subway ending at Wilshire and Western Avenue before being re-routed up Vermont Avenue towards the Valley. In 2006, the MTA renamed the line from Union Station to Wilshire/Western the Purple Line to differentiate it from the Red Line, which splits at Wilshire/Vermont. As a result, in May 2012, the MTA approved plans to extend the [[D Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Purple Line]] to the west as far as the VA Hospital in Westwood, on an alignment mostly following [[Wilshire Boulevard]], the city's most densely populated corridor, as was originally planned in mass transit plans designed as early as the 1920s. In 2005, Mayor [[Antonio Villaraigosa]] made as one of his most publicized campaign promises a pledge to set the wheels in motion for eventual construction of the "Subway to the Sea" as he called it. Construction finally began in 2014 on the Purple Line Extension, with the first phase to LaCienega Boulevard scheduled for completion in 2026, and full completion to the VA Hospital campus in West Los Angeles is expected to open in 2028.

Also under consideration is a new passenger rail line on the abandoned [[Harbor Subdivision]] railway corridor, connecting Carson to downtown Los Angeles via Torrance and the LA west side. Connections to the Harbor Subdivision from the [[Port of Los Angeles#World Cruise Center|World Cruise Center]] cruise ship terminal in the San Pedro District of Los Angeles Harbor to the Long Beach Transit Mall and the [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro Blue Line]] are also under evaluation.

The [[West Santa Ana Branch]] was acquired by local transit agencies with the intent to reactivate the line for rail transit. The [[Southeast Gateway Line]] project aims install a new light rail line to Artesia. On the south end of the line, the [[Orange County Transportation Authority]] is constructing the [[OC Streetcar]], a modern streetcar system expected to commence service in Spring 2026.

== Legacy ==
[[File:Pacific Electric Inland Empire Trail, Fontana.jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric Inland Empire Trail, Fontana]]
[[File:PacificElectricMuseum.jpg|thumb|Car #1734 served as the [[Red Car Museum]] between 1981 and 2021,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bozanich |first=Kathie |date=December 20, 1989 |title=SEAL BEACH : Red Car Museum Links City to Past |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-20-me-771-story.html |access-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 4, 2021 |title=Seal Beach Lions Club buys the Red Car Museum |work=Seal Beach Sun |url=https://www.sunnews.org/seal-beach-lions-club-buys-the-red-car-museum/ |access-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref> at the corner of Main Street and Electric Avenue in [[Seal Beach, California]].]]The Pacific Electric Trail is a {{convert|21|mi|adj=mid}} [[rail trail]] that has been constructed along the former [[Upland–San Bernardino Line]]. {{As of|2013|03}}, approximately {{convert|21|mi}} have been completed,<ref name="RC PET Features">{{Cite web |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=<!--undated--> |title=Trail Features |url=http://www.cityofrc.us/cityhall/cs/parks/trails/pet/features.asp |access-date=March 18, 2013 |publisher=City of Rancho Cucamonga |archive-date=June 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629044236/http://www.cityofrc.us/cityhall/cs/parks/trails/pet/features.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> from the planned western terminus at Huntington Drive in [[Claremont, California|Claremont]]{{efn|{{Coord|34.09528|-117.70274|dim:50_region:US-CA_type:landmark|name=Pacific Electric Trail Western Terminus|display=inline}} }} to the temporary eastern terminus at Cactus Avenue in [[Rialto, California|Rialto]],{{efn|{{Coord|34.101406|-117.383608|dim:50_region:US-CA_type:landmark|name=Pacific Electric Trail Eastern Terminus (March 2013)|display=inline}} }} as well as connection to a {{convert|6.9|mi|adj=mid}} rail trail project being planned to run from Claremont to [[San Dimas, California|San Dimas]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Pacific Electric Inland Empire Trail |url=http://www.ci.rancho-cucamonga.ca.us/govt/pet.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529055132/http://www.ci.rancho-cucamonga.ca.us/govt/pet.htm |archive-date=May 29, 2009 |website=City of Rancho Cucamonga}}</ref>

Plot elements of the 1988 movie ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' are loosely based on folklore about the decline of streetcars in LA.<ref name="Bianco">{{Cite web |last=Bianco |first=Martha |title=Kennedy, 60 Minutes, and Roger Rabbit : Understanding Conspiracy-Theory Explanations of The Decline of Urban Mass Transit |url=http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=cus_pubs |access-date=April 10, 2017 |publisher=Portland State University}}</ref>

A transportation attraction based on the PE, the [[Red Car Trolley]], is located at [[Disney California Adventure Park]] at the [[Disneyland Resort]] in [[Anaheim, California|Anaheim]]. It features two stylized replicas of PE rolling stock and is the first attraction in the park to provide transportation, running from [[Buena Vista Street]] to [[Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!]] in [[Hollywood Land]], with four stations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 9, 2010 |title=Buena Vista Street and Newly Designed Front Entrance in 2012 |url=http://www.disneylandnews.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=538 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223215825/http://www.disneylandnews.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=538 |archive-date=December 23, 2010 |website=Disneyland News}}</ref> Construction began on January 4, 2010, and the attraction opened on June 15, 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=<!--undated--> |title=Red Car Trolley Construction to Begin Monday |url=http://www.mouseinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?p=17337397#post17337397 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907103240/http://www.mouseinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?p=17337397%23post17337397 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 7, 2012 |website=MouseInfo}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=January 2021}} The [[Ghost Town & Calico Railroad]] attraction at [[Knott's Berry Farm]] uses a PE [[train depot|depot]] formerly located at [[Hansen station]] along the ROW in [[Stanton, California|Stanton]] as the main station building. The building was moved to the theme park in 1952.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeCaro |first=Dave |title=Knott's Berry Farm: Calico Railroad |url=http://davelandweb.com/knotts/railroad.html |access-date=May 7, 2017 |website=Daveland |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Santa Ana Branch |url=http://www.abandonedrails.com/Santa_Ana_Branch |access-date=May 7, 2017 |website=Abandoned Rails}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brigandi |first=Phil |title=Historic Knott's Berry Farm |url=http://www.socalhistoryland.mysite.com/Historic_Knotts.html |access-date=May 7, 2017 |website=So Cal Historyland |archive-date=August 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827082506/http://www.socalhistoryland.mysite.com/Historic_Knotts.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Routes ==
{{See also|List of Pacific Electric Railway lines}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
Northern Division:
* [[Alhambra–San Gabriel Line|Alhambra–San Gabriel]]
* [[Annandale Line|Annandale]]
* [[Arlington–Corona Line|Arlington–Corona]]
* [[Arrowhead Line|Arrowhead]]
* [[Covina Line|Covina]]
* [[East Washington Line|East Washington]]
* [[El Monte–Baldwin Park Line|El Monte–Baldwin Park]]
* [[Highland Line (Pacific Electric)|Highland]]
* [[Lamanda Park Line|Lamanda Park]]
* [[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora]]
* [[Mount Lowe Railway|Mount Lowe]]
* [[North Lake Line|North Lake]]
* [[Pasadena Short Line]]
* [[Pasadena via Oak Knoll Line|Pasadena via Oak Knoll]]
* [[Ontario–San Antonio Heights Line|Ontario–San Antonio Heights]]
* [[Pomona Line|Pomona]]
* [[Pomona–Claremont Line|Pomona–Claremont]]
* [[Redlands Line|Redlands]]
* [[Riverside–Arlington Line|Riverside–Arlington]]
* [[Riverside–Rialto Line|Riverside–Rialto]]
* [[San Bernardino–Riverside Line|San Bernardino–Riverside]]
* [[San Dimas Line|San Dimas]]
* [[San Dimas Local]]
* [[Shorb Line|Shorb]]
* [[Sierra Madre Line|Sierra Madre]]
* [[Sierra Vista Local (Pacific Electric)|Sierra Vista Local]]
* [[South Pasadena Local]]
* [[Upland–Ontario Line|Upland–Ontario]]
* [[Upland–San Bernardino Line|Upland–San Bernardino]]
{{col-break}}
Western Division:
* [[Brush Canyon Line|Brush Canyon]]
* [[Coldwater Canyon Line|Coldwater Canyon]]
* [[Echo Park Avenue Line|Echo Park Avenue]]
* [[Glendale–Burbank Line|Edendale Local]]
* [[Glendale–Burbank Line|Glendale–Burbank]]
* [[Hollywood Line|Hollywood]]
* [[Lankershim–Van Nuys Line|Lankershim–Van Nuys]]
* [[Laurel Canyon Line|Laurel Canyon]]
* [[Owensmouth Line|Owensmouth]]
* [[Redondo Beach via Playa del Rey Line|Redondo Beach via Playa del Rey]]
* [[San Fernando Line|San Fernando]]
* [[Santa Monica Air Line]]
* [[Sawtelle Line|Sawtelle]]
* [[Sherman Line|Sherman]]
* [[Santa Monica Air Line|Soldiers' Home]]
* [[Venice–Inglewood Line|Venice–Inglewood]]
* [[Venice–Playa del Rey Line|Venice–Playa del Rey]]
* [[Venice Short Line]]
* [[West 16th Street Line|West 16th Street]]
* [[Western and Franklin Avenue Line|Western and Franklin Avenue]]
* [[Westgate Line|Westgate]]
{{col-break}}
Southern Division:
* [[American Avenue Line|American Avenue]]
* [[Balboa Line|Balboa]]
* [[Bellflower Line|Bellflower]]
* [[San Pedro via Dominguez Line|Catalina Dock]]
* [[East Seventh Street Line|East Seventh Street]]
* [[East Third Street Line|East Third Street]]
* [[Fullerton Line|Fullerton]]
* [[Hawthorne–El Nido Line|Hawthorne–El Nido]]
* [[Hawthorne–El Segundo Line|Hawthorne–El Segundo]]
* [[Huntington Beach–La Bolsa Line|Huntington Beach–La Bolsa]]
* [[La Habra–Yorba Linda Line|La Habra–Yorba Linda]]
* [[Long Beach Line|Long Beach]]
* [[Long Beach–San Pedro Line|Long Beach–San Pedro]]
* [[Redondo Beach via Gardena Line|Redondo Beach via Gardena]]
* [[San Pedro via Dominguez Line|San Pedro via Dominguez]]
* [[San Pedro via Gardena Line|San Pedro via Gardena]]
* [[Santa Ana Line|Santa Ana]]
* [[Santa Ana–Huntington Beach Line|Santa Ana–Huntington Beach]]
* [[Santa Ana–Orange Line|Santa Ana–Orange]]
* [[Seal Beach Line|Seal Beach]]
* [[Balboa Line|Seal Beach–Huntington Beach–Newport Beach]]
* [[Terminal Island Line|Terminal Island]]
* [[San Pedro via Gardena Line|Torrance]]
* [[Watts Line|Watts]]
* [[Whittier Line|Whittier]]
{{col-end}}

=== Tourism loops ===
[[File:Orange Empire Trolley Trip.jpg|thumb|''Los Angeles Evening Post-Record'', June 10, 1919]]
* [[Balloon Route]]<ref name=":1">{{harvnb|Kaplan|1987|p=80}}</ref>
* [[Old Mission Trip]]: Los Angeles to Mission San Gabriel<ref name=":1" />
* [[Triangle Trip]]: Long Beach, Balboa, Santa Ana<ref name=":1" />
* [[Orange Empire Excursion]]: San Bernardino, Redlands, Riverside<ref name=":1" />

== Facilities ==

[[File:Baist's real estate atlas of surveys of Los Angeles, California, 1921 (31313).jpg|thumb|PE tracks near downtown, 1921]]

The Pacific Electric [[railway electrification system]] was based on 600 [[volt]] [[direct current]] power delivered to cars via [[overhead line]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pacific Electric 457 |url=https://www.wrm.org/visit/car-roster/passenger-cars/interurban/item/79-pacific-electric-457 |access-date=September 8, 2020 |publisher=[[Western Railway Museum]]}}</ref><ref name="nrhp nom">{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Pacific Company Ivy Park Substation |url={{NRHP url|id=81000155}} |publisher=National Register of Historic Places}}</ref> The San Bernardino Line operated partially at 1200 volts DC.

Some maintenance and operational sites include:
* West Hollywood Car Barn and Yard<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pacific Electric station, West Hollywood |url=https://tessa.lapl.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/photos/id/116478/rec/19 |website=Tessa: Digital Collections of the Los Angeles Public Library}}</ref>
* Ocean Park Car Barn and Yard
* Torrance Shops
* [[Pacific Electric Building]] (Station at 6th & Main Streets)
* [[Subway Terminal Building]] (Station at 4th and Hill Streets)
* [[Belmont Tunnel / Toluca Substation and Yard|Belmont Tunnel]] (Hollywood Subway)
* [[Pacific Electric Railway Company Substation No. 8|Substation No. 8]]
* [[Pacific Electric Sub-Station No. 14|Substation No. 14]]
* [[Ivy Substation]]
* [[Redlands Trolley Barn]]

== Fleet ==
{{more citations needed|section|date=August 2021}}
The number of cars that Pacific Electric owned after the merger would require its own separate page.{{incomplete list|date=August 2021}}

=== Passenger cars ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Manufacturer || Model || Entered service || Fleet Series || Quantity || Year of retirement || Notes || Image
|-
| [[St. Louis Car Company|St. Louis]]
| "Baby Five"
| 1902<ref name="PE524">{{Cite web |title=Pacific Electric 524 |url=https://socalrailway.org/collections/pacific-electric/524-details/ |access-date=August 25, 2021 |publisher=[[Southern California Railway Museum]]}}</ref>
| 200–229<br />500–529<ref name="PE524" />
| 30<ref name="PE524" />
| 1934
|align=left| First cars built new for Pacific Electric. Renumbered in 1911. Car 524 maintained at the [[Southern California Railway Museum]]
|
|-
| [[St. Louis Car Company|St. Louis]]
| "Medium Five"
| 1909<ref name="PE524" />
| 230–249<br />530–549<ref name="PE524" />
| 20<ref name="PE524" />
| 1934
|align=left| Renumbered in 1911.  Car 530 maintained at the [[Southern California Railway Museum]]
| [[File:PE531 Pasadena Southern Pacific Station.jpg|100px]]
|-
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|250–<ref name="SRJ1904">{{Cite journal |date=July 23, 1904 |title=RECONSTRUCTED CARS OF PACIFIC ELECTRIC RAILWAY, OF LOS ANGELES, CAL. |url=https://archive.org/details/streetrailwayjo241904newy/page/136/mode/1up?view=theater |journal=Street Railway Journal |volume=XXIV |page=136 |number=4}}</ref>
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|
|
|-
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| "Big Five"<ref name="PE524" />
| 1911
| 550–599<ref name="PE524" />
| 50
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|align=left| Acquired from [[Los Angeles Pacific Railroad]]
|-
|rowspan=2| [[J. G. Brill]]
|rowspan=2| [[Birney]]
| 1918
| 320–339<ref name="PE332">{{Cite web |title=Pacific Electric 332 |url=https://socalrailway.org/collections/pacific-electric/332-details/ |access-date=August 25, 2021 |publisher=[[Southern California Railway Museum]]}}</ref>
| 20<ref name="PE332" />
|rowspan=2| 1941<ref name="PE332" />
|
|
|-
| 1920<ref name="PE332" />
| 340–388<ref name="PE332" />
| 49
|
|
|-
|[[Pullman Company|Pullman]], [[American Car and Foundry Company|American Car and Foundry]]
|Blimp
| {{circa|1906}}
| 400–
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|1961
|
| [[File:BigRedCar.jpg|100px]]
|-
|rowspan=3| Pacific Electric
| motor car
| 1904<ref name="SRJ1904" />
| 600–602
| 3<ref name="SRJ1904" />
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|align=left rowspan=3| Rebuilt from former San Francisco cars<ref name="SRJ1904" />
| [[File:The Street railway journal (1904) (14574773260).jpg|100px]]
|-
| express car
| {{circa|1904}}<ref name="SRJ1904" />
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 6<ref name="SRJ1904" />
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|
|-
| trailer
| {{circa|1904}}<ref name="SRJ1904" />
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 6<ref name="SRJ1904" />
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[St. Louis Car Company|St. Louis]]
|rowspan=4| Hollywood car<ref name="PE626">{{Cite web |title=Pacific Electric 626 |url=https://socalrailway.org/collections/pacific-electric/626-details/ |access-date=August 25, 2021 |publisher=[[Southern California Railway Museum]]}}</ref>
| 1922<ref name="PE626" /><ref name="disneyland news">{{Cite press release |title=The Red Car Trolleys of Buena Vista Street |date=October 1, 2014 |publisher=Disney Parks |url=http://disneylandnews.com/2014/01/01/the-red-car-trolleys-of-buena-vista-street/ |access-date=June 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208060704/http://disneylandnews.com/2014/01/01/the-red-car-trolleys-of-buena-vista-street/ |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |website=Disneyland Resort News}}</ref>
| 600–649<ref name="PE626" />
| 50<ref name="PE626" />
|rowspan=4| 1949<ref name="PE626" />
|align=left rowspan=4| Most cars rebuilt and renumbered to 5050 series interurban cars
|
|-
| 1924<ref name="PE626" />
| 650–699<ref name="PE626" />
| 50<ref name="PE626" />
|
|-
| [[J. G. Brill]]
| 1924<ref name="PE626" /><ref name="disneyland news" />
| 700–749<ref name="PE626" />
| 50<ref name="PE626" />
| [[File:Oerm717.jpg|100px]]
|-
| [[St. Louis Car Company|St. Louis]]
| 1928<ref name="PE626" />
| 750–759<ref name="PE626" />
| 10<ref name="PE626" />
|
|-
| [[American Car Company|American]]
| interurban
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 800–
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Jewett Car Company|Jewett]]
| "Business Car"
| 1912
| 1000
| 1
| 1947
|align=left| Upgraded from regular car in 1913<ref name="PE1000">{{Cite web |title=Pacific Electric 1000 |url=https://socalrailway.org/collections/pacific-electric/1000-details/ |access-date=August 25, 2021 |publisher=[[Southern California Railway Museum]]}}</ref>
| [[File:PE1000 Commodore.jpg|100px]]
|-
| MU interurban
| 1912
| 1001–
| {{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1954
|
| [[File:Pacific Electric 1001.jpg|100px]]
|-
| [[Standard Steel Car Company|Standard Steel]]
| interurban car
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1100–
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|align=left| Hammond, Indiana{{clarify|date=August 2021}}
|-
| [[Pressed Steel Car Company|Pressed Steel]]
| Steel Cars
| 1915
| 1200–1224
| 25<ref>{{Cite journal |date=September 30, 1916 |title=Steel Cars |url=https://archive.org/details/electricrailway481916newy/page/241/mode/1up?view=theater |journal=Electrtic Railway Journal |page=241}} (Advertisement)</ref>
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|
| [[File:Electric railway journal (1916) (14572983748).jpg|100px]]
|-
|[[J. G. Brill Company|Brill]]
|Dragons
|1921
|300–319
|11
|1934
|-
| [[Pullman Company|Pullman]]
| Portland MU interurban
| 1912
| 1252
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|
|
|-
| [[Pullman Company|Pullman]]
| "Business Car"
| 1929
| 1299
| 1
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|align=left| Built in 1912 for the [[Southern Pacific Red Electric Lines]], rebuilt for PE service
| [[File:Pacific Electric Railway 1299.JPG|100px]]
|-
| [[Pullman-Standard]]
| [[PCC streetcar|PCC]]
| 1940<ref name="MSRy" />
| 5000–5029
| 30<ref name="MSRy">{{Cite web |title=No.1061 Pacific Electric |url=https://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/1061-1061-pacific-electric/ |access-date=January 23, 2021 |publisher=[[Market Street Railway (nonprofit)|Market Street Railway]]}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Crump|1977|p=186}}</ref>
| 1955<ref name="MSRy" />
|align=left| Sold to [[General Urquiza Railway]] in 1958<ref name="MSRy" />
|-
| Pacific Electric
|5050 Series
| 1949<ref name="PE626" />
| 5050–<ref name="PE626" />
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1951–1958<ref name="PE626" />
|align=left| Rebuilt from Hollywood cars. 28 cars sold to [[General Urquiza Railway]] in 1952. 8 cars sold to [[Portland Traction Company]] in 1953. 16 cars retained for [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority]] service and renumbered 1600 series. Five maintained at [[Southern California Railway Museum]].<ref name="PE626" />
| [[File:Pacific-Electric-Red-Cars-Awaiting-Destruction.jpg|100px]]
|-
| [[St. Louis Car Company|St. Louis]]
| MU coach
| 1907
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1950
|
|
|-
| [[St. Louis Car Company|St. Louis]]
| Blimp MU
| 1930
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1959
|
|
|-
| [[Pullman Company|Pullman]]
| Blimp MU coach
| 1913
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|rowspan=2| 61
| 1961
|
|
|-
| [[Pullman Company|Pullman]]
| Blimp MU baggage coach
| 1913
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1959
|
|
|-
| American
| trailer coach
| 1908
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1934
|
|
|-
| [[Pullman Company|Pullman]]
| officer's car
| 1912
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1958
|
|
|-
| [[J.G. Brill]]
| Portland RPO-baggage
| 1913
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1959
|
|
|-
| [[St. Louis Car Company|St. Louis]]
| double-truck [[Birney]]
| 1925
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1941
|
|
|-
| [[Pullman Company|Pullman]]
| Submarine
| 1912
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
|{{data missing|date=December 2024}}
| 1928
|
|
|-
|}

=== Work cars ===
* LAP [[Overhead lines|trolley wire]] greaser 1898–1957
* PE [[tower car]] 1915–1957

=== Locomotives ===
[[File:Pacific Electric 1624.jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric 1624 "Juice Jack"]]
* 1600 class [[Baldwin–Westinghouse electric locomotives#Steeple Cab Electrics|BLW]] Class D [[electric locomotive]]s
* 1500 class BLW Class B electric locomotives
[[File:Pacific Electric 1590 (50328651757).jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric 1590]]

=== Freight cars ===
* LA&R flat-top [[caboose]] 1896
* PE flat-top caboose PE 1939
* LS&MS caboose 1915
* LV caboose 1926
* RF&P caboose 1905
* SSC [[box car]] 1924

=== Buses ===
* GM yellow coach
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Model || Entered service || Fleet Series || Quantity || Year of retirement || Notes || Image
|-
|GM PD-4101{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}
|1950<ref>{{cite journal |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date=July 1950 |title=Here it Is ! New PE Intercity Motor Coach |url=https://archive.org/details/pe-mag-1950-07-jul |journal=Pacific Electric Magazine |volume= |issue= |pages=3 |doi= |access-date=}}</ref>
|225-232{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}
|8
|
|
|
|}

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
{{Portal-inline|Trains}}
{{Portal|Los Angeles}}
* [[Bibliography of Los Angeles]]
* [[Outline of the history of Los Angeles]]
* [[Bibliography of California history]]
* [[Belmont Tunnel / Toluca Substation and Yard|Belmont Tunnel]]
* [[Historic Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar]]
* [[Los Angeles Railway]]
* [[Pacific Electric Building]]
* [[Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge]]
* [[Redlands Trolley Barn]]
* [[San Diego Electric Railway]]
* [[Streetcars in Los Angeles]]
* [[Subway Terminal Building]]
{{div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bail |first=Eli |title=From Railway to Freeway Pacific Electric and the Motor Coach |publisher=[[Interurban Press]] |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-916374-61-7 |oclc=10429744}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bottles |first=Scott |url=https://archive.org/details/losangelesautom00bott |title=Los Angeles and the Automobile: The Making of the Modern City |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-520-07395-1 |oclc=847508292 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Coscia |first=David |title=Pacific Electric and the Growth of the San Fernando Valley |publisher=Shade Tree Books |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-57864-735-4 |location=Bellflower, CA}}
* {{Cite book |last=Copeland |first=Allen P. |title=Pacific Electric in Color, Vol 1 |publisher=Morning Sun Books |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-878887-88-7 |location=Scotch Plains, NJ.}}
* {{Cite book |last=Copeland |first=Allen P. |title=Pacific Electric in Color, Vol 2 |publisher=Morning Sun Books |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-58248-024-4 |location=Scotch Plains, NJ. |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Copeland |first=Allen P. |title=California Trolleys in Color Vol.1 |publisher=Morning Sun Books |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-58248-076-3 |location=Scotch Plains, NJ. |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Crise |first1=Steve |title=Pacific Electric Railway (Then and Now) |last2=Patris |first2=Michael A. |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2011 |location=Charleston, SC |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{Cite book |last=Crump |first=Spencer |title=Ride The Big Red Cars: How Trolleys Helped Build Southern California |publisher=Trans-Anglo Books |year=1977 |isbn=978-0-87046-047-0 |location=Corona Del Mar, CA |ol=4560875M}}
* {{Cite book |last=Crump |first=Spencer |title=Henry Huntington and the Pacific Electric Railway: A Pictorial Album |publisher=Trans-Anglo Books |year=1978 |isbn=978-0-87046-048-7 |location=Corona Del Mar, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Demoro |first=Harre W. |title=California's Electric Railways |publisher=[[Interurban Press]] |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-916374-74-7 |location=[[Glendale, California]] |oclc=13703105}}
* {{Cite book |last=Duke |first=Donald. |title=Pacific Electric: A Pictorial Album of Electric Railroading |publisher=Golden West Books |year=1958 |location=San Marino, CA}}
* {{Cite book |last=Duke |first=Donald. |title=Pacific Electric Railway, Volume 1: The Northern Division |publisher=Golden West Books |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-87095-117-6 |location=San Marino, CA. |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Duke |first=Donald. |title=Pacific Electric Railway, Volume 2: The Eastern Division |publisher=Golden West Books |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-87095-117-6 |location=San Marino, CA. |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Duke |first=Donald. |title=Pacific Electric Railway, Volume 3: The Southern Division |publisher=Golden West Books |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-87095-117-6 |location=San Marino, CA. |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Duke |first=Donald. |title=Pacific Electric Railway, Volume 4: The Western Division |publisher=Golden West Books |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-87095-117-6 |location=San Marino, CA. |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Friedricks |first=William B. |title=Henry Huntington and the Creation of Southern California |publisher=Ohio University Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-8142-0553-2 |location=Columbus, OH.}}
* {{Cite book |title=Pacific Electric Stations |publisher=Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-9664304-0-0 |editor-last=Heller |editor-first=Jim |location=Long Beach, CA}}
* {{Cite book |last=Howard |first=Danny |title=Southern California and the Pacific Electric |publisher=Daniel L. Howard Publishing |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-936144-00-9 |location=Los Angeles, CA.}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kaplan |first=Sam Hall |title=L.A. Lost & Found |date=1987 |publisher=Crown Publishers, Inc. |isbn=0-517-56184-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Karr |first=Randolph |title=Rail Passenger Service History of the Pacific Electric |publisher=Southern Pacific Transportation |year=1973 |location=Los Angeles, CA |url=https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/railpassengerservice-historypacificelectricrailwayco-karr.pdf}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kuntsler |first=James Howard |url=https://archive.org/details/geographyofnowhe00kunsrich |title=The Geography of Nowhere – The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape |publisher=Touchstone |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-671-70774-3 |edition=First Touchstone Edition 1994 |location=New York, New York |oclc=27726774 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Long |first=Raphael |title=Pacific Electric's Big Red Cars; A Pictorial Account of the Decline of the World's Largest Interurban Electric Railway System |publisher=T.C. Phillips |year=1966 |location=Los Angeles, CA}}
* {{Cite book |last=Long |first=Raphael |title=Red Car Days, Interurbans Special #92 |publisher=Interurbans Press |year=1983 |location=Glendale, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Long |first=Raphael |title=Red Car Era An Album: Memories of Los Angeles and the Pacific Electric Railway |publisher=CreateSpace |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4528-4475-6 |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Seims |first=Charles |title=Mount Lowe The Railway in the Clouds |publisher=Golden West Books |year=1976 |isbn=978-0-87095-075-9 |location=San Marino, CA |ol=OL4901217M}}
* {{Cite book |last=Seims |first=Charles |title=Trolley Days in Pasadena |publisher=Golden West Books |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-87095-086-5 |location=San Marino, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Shanks |first=Thomas H. |title=From Horse Car to Red Car to Mass Rapid Transit: A Century of Progress |publisher=Donning Company |year=1991 |location=Virginia Beach, VA |isbn=978-0898658200}}
* {{Cite book |last=Smatlak |first=John C. |title=Pacific Electric 500-Class cars: Interurban Pioneers |publisher=Shade Tree Books |year=2010 |location=Bellflower, CA |isbn=978-0930742386}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Swett |first1=Ira |title=Lines of the Pacific Electric Southern and Western Districts, Interurbans Special #60 |last2=Walker |first2=Jim |publisher=Interurbans Publications |year=1975 |isbn=0-916374-02-5 |location=Glendale, CA |oclc=2119913 |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Swett |first1=Ira |title=Lines of the Pacific Electric, Northern and Eastern Districts, Interurbans Special #61 |last2=Walker |first2=Jim |publisher=Interurbans Publications |year=1976 |location=Glendale, CA |oclc=8283871 |author-mask=2 |author-mask2=2 |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Cars of the Pacific Electric Volume 1: City and Suburban Cars, Interurbans Special #28 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1964 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Cars of the Pacific Electric Volume 2: Interurban and Deluxe Cars, Interurbans Special #36 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1965 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Cars of the Pacific Electric Volume 3: Locomotives and Non-Revenue Cars, Interurbans Special #37 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1965 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Pacific Electric Album of Cars, Interurbans Special #39 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1965 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Pacific Electric in Pomona, Interurbans Special #46 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1969 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Official Car Records of the Pacific Electric Railway, Interurbans Special #38 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1964 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Pacific Electric All Time Roster, Interurbans Special #3 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1946 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Pacific Electric All Time Roster, Interurbans Special #13 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1952 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=Gregory Lee |url=https://archive.org/details/passengertrainin0047thom |title=The Passenger Train in the Motor Age: California's Rail and Bus Industries, 1910–1941 |publisher=Ohio State University Press, Columbus, OH |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-8142-0609-6 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Veysey-PE-1958}}
* {{Cite book |last=Vesey |first=Laurence |title=The Pacific Electric Railway Company: 1910–1953: A Study in the Operation of Economic, Social and Political Forces Upon American Local Transportation |publisher=Seminar paper, Yale |year=1953 |location=Available at Glendale Public Library, California |oclc=7139020 |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Walker |first=Jim |title=Last of the Big Red Cars; The Long Beach Rail Line Then and Now, Interurbans Special #118 |publisher=Interurbans Press |year=1991 |isbn=978-1-56342-001-6 |location=Glendale, CA |oclc=24250786}}
* {{Cite book |last=Walker |first=Jim |title=Images of Rails Series: Pacific Electric Red Cars |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7385-4688-9 |location=Charleston, SC |oclc=83991517 |author-mask=2}}
{{refend}}

=== Predecessor lines ===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Myers |first1=William A. |title=Trolleys to the Surf: The Story of the Los Angeles Pacific Railway, Interurbans Special #63 |last2=Swett |first2=Ira |publisher=Interurbans Publications |year=1976 |isbn=978-0-916374-22-8 |location=Glendale, CA |oclc=2507484 |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Los Angeles Pacific, Interurbans Special #18 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1956 |location=Los Angeles, CA}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Los Angeles Pacific Album, Interurbans Special #40 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1965 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Los Angeles and Redondo Railway, Interurbans Special #20 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1957 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Riverside and Arlington Railway, Interurbans Special #27 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1962 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Ira |title=Ontario and San Antonio Heights Railroad, Interurbans Special #48 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1969 |location=Los Angeles, CA |author-mask=2}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Van Norden |first=Rudolph |title=Pacific Electric Railway Interurban System |journal=Journal of Electricity Power and Gas |date=January 7, 1911 |volume=XXVI |number=1 |place=San Francisco, California |publisher=Technical Publishing Company}} reprinted as {{cite book |title=Pacific Electric in Transition 1911, Interurbans Special #30 |publisher=Interurbans |year=1967 |location=Los Angeles, CA |ol=OL24441744M |oclc=6219179}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Pacific Electric Railway}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160217034844/http://tk3.limewebs.com/files/cox/pe_1949.jpg Pacific Electric Railway system map, 1949]
* [http://www.erha.org/ Pacific Electric Railway Elec Railway Historical Association of So. California guide to PE traction heritage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060815173124/http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/historic/redcars/ The Red Cars of Los Angeles (USC archives)]
* [http://coscia-espee.info/pe_equipment.html Surviving Equipment of the Pacific Electric Railway]

=== Photos ===
* [http://www.pacificelectric.org/ Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society Online Image Archive]
* [http://www.trainvideodepot.com/DVD-This-Was-Pacific-Electric-A-Complete-History-by-Sky-City-Productions_SCP-PACELE/ DVD Documentary – This Was Pacific Electric – Complete documentary on the Pacific Electric. Movies, stills, and interviews.]
* [http://www.stubchaer.com/Pacific_Electric_Ry_Photos_1947_49_by_Jim_Stubchaer/index.htm Pacific Electric photos (Jim Stubchaer)]
* [http://harrymarnell.net/toluca.htm Pacific Electric Subway – Toluca Portal: 1925–1955 – 2008 photos (Harry Marnell)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216212710/http://harrymarnell.net/toluca.htm |date=February 16, 2009 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060202223001/http://www.river-road.net/oldcars/redcar/ Pacific Electric Railway Monuments archival photographs]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100503130518/http://www.westworld.com/~elson/larail/PE/tunnel.html Pacific Electric Subway photos (Elson Trinidad)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130813152454/http://www.davesrailpix.com/pe/pev1.htm Bill Volkmer collection of Red Car photos and post cards]

{{Pacific Electric Railway}}
{{LA Mass Transit}}
{{Streetcars in California}}
{{North America Class I}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pacific Electric Railway| ]]
[[Category:1901 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1961 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:Defunct California railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Defunct public transport operators in the United States]]
[[Category:Electric railways in California]]
[[Category:Former Class I railroads in the United States]]
[[Category:History of Los Angeles]]
[[Category:History of Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Interurban railways in California]]
[[Category:Light rail in California]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transportation in California]]
[[Category:Predecessors of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company]]
[[Category:Public transportation in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Public transportation in Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Public transportation in Orange County, California]]
[[Category:Public transportation in Riverside County, California]]
[[Category:Public transportation in San Bernardino County, California]]
[[Category:Public transportation in Southern California]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1961]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1901]]
[[Category:Southern Pacific Railroad subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Transportation companies based in California]]
[[Category:Streetcars in California]]