Glendale and Montrose Railway facts for kids
The Glendale and Montrose Railway Company (G&M) was an electric train system in Southern California. It was special because it was one of the only local train lines in Los Angeles that was never taken over by the much larger Pacific Electric system.
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A Journey Through Time: The G&M Railway
The railway started in 1909 as the Glendale and Eagle Rock Railway. It connected Glendale to Eagle Rock.
Expanding the Line
In 1913, land developers bought the company. They wanted to extend the train line to their new community, Montrose. Trains first reached Montrose on April 26, 1913. Later that year, the line went even further to La Crescenta. In 1914, the company's name changed to the Glendale and Montrose Railway.
Connecting with Other Railways
The train tracks were made wider in 1915. This allowed the G&M trains to connect with other railroads. For a short time, G&M trains could even run on the Pacific Electric tracks. This meant trains from La Crescenta could go all the way to the main Pacific Electric Building. This special service lasted less than a year, from October 1916 to September 1917.
In 1924, G&M trolleys started using newly electrified tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad. This allowed them to reach Los Angeles. The city of Glendale helped pay for this change. It helped reduce the noise and smoke from steam trains in town.
The End of the Line
In the early 1900s, not many people lived along the train route. This meant there weren't enough passengers to keep the railway running. The G&M railway stopped operating at the end of 1930. The Union Pacific Railroad took over the remaining tracks in 1931.
A few years later, Union Pacific changed the old G&M tracks. They switched from electric trains to diesel trains. Freight trains continued to use parts of the line until 1986. The very last section of the railway was closed after 1991. The land was then divided and sold.
What is Rolling Stock?
"Rolling stock" is a term for all the vehicles that move on a railway. This includes trains, trolleys, and locomotives.
G&M's Trains
The Glendale and Montrose Railway bought three special trolley cars in 1918. These were called Birney cars. At first, they were red. In 1927, white stripes were added to them. This helped people tell them apart from the red cars of the Pacific Electric system.
Preserved Trains
One of the G&M's electric locomotives has been saved! It is now part of the collection at the Southern California Railway Museum. This locomotive was G&M No. 22. It was built in 1923 by Baldwin and Westinghouse.
When the Union Pacific took over, it became UP No. E100. In 1942, after Union Pacific stopped using electric trains on these tracks, the locomotive was sold. It went to a company in Washington called the Yakima Valley Transportation Company (YVT). There, it became YVT No. 297. It worked in Yakima for many years. In 1985, when it was retired, the locomotive was given to the Southern California Railway Museum.
