Pasadena Short Line facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pasadena Short Line |
|
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Owner | Southern Pacific Railroad |
| Locale | Southern California |
| Termini | Pacific Electric Building Downtown Pasadena |
| Stations | 14 |
| Service | |
| Type | Light rail |
| System | Pacific Electric |
| Operator(s) | Pacific Electric |
| Rolling stock | PE 5050 Class PCC cars (last used) |
| Daily ridership | 7,693 (last counting) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1894 (Pasadena & Los Angeles Electric Railway) 1902 (Pacific Electric) |
| Closed | September 30, 1951 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 11.6 mi (18.7 km) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Old gauge | narrow gauge |
| Electrification | 600 V DC Overhead lines |
The Pasadena Short Line was a line of the Pacific Electric Railway, running from 1902 until 1951, between Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Pasadena, California. The route went through Eastside Los Angeles along the foot of the eastern San Rafael Hills to the western San Gabriel Valley.
Route
The Pasadena Short Line followed the Monrovia–Glendora Line (Huntington Drive) to Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena (Oneonta Junction). Here, the line branched north along double tracks in the pavement of Fair Oaks Avenue to California Boulevard. It then ran east one block on California Boulevard to Raymond Avenue and then north in the pavement of Raymond Avenue, past Colorado Street several blocks to the North Fair Oaks Carhouse (Located between Raymond and Fair Oaks Avenues). It then exited out the west side of the Carhouse on to Fair Oaks Avenue for its return trip. The Raymond Avenue track was abandoned in 1940 and Fair Oaks Avenue was used in both directions thereafter.
History
The route began as a horsecar line. In 1894, the Pasadena & Los Angeles Electric Railway purchased, re-gauged, electrified, and double-tracked a section of the line for streetcar use. Service began on May 6, 1895. Pacific Electric acquired the route in 1898, and the line was again rebuilt to standard gauge. Upon opening on November 9, 1902, service ran between the Raymond Hotel and the junction with the Alhambra Line. Negotiations to cross the existing roads — the Santa Fe Railway, Terminal Railway, and California Cycleway — led Pacific Electric to build a bridge over the right of ways shortly after their service commenced. In 1908, double tracking was completed throughout.
Peak service was likely reached around 1917 or 1918, with 90 trains operating daily in each direction. Two years later, Pacific Electric had cut that number to 59. Starting November 1926, some morning rush hour trains originated at Mariposa and Lake in Altadena. Service reductions continued throughout the late 1920s and 1930s. A complimenting outbound trip to Altadena began in 1938. Minor reroutes near the line's terminals occurred in 1940 and the Altadena runs ended the following year.
Service was replaced by buses on September 30, 1951. By 1981, all tracks had been removed along the route.
List of major stations
Southern Pacific depot service
Starting on May 1, 1912, some trips along the line began originating at the Los Angeles Southern Pacific station or the Pasadena Southern Pacific station. The Pasadena SP station was closed in 1927, thus the terminus was moved to the Pacific Electric Depot on Raymond Avenue. By August 11, 1932, frequency had been reduced to a single daily franchise car and the service was entirely eliminated on July 30 the following year.
