San Pedro via Dominguez Line facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Pedro via Dominguez
The San Pedro Pacific Electric Railway station, located at 510 S. Harbor Boulevard, 1921
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Los Angeles and the South Bay
Termini	Downtown Los Angeles San Pedro, California
Stations	30
Service
Type	Interurban
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Los Angeles Interurban Railway (1904–1911) Pacific Electric (1911–1953) Metropolitan Coach Lines (1953–1958) Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (1958)
Rolling stock	PE 1200 Class (last used)
Ridership	1,002,051 (1958)
History
Opened	November 24, 1904 (1904-11-24) (to Wilmington)
Closed	December 7, 1958 (1958-12-07)
Technical
Line length	25.39 mi (40.86 km)
Number of tracks	1–4
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	600 V DC Overhead lines

The San Pedro via Dominguez was a special train line, like a big streetcar, that ran for about 25 miles (40 kilometers) in the Los Angeles area. It was part of the famous Pacific Electric system, also known as the "Red Cars." This line connected Downtown Los Angeles to San Pedro in the south, which is a port city.

History of the San Pedro Line

Building the Rail Line

Engineers started planning this train line in 1902 for Pacific Electric. However, the project was given to the Los Angeles Interurban Railway in January 1904. They quickly built the line to Wilmington by November 24, 1904. Train service all the way to San Pedro began on July 5, 1905.

This route became the main way to get to San Pedro. It was so popular that another line, the San Pedro via Gardena Line, was stopped in 1940.

Pacific Electric Takes Over

Pacific Electric took control of the service again after the "Great Merger of 1911." This was a big event where many smaller railway companies joined together. Pacific Electric replaced an old, low bridge (called a trestle) with a new bridge that could open up. This type of bridge is called a drawbridge.

During World War II, the drawbridge was avoided for safety reasons. Trains used a different path called the West Basin Line instead.

Later Years and Closure

In October 1953, the train line was moved to a company called Metropolitan Coach Lines. A ship hit the drawbridge in 1955, so it had to be removed. Trains were then permanently rerouted onto the West Basin Line.

By 1958, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority took over the service. On December 7, 1958, they changed the train route into a bus service. This meant the San Pedro via Dominguez train line stopped running.

The Route of the San Pedro Line

Journey from Los Angeles

From the Pacific Electric Building in Los Angeles, the San Pedro via Dominguez line followed the same path as the Long Beach Line up to a place called Dominguez Junction. After Dominguez Junction, the line had its own special path, away from regular roads.

At Dominguez Junction, the line split off to the south with two tracks. These tracks ran south, crossing Del Amo Boulevard and reaching Dominguez Street. Here, the Southern Pacific train line crossed over and ran next to the Pacific Electric tracks.

Through Wilmington

The two tracks continued south, running parallel to Alameda Street. They crossed Carson Street and Sepulveda Boulevard. Then, the tracks turned southwest towards Wilmington. They crossed a Santa Fe train line and Pacific Coast Highway.

The line reached Flint Junction, where the Long Beach–San Pedro Line joined it. From Flint Junction, the tracks continued into Wilmington. They crossed Anaheim Street, where the Catalina Dock Line branched off. The Wilmington Station was at Avalon Boulevard and "B" Street. Here, the West Basin Line branched off to the west.

Arrival in San Pedro

From "B" Street, the two tracks continued across a part of Los Angeles Harbor called "Pier A." They ran next to Neptune Street to the end of the peninsula. There, the two tracks became a single track to cross the Southern Pacific Draw Bridge over the entrance to the West Basin.

After crossing the bridge, the line became two tracks again. It ran into San Pedro on a long raised structure called a trestle. At 1st Street in San Pedro, the West Basin Line joined back up. The two tracks continued four blocks south to the end of the line at the San Pedro Pacific Electric station on 5th Street. An electric line went even further to Outer Harbor, but it didn't carry many passengers.

Major Stations on the Line

A Small Part of the Line Returns

The Waterfront Red Car

A small part of the old San Pedro via Dominguez route was brought back to life as the Waterfront Red Car. This was a special project to provide transportation in the San Pedro Harbor area.

Replica (copy) and restored (fixed up) Red Cars ran on a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) route. It went from the World Cruise Centre (where cruise ships dock) under the Vincent Thomas Bridge. The line ended at 22nd Street and Miner Street. This special service mostly ran on weekends from 2003 to 2015. It was then "temporarily" stopped because of road construction nearby.