Colton Line

Last updated

Colton
Eighth Street, Colton late 1910s.jpg
Car 136 in service on 8th Street in Colton, 1910
Overview
Locale Inland Empire
Termini
  • San Bernardino
  • Colton
Service
Type Streetcar
System Pacific Electric
History
Opened1902 (1902)
ClosedFebruary 22, 1942 (1942-02-22)
Technical
Line length4.24 mi (6.82 km)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification Overhead line,  600 V DC
Route map

Contents

BSicon uCONTg.svg
BSicon uABZgl+l.svg
BSicon udBHFq.svg
BSicon udLSTRq.svg
San Bernardino
BSicon uHST.svg
F Street
BSicon uHST.svg
G Street
BSicon uHST.svg
H Street
BSicon uHST.svg
I Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Carter Avenue
BSicon STR+l.svg
BSicon umKRZ.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
Kendall Avenue
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
K Street
BSicon HUBaq.svg
BSicon INT.svg
BSicon HUBeq.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
Santa Fe Depot
BSicon CONTf.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
3rd Street & Mount Vernon
BSicon uHST.svg
2nd Street
BSicon uHST.svg
King
BSicon uCONTgq.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
BSicon uSTRq.svg
BSicon uLSTRq.svg
Rialto Avenue
BSicon uHST.svg
Atlantic & Bellview Avenues
BSicon uHST.svg
Pacific & Central Avenues
BSicon uHST.svg
Walnut Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Birch Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Poplar Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Oak Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Mill Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Esperanza
BSicon uHST.svg
La Cadena Curve
BSicon uHST.svg
Vandemark
BSicon uHST.svg
La Cadena Siding
BSicon uHST.svg
9th & La Cadena
BSicon uHST.svg
8th & La Cadena
BSicon uHST.svg
Pettijohn
BSicon uHST.svg
Olive
BSicon uHST.svg
A Street
BSicon uHST.svg
B Street
BSicon uHST.svg
C Street
BSicon uHST.svg
D Street
BSicon uHST.svg
E Street
BSicon uHST.svg
F Street
BSicon uHST.svg
G Street
BSicon uHST.svg
H Street
BSicon uHST.svg
I Street
BSicon uHST.svg
8th & J Streets
BSicon uCONTgq.svg
BSicon uKBHFe.svg
BSicon uSTRq.svg
BSicon uLSTRq.svg
Colton (9th & J Streets)

The Colton Line was a local streetcar line, mostly known as being a service of the Pacific Electric. It operated between Colton and San Bernardino, one of two lines in service between the two cities. [1]

History

The line was established by the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company. The first cars operated over the line on February 22, 1902, but a derailment at Third and E in San Bernardino necessitated more work on the line. [2] Initially planned to open for revenue service on August 26, 1902, the opening was eventually delayed to September 2. [3] However, the Southern Pacific Railroad opposed the new line crossing their steam line in Colton and delayed opening further. [4] The company was absorbed into the Pacific Electric in 1911. In 1913 the service was through-routed with the D Street–Highland Avenue Line. Completion of the more direct San Bernardino–Riverside Line in late 1914 greatly reduced demand on the line, with ridership reduced by more than half on the old line the following year. Despite its lesser popularity, the Colton Line outlasted the shorter route, remaining in service until February 22, 1942. [5] [6]

Route

The line started at the Colton station at 9th and J Streets near Colton Crossing where passengers interchanged with transcontinental trains. Cars ran west on J for a block before turning north on 8th Street. At Vernon Avenue, the tracks ran northward until the main line at 3rd Street where a right turn continued into San Bernardino. [5] [7]

The line connected the joint Pacific Electric and Southern Pacific stations in San Bernardino and Colton via the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Electric</span> Southern California transit company

The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses 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, Orange County, San Bernardino County and Riverside County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monrovia–Glendora Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar route (1902–1951)

The Monrovia–Glendora Line was a route on the Pacific Electric Railway serving the San Gabriel Valley. It operated from 1902 to 1951, supporting nearby real estate development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Madre Line</span>

The Sierra Madre Line was a Pacific Electric interurban route which ran 16.52 miles (26.59 km) from the Pacific Electric Building in Los Angeles to Sierra Madre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Fernando Line</span> Part of the Pacific Electric Railway system

The San Fernando Line was a part of the Pacific Electric Railway system in Los Angeles County, California. It was designed to increase the reach of public transportation from the Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood into the San Fernando Valley, to support land speculation and development expanding Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pasadena Short Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar line (1894–1951)

The Pasadena Short Line was a passenger railway line of the Pacific Electric Railway. It ran between Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Pasadena, California, through Eastside Los Angeles along the foot of the eastern San Rafael Hills to the western San Gabriel Valley. It was in service under the company between 1902 until 1951, though it had operated under different companies back to its beginnings as a horsecar line. The route, designated by the company as line 2, was the key component of the company's Northern Subdivision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upland–San Bernardino Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar route (1914–1950)

The Upland–San Bernardino Line was an interurban line operated by the Pacific Electric Railway between Downtown Los Angeles and San Bernardino, California. This line also had shorter service that terminated before the end of the line at Baldwin Park, Covina, and San Dimas. Though service along this line in its entirety was discontinued in November 1941, it stands as the fourth-longest rapid transit line in American history, after the Sacramento Northern Railway's Chico and Colusa services, and the Pacific Electric's own Riverside–Rialto Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alhambra–San Gabriel Line</span> Former interurban rail line in California

The Alhambra–San Gabriel Line was a Pacific Electric interurban line which traveled between Los Angeles and Temple City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside–Rialto Line</span> Train service

Riverside–Rialto was an interurban train service operated by the Pacific Electric Railway from 1914 to 1940, running from Downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Riverside. This was the longest service in the Pacific Electric system, and the only line to have exclusive trackage owned by the Union Pacific instead of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The line reached its highest ridership the year it opened but never recovered at a time when the Inland Empire was far less populated and a commute of that distance was rare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balboa Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar line (1904-1950)

The Balboa Line was the southernmost route of the Pacific Electric Railway. It ran between Downtown Los Angeles and the Balboa Peninsula in Orange County by way of North Long Beach, though the route was later cut back to the Newport Dock. It was designated as route 17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owensmouth Line</span> Former Pacific Electric interurban service

The Owensmouth Line was a Pacific Electric interurban service that connected the San Fernando Valley to Downtown Los Angeles. The route was largely developed as the result of real estate speculation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whittier Line</span> Pacific Electric interurban route in California

The Whittier Line was a Pacific Electric interurban line which traveled between Los Angeles and Whittier via Huntington Park, Rivera, and Los Nietos. A branch of the company's original Long Beach Line, operations along the line began in 1903. Due to its indirect route, passenger operations were eventually replaced by bus service on Whittier Boulevard after 1938. Tracks were largely retained for use by freight trains, eventually becoming the Union Pacific La Habra Subdivision. A short segment of the route is expected to be reactivated for passenger service as part of the Southeast Gateway Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Habra–Fullerton–Yorba Linda Line</span> Pacific Electric interurban route in California

La Habra–Fullerton–Yorba Linda Line was a Pacific Electric interurban line which traveled between Los Angeles and Yorba Linda. Passenger services ran between 1911 and 1938. Initial plans were for the route to continue further east to form a second main line between Los Angeles and San Bernardino, though these would go unfulfilled. After passenger service ended, much of the route was retained for freight service, eventually becoming the Union Pacific La Habra Subdivision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Pedro via Dominguez Line</span>

San Pedro via Dominguez was a 25.39-mile (40.86 km) interurban transport route, part of the Pacific Electric system in Greater Los Angeles. Its termini were the Pacific Electric Building in Downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Pedro via Gardena Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar route (1903–1940)

San Pedro via Gardena was an interurban line of the Pacific Electric Railway. This was the railway's original route to San Pedro. The line was essential in the establishment of light industry in Torrance. The route closely paralleled the present-day Harbor Transitway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Beach Line</span> Pacific Electric interurban route in California

The Long Beach Line was a major interurban railway operated by the Pacific Electric Railway between Los Angeles and Long Beach, California via Florence, Watts, and Compton. Service began in 1902 and lasted until 1961, the last line of the system to be replaced by buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrowhead Line</span>

The Arrowhead Line was a suburban route of the Pacific Electric Railway. It ran from the joint Pacific Electric and Southern Pacific San Bernardino Depot to Arrowhead Springs, by way of D Street.

The Long Beach–San Pedro Line is a former Pacific Electric interurban railway service in Los Angeles County, California. Unlike most of the company's services, trains did not travel to Downtown Los Angeles and instead provided a service between Long Beach and San Pedro. It was designated as line 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Bernardino–Riverside Line</span> Railway line in California

The San Bernardino–Riverside is a former Pacific Electric (PE) interurban railway line in the Inland Empire. Unlike most of the company's services, trains did not travel to Downtown Los Angeles and instead provided a suburban service between San Bernardino and Riverside.

The Highland Line was a 6.56-mile (10.56 km) local streetcar route of the Pacific Electric Railway. It ran from the San Bernardino Depot to Highland. A short branch line served the Southern California State Asylum for the Insane and Inebriates at Patton.

Streetcars in Redlands transported people across the city and region from 1889 until 1936. The city's network of street railways peaked around 1908 before the patchwork of separate companies was consolidated under the Pacific Electric.

References

  1. Pacific Electric Railway Time Table (PDF). Pacific Electric. March 26, 1932. Retrieved January 17, 2021 via wx4's Dome of Foam.
  2. "New electric line in San Bernardino". The Los Angeles Times. February 24, 1902. p. 10. Retrieved December 14, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  3. "Trolley Franchise". The Los Angeles Times . July 24, 1902. p. 18. Retrieved December 12, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  4. "May come together". The San Bernardino County Sun. September 26, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved December 12, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  5. 1 2 Veysey, Laurence R. (June 1958). A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 (PDF). LACMTA (Report). Los Angeles, California: Interurbans. pp. 64, 107. ASIN   B0007F8D84. OCLC   6565577.
  6. "Trolley Gives Way to Motor Coach Service". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. February 22, 1942. pp. 11, 19 . Retrieved December 2, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  7. "San Bernardino Local Lines". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  8. "Pacific Electric Time Tables" (PDF). wx4's Dome of Foam. Pacific Electric. September 1, 1934. p. 16. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
Template:Attached KML/Colton Line
KML is not from Wikidata