Redlands Line

Last updated

Redlands
Third Street looking east, San Bernardino, ca.1905 (CHS-5240).jpg
Tracks and trolley wire run down the center of Third Street in San Bernardino looking west, 1905
Overview
Locale Inland Empire
Termini
  • San Bernardino
  • Redlands
Service
Type Interurban
System Pacific Electric
History
OpenedMarch 10, 1903 (1903-03-10)
ClosedJuly 19, 1936 (1936-07-19)
Technical
Number of tracks1
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification Overhead line,  600 V DC
Route map

Contents

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0.0
San Bernardino
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0.5
3rd & A Streets
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0.8
Allen Street
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1.0
2nd Street
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1.1
Waterman Avenue
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1.3
Martin's Gate
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1.8
Mill Street
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2.1
Race Track
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2.3
Tippecanoe
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3.0
Escuelda
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3.3
Gravel Pit Spur
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4.3
La Quinta
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4.7
Marigold
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5.2
California
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5.7
Nevada
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5.9
Shepherd's Ranch
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6.3
Crown Jewel
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6.5
Green Station
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6.7
Tennessee
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7.0
Williams
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7.2
Texas
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7.5
Ohio
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7.6
Clay Street
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7.7
Washington
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7.8
Orange & San Bernardino Aves.
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7.9
Walton
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8.0
Penn Avenue
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8.1
Delaware
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8.2
Lugonia
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8.4
Western
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8.5
Brockton Avenue
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8.6
Union Street
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8.7
Sun Street
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8.8
Colton Avenue
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8.9
High Street
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9.0
Stewart
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9.0
Redlands Santa Fe Depot
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9.1
Redlands Southern Pacific Depot
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Central Avenue
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State Street
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Redlands (Citrus Avenue)
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The Redlands Line is a former Pacific Electric interurban railway line in the Inland Empire. The route provided suburban service between San Bernardino and Redlands.

History

Constructed by the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company starting in 1902, the line began regular service on March 10, 1903. [1] Cars initially operated into San Bernardino under trackage rights via the Redlands Street Railway until the two merged in June after opening. Cars initially terminated at Urbita Springs. The San Bernardino Valley Traction Company was absorbed into Pacific Electric under the Great Merger in 1911. [2] By March 1913 the inbound terminus was changed from Urbita Springs to the San Bernardino station. [3]

By January 1916 through-routing with the San Bernardino–Riverside Line had begun, forming the Redlands–Riverside Line. [3] The line also supported heavy usage by freight trains transporting fruit. [4] On November 1, 1920, through service was provided to Los Angeles for the first time, with Redlands cars appended to Upland–San Bernardino Line trains. The 2 hour 50 minute journey was the longest single service ever offered by the Pacific Electric. [5] Between April and June 1928 through-routing was discontinued with the San Bernardino–Riverside Line as part of a scheme developed by the California Railroad Commission; [6] this was reverted after proving unsuccessful. Service ended after July 19, 1936, [7] leaving Redlands as the largest city in the Pacific Electric system served exclusively by buses. [3]

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">Glendale–Burbank Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar route (1904–1955)

Glendale–Burbank is a defunct Pacific Electric railway line that was operational from 1904 to 1955 in Southern California, running from Downtown Los Angeles to Burbank via Glendale. Short lines terminated Downtown and in North Glendale, including the popular Edendale Local.

<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">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">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">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">Sierra Vista Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar line (1895–1951)

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<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside station (Union Pacific Railroad)</span> Former railway station in Riverside, California

Riverside Depot is a former train station in Riverside, California.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colton Line</span> Streetcar line in California, U.S.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside–Arlington Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar route (1893–1943)

The Riverside–Arlington Line is a former Pacific Electric interurban railway line in the Inland Empire. The route provided suburban service between San Bernardino and Arlington with a later extension to Corona. It operated between 1893 and 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upland–Ontario Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar line (1912–1926)

The Upland–Ontario Line is a former Pacific Electric streetcar line in San Bernardino County, California. Cars did not travel to Downtown Los Angeles and instead provided a local service between Ontario and Upland with through service to Pomona.

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.

The Pomona–Claremont Line was a Pacific Electric streetcar line in Southern California. Unlike most of the company's services, cars did not travel to Downtown Los Angeles and instead provided a suburban service between Pomona, Claremont, and Upland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venice Boulevard Line</span> Pacific Electric streetcar route (1896–1950)

The Venice Boulevard Line was a local streetcar line of the Pacific Electric. It operated between Downtown Los Angeles and Vineyard Junction, where riders could transfer to interurban cars. Nearly all Venice Short Line cars did not accept local passengers, leaving this as the primary streetcar service along its namesake boulevard.

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.

The Pacific Electric Railway established streetcar services in Long Beach in 1902. Unlike other cities where Pacific Electric operated local streetcars, Long Beach's system did not predate the company's services. Long Beach's network of streetcars peaked around 1911 with over 30 miles (48 km) of tracks throughout the city. Local services were discontinued in 1940, but interurban service to Los Angeles persisted until 1961. The route of the former main interurban line was rebuilt in the late 1980s as the Metro Blue Line, which operates at-grade with car traffic for a portion of its length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streetcars in San Pedro</span>

San Pedro featured a network of streetcars between 1903 and 1958. The establishment of the Port of Los Angeles in the early 1900s spurred the development of the nearby city, and electric streetcars provided local transit services for workers and later military personnel. Pacific Electric was the primary operator in the city.

References

  1. "Shake! Redlands ain't you glad?". The San Bernardino County Sun. March 10, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved November 28, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  2. "Riverside-Redlands Line". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Veysey 1958 , p. 65-66
  4. "Dedication of Fruit House is Held". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino County Sun. January 7, 1916. p. 6. Retrieved February 14, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  5. Veysey 1958 , p. 66
  6. "New P.E Schedules Effective Today on All Interurban Lines". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino County Sun. April 1, 1928. p. 8. Retrieved February 14, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  7. "Rail Service on Interurban Lines Dropped". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino County Sun. July 19, 1936. p. 13. Retrieved February 4, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg

Bibliography