Passenger Trains > Santa Monica rail

Not following much in LA, when will the new streetcar (aka light rail) begin to Santa Monica?
From where?
Will it follow former PERy routes?

 

May 20

https://d1akjheu06qp1r.cloudfront.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/806.pdf

https://www.metro.net/projects/expo-santa-monica/

Follows Santa Monica Air Line most of the way



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/16 15:17 by jmonier.

The SM Airline was mostly a freight line. A franchise car ran a r/t commuter run SM to LA until sometime in 1953.
Most PE Passenger Service used the Venice Shortline or Hollywood/Santa Monica Blvd. routes to SM, ending about 1950.
See erha.org for more PE history.

In other LA area rail news:  The Gold Line Foothill Extension opened between East Pasadena (Chapman on the old Santa Fe timetable) and the east side of Azusa last month.  Residents of the San Gabriel Valley who used to fight the traffic on I-210 are already crowding the rush hour trains, and the parking structures at the two Azusa stations fill up early.  My older daughter, who lives in Glendora (next town east of Azusa, and long ago end of the PE Monrovia Glendora Line) and works in LA, switched from the Metrolink San Bernardino (boarding at Covina) to the Gold Line, fortunately early enough in the morning to find a parking spot.  The new section of the Gold Line has the advantage over the Expo Line in that it runs on a former main line route, where the Super Chief and the Fast Mail trains used to race along at 65 mph, with all grade crossings protected by quad gates.  Some sections of the Expo Line run under city-traffic rules, with the operators having to obey traffic signals that don't have transit-priority.

Lairport Wrote:
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> The SM Airline was mostly a freight line. A
> franchise car ran a r/t commuter run SM to
> LA until sometime in 1953.
> Most PE Passenger Service used the Venice
> Shortline or Hollywood/Santa Monica Blvd. routes
> to SM, ending about 1950.
> See erha.org for more PE history.

The Venice Shortline ceased operations in Sept 1950.  Service via Beverly Hills ended in 1940. Most (if not all) of the through service was via Venice Blvd and San Vicente to Beverly Hills, however.  I not sure if there was ever through service via Hollywood (although it was certainly possible to make connections in Beverly Hills).

Note that there was freight service along Santa Monica Blvd from West Los Angeles to Hollywood for many years after 1950.  It was electric until around 1950 and then diesel after.  It came off the Santa Monica Air Line via Sepulveda Blvd to Santa Monica Blvd.

The Santa Monica Blvd. "midnight switcher" was electric until 1958, because the City of Los Angeles, where the eastern end of the remnant in freight service ran, would not allow diesel locomotives until 1958.  PE had to keep a freight motor at West Hollywood; when the crew came in from Beverly Hills, they'd pump up the air in the electric and continue their work with trolley power. PE kept 1622 and 1624 in service for this job.  When LA finally gave the OK to use diesel power, provided the units were equipped with air whistles as well as the usual horns, and had exhaust mufflers added, 1622 was scrapped, but 1624 was sent to LA County Fairgrounds, where it was preserved along with several steam locomotives. About two years later, it was moved to Orange Empire Ry. Museum (when it was Orange Empire Trolley Museum) where it still runs on special occasions. (Look for photos posted on the Nostalgia & History page)

There has been discussion about running a light rail line along a section of Santa Monica Blvd., but I suspect for many of us, it's in the "I should live so long" category.  

DNRY122 Wrote:
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> There has been discussion about running a light
> rail line along a section of Santa Monica Blvd.,
> but I suspect for many of us, it's in the "I
> should live so long" category.  

Unfortunately the private right-of-way is totally gone except through Beverly Hills (and even there it's questionable in many spots).