Pacific Electric
Remembering the Red Cars
Volume 2: Western District
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L.A.Quintessential
Palm trees, beaches, and Red Cars. It doesn't get any more L.A. than this. For over half a century, from Hollywood to Hill Street, the legendary Pacific Electric defined the pulse of Los Angeles.
PE considered its Western District a "suburban" service. Although the Burbank, Valley, and Venice Short Lines were certainly interurban in character, their equipment generally was not. Thus this Volume of the Western District focuses on 600 (5050) class cars, which ran on most of the Lines; venerable 800s in rare shots along the Redondo Beach-Del Rey Line; 950s and 1000s, which served the western beaches; and PE's newest cars, the thirty PCCs in the 5000 class.
Our classic coverage of Western District operations features these types of cars, burnishing the rails down to Santa Monica, cresting the Cahuenga Pass or skimming along the Ivanhoe Hills on private right-of-way; plus downtown L.A., with the Subway and Hill Street Terminals, congested Hill Street and its tunnels, and facilities at Toluca yard, West Hollywood, and Ocean Park carhouses. We also show 100s and Birneys in local service in all 3 PE districts.
Volume 2 of "Remembering the Red Cars", with the finest quality visual transfer and digital audio, affords the PE fan an unparalleled opportunity to relive these sights and sounds.
Approximately 70 minutes, mostly color, full soundtrack
Other Pacific Electric interurban titles:
Web links
The Orange Empire Railway Museum has dozens of Pacific Electric cars, some of which you can ride. There is also a brief history of the PE, and some links.
If you are interested in further exploring the PE's history, these sites will get you started:
The Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California (The link to the Pacific Electric page is about in the middle of this page.)
The Red Cars of Los Angeles at USC.
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