Santa Monica Air Line (Pacific Electric)
Encyclopedia
The Santa Monica Air Line was part of the Pacific Electric trolly system on a route connecting Santa Monica, California
to Los Angeles. So named because it was a straight line; a bee line.
intended to bring mining ore for offloading to ships in Santa Monica harbor and as an excursion train to the beach.
for exclusive freight use. However, when San Pedro
was established as the port of Los Angeles, it was leased as an electric trolley route for passenger service beginning in 1909.
Pacific Electric Railway
consolidated the line in 1911. It is the second-oldest railroad line in Southern California, preceded only by the 1869 Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad, later becoming the Southern Pacific San Pedro division and which is now part of the Alameda Corridor
.
The line began at a four-tracked main near the present-day Los Angeles intersection of Long Beach Boulevard and 25th Street, passing the University of Southern California
, Exposition Park
and Palms
on its way west toward Santa Monica. The stretch of track directly across from USC was often used in the 1930s to display new, streamlined passenger trainsets; in later years after the line's abandonment, it served as a siding for Ringling Bros. circus trains when the circus was held at the nearby Shrine Auditorium
. And as late as 1984 Southern Pacific used the tracks near the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for company passenger cars visiting the Olympic Games. Remnants of the line's Pacific Electric days are visible even today along Second, Third and Fourth Streets immediately south of Exposition Boulevard in the form of utility pole-mounted cantilevers less their electro-mechanical "wigwag"
grade crossing signals.
An unusual sight on the line in the Palms area was that of a 1941 Southern Pacific Railroad boxcar
which remained trapped on the freight siding which once serviced the Sloane Furniture warehouse/factory at 10151 National Boulevard adjacent to the site of the railroad's Palms Depot. According to Abandonedrails.com, the remaining visible markings showed the "Southern Pacific Lines" herald which had been discontinued by 1961. The site was leveled and the boxcar removed in 2004 to make way for a self-storage facility.
Passenger service was reduced as early as 1924, with passenger trains and trolleys running during morning and evening rush hours only. By then, the principal passenger service to Santa Monica originated at the Subway Terminal on Hill St. in downtown L.A., then through the subway and along Santa Monica Boulevard through Beverly Hills. All passenger service on the Santa Monica Air Line was discontinued after September 30, 1953. However, freight service remained important, because the only access to freight customers along Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood and Beverly Hills was via the Air Line to the (Soldier's) Home junction, then north along Sepulveda Blvd. to Santa Monica Blvd. Because a Los Angeles ordinance limited train size to 25 cars from dawn to 11:00 a.m., most freight movements occurred after midnight, but occasional small freight trains could be seen during daylight hours.
The final freight run was to Fisher Lumber in Santa Monica in 1987. By then, service to Beverly Hills and Hollywood had been discontinued, and the tracks north and east of the (Soldier's) Home junction had been removed. The aforementioned stretch of track with the unused signal cantilevers is segmented either by the removal of track or with piles of rocks and ballast on the right-of-way.
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
to Los Angeles. So named because it was a straight line; a bee line.
Los Angeles and Independence Railroad
The route, built in 1875, was formerly a steam line known as the Los Angeles and Independence RailroadLos Angeles and Independence Railroad
The Los Angeles and Independence Railroad , opened October 17, 1875, was a steam powered rail line which travelled from a wharf North of the current Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica along a private right-of-way to 5th and San Pedro Street in downtown Los Angeles...
intended to bring mining ore for offloading to ships in Santa Monica harbor and as an excursion train to the beach.
Electric passenger service
After the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad faltered, it was purchased by Southern Pacific RailroadSouthern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
for exclusive freight use. However, when San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
was established as the port of Los Angeles, it was leased as an electric trolley route for passenger service beginning in 1909.
Pacific Electric Railway
Pacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
consolidated the line in 1911. It is the second-oldest railroad line in Southern California, preceded only by the 1869 Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad, later becoming the Southern Pacific San Pedro division and which is now part of the Alameda Corridor
Alameda Corridor
The Alameda Corridor is a 20 mile freight rail "expressway" owned by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority , connecting the national rail system near downtown Los Angeles, California to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, running parallel to Alameda Street...
.
The line began at a four-tracked main near the present-day Los Angeles intersection of Long Beach Boulevard and 25th Street, passing the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Exposition Park
Exposition Park
Exposition Park is the name of more than one place:*Exposition Park - a neighborhood in south Dallas, Texas*Exposition Park - A former baseball park in Kansas City...
and Palms
Palms, Los Angeles, California
Palms is a community founded in 1886 in West Los Angeles, California, and was the oldest neighborhood annexed to the city of Los Angeles, in 1915. The 1886 tract was marketed as an agricultural and vacation community...
on its way west toward Santa Monica. The stretch of track directly across from USC was often used in the 1930s to display new, streamlined passenger trainsets; in later years after the line's abandonment, it served as a siding for Ringling Bros. circus trains when the circus was held at the nearby Shrine Auditorium
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
. And as late as 1984 Southern Pacific used the tracks near the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for company passenger cars visiting the Olympic Games. Remnants of the line's Pacific Electric days are visible even today along Second, Third and Fourth Streets immediately south of Exposition Boulevard in the form of utility pole-mounted cantilevers less their electro-mechanical "wigwag"
Wigwag (railroad)
Wigwag is the nickname given to a type of railroad grade crossing signal once common in North America, named for the pendulum-like motion it used to signal the approach of a train...
grade crossing signals.
An unusual sight on the line in the Palms area was that of a 1941 Southern Pacific Railroad boxcar
Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
which remained trapped on the freight siding which once serviced the Sloane Furniture warehouse/factory at 10151 National Boulevard adjacent to the site of the railroad's Palms Depot. According to Abandonedrails.com, the remaining visible markings showed the "Southern Pacific Lines" herald which had been discontinued by 1961. The site was leveled and the boxcar removed in 2004 to make way for a self-storage facility.
Passenger service was reduced as early as 1924, with passenger trains and trolleys running during morning and evening rush hours only. By then, the principal passenger service to Santa Monica originated at the Subway Terminal on Hill St. in downtown L.A., then through the subway and along Santa Monica Boulevard through Beverly Hills. All passenger service on the Santa Monica Air Line was discontinued after September 30, 1953. However, freight service remained important, because the only access to freight customers along Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood and Beverly Hills was via the Air Line to the (Soldier's) Home junction, then north along Sepulveda Blvd. to Santa Monica Blvd. Because a Los Angeles ordinance limited train size to 25 cars from dawn to 11:00 a.m., most freight movements occurred after midnight, but occasional small freight trains could be seen during daylight hours.
The final freight run was to Fisher Lumber in Santa Monica in 1987. By then, service to Beverly Hills and Hollywood had been discontinued, and the tracks north and east of the (Soldier's) Home junction had been removed. The aforementioned stretch of track with the unused signal cantilevers is segmented either by the removal of track or with piles of rocks and ballast on the right-of-way.
Expo Line (Los Angeles Metro)
The line was subsequently purchased for use as a light rail line, construction of which began in 2006.External links
- Essay on the Santa Monica Air Line at Abandonedrails.com including photos of the trapped boxcar, one of which was taken in 2005 just prior to its scrapping and removal
- Similar essay at Abandonedrailroads.com
- Information on the wigwag cantilevers at Trainweb.org/dansrailpix
- Santa Monica Air Line history page at erha.org
- Historic photos ca. 1953 of the final days of passenger service on the Santa Monica Air Line
- Time lapse video of a soon-to-be upgraded portion of the line from six blocks west of Robertson Boulevard north- and westward to Pico Boulevard through the Palms and Cheviot Hills areas