Fullerton Line

The Fullerton Line was an interurban route of the Pacific Electric Railway. It ran between Downtown Los Angeles and Fullerton, California.

Fullerton
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Los Angeles, the Gateway Cities and Orange County
Termini	Downtown Los Angeles Fullerton, California
Stations	40
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Pacific Electric
Rolling stock	PE 220 Class (last used)
Ridership	100,105 (1926)
History
Opened	1917
Closed	January 22, 1938 (passenger) late 1940s (freight)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	600 V DC Overhead lines
Route map to Sierra Vista &  B   F   G   O  Pacific Electric Building Edendale Local  H   J   R   S   B   F   G   O  multiple lines  U  Amoco to Santa Monica Air Line Vernon Avenue  V  Slauson Junction multiple lines Dozier Huntington Park  J  Miles Fruitland Bell Greening Baker Walker Los Angeles River Laguna Gage Rio Hondo Rio Hondo McCampbell Downey Road SR 19 Rivera Burke San Gabriel River Guirado Santa Fe RR Los Nietos to Whittier Valla Hazzard Walnut Avenue Adams Bethel Colima Scott Leffingwell Toler Des Moines Leuhm La Habra Loan Junction to La Habra–Yorba Linda Alta Mar North Bastanchury Bastanchury South Bastanchury Spadra Road Harvard Avenue Fullerton Santa Fe RR

History

The line, a later addition to the system, was not originally intended for passenger service unless a connection to Orange was completed. Despite this, the route was opened for service in 1917.[1][2] In 1935, PE reported losses on the line of $1610 for travel in the previous year (equivalent to $30,770 in 2019).[3] PE discontinued passenger service on the line on January 22, 1938.[4][5] Landowners along the line petitioned for its closure in 1939,[6] but freight traffic on the line continued until the late 1940s.[7]

One of the more prominent landmarks on the line was a concrete arch bridge over Harbor Boulevard that was emblazoned with a message welcoming visitors to Fullerton. The bridge was razed in 1964 to ease clearances for trucks.[8]

Part of the former line became a section of the Juanita Cooke Greenbelt & Trail.[1] The West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor light rail project is expected to use a section of the line between Slauson and the former Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad right of way.

List of major stations

Station	Major Connections	Date Opened	Date Closed	City
Pacific Electric Building	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Annandale, Balboa, Hawthorne–El Segundo, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Redlands, Redondo Beach via Gardena, Riverside–Rialto, San Pedro via Dominguez, San Pedro via Gardena, Santa Ana, Santa Monica Air Line, Sierra Madre, Soldiers' Home, South Pasadena Local, Upland–San Bernardino, Whittier Los Angeles Railway B, H, J, R, 7, and 8	1905	1961	Los Angeles
Amoco	Balboa, Hawthorne–El Segundo, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Redondo Beach via Gardena, San Pedro via Dominguez, San Pedro via Gardena, Santa Ana, Santa Monica Air Line, Soldiers' Home, Whittier	1902	1961
Slauson Junction	Balboa, Hawthorne–El Segundo, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Redondo Beach via Gardena, San Pedro via Dominguez, San Pedro via Gardena, Santa Ana, Whittier	1902	1961
Los Nietos	La Habra–Yorba Linda, Whittier	1903	1941	Santa Fe Springs
La Habra	La Habra–Yorba Linda	1911	1938	La Habra
Fullerton	Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad	1917	1938	Fullerton

References

1. Yanity, Brian (May 16, 2019). "Fullerton, Rail Town: The Pacific Electric Railway". Fullerton Observer. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
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). pp. 28, 29. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
3. "Curtailment Of P. E. Service To Brea Requested". Santa Ana Register. May 24, 1935. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "La Habra-Yorba Linda-Fullerton Line". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
5. "Pacific Electric Railway: "Comfort, Speed, Safety"". American-rails.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
6. "Fullerton May Lose Rail Line". Los Angeles Times. October 29, 1939. p. 52 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Pacific Electric Depot, 1918 - Il Ghiotto Restaurant". City of Fullerton. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
8. "Still intersecting FJC was "Boxcar Avenue," the Pacific Electric Railway's right-of-way through the campus". Fullerton College Library. 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2020.