Hawthorne–El Segundo Line

The Hawthorne–El Segundo Line was an interurban railway route of the Pacific Electric Railway. It was built to transport oil from the Standard Oil Refinery in El Segundo and also saw passenger service.

Hawthorne–El Segundo
El Segundo, 1914
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Los Angeles, and the South Bay
Termini	Downtown Los Angeles El Segundo, California
Stations	22
Service
Type	Interurban
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Pacific Electric
Rolling stock	PE 1000 Class (last used)
Ridership	304,996 (1926)[1]
History
Opened	August 10, 1914
Closed	October 31, 1930
Technical
Line length	18.87 miles (30.37 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead lines
Route map Pacific Electric Building  H   J   R   H   U  Amoco to Santa Monica Air Line Vernon Avenue  V  Slauson Junction to Whittier & La Habra–Yorba Linda to Ascot Park Watts multiple lines Centralia South Park Avenue Main Street South Los Angeles (Forest)  7  to Redondo Beach via Gardena Delta to San Pedro via Gardena Westbridge Compton Creek Cypave Hawthorne  5  to Hawthorne–El Nido & Redondo Beach via Hawthorne Wise Medio Calvert El Segundo (Main Street)

History

El Segundo began as a company town for Standard Oil. When they announced the location of the refinery in 1911, Pacific Electric quickly began planning of a spur line of the Redondo Beach via Gardena Line east of Delta Junction.[1] COnstruction began in 1913 and the first cars arrived in Downtown El Segundo on August 10, 1914.[1][2] Direct service from El Segundo to Los Angeles was offered from 1920 to 1924, but the route mainly operated as a shuttle with transfers at Hawthorne.[2]

Due to low passenger usage revenue service ended after Halloween 1930,[2] but freight service on the line continued to be a major revenue source for Pacific Electric. Tracks in downtown El Segundo had been removed by 1981, but steam and diesel locomotives continued to serve the length of the line from Watts to the Standard Oil Refinery (later Chevron).[3] The line is now owned by Union Pacific.

List of major stations

Station	Major Connections	Date Opened	Date Closed	City
Hawthorne–El Segundo
Pacific Electric Building	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Annandale, Balboa, Fullerton, 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, Fullerton, 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, Fullerton, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Redondo Beach via Gardena, San Pedro via Dominguez, San Pedro via Gardena, Santa Ana, Whittier	1902	1961
Watts	Balboa, Long Beach, Redondo Beach via Gardena, San Pedro via Dominguez, San Pedro via Gardena, Santa Ana	1902	1961
Forest	Redondo Beach via Gardena, San Pedro via Gardena Los Angeles Railway 7	1911	1940
Delta	San Pedro via Gardena	1911	1940
Hawthorne	Hawthorne–El Nido Los Angeles Railway 5	1914	1930	Hawthorne

References

1. "El Segundo Line". Electric Railway Historical Association. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
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). p. 12. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
3. Caltrans (February 1982). "1981 Inventory of Pacific Electric Routes" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 23 January 2021.