Pasadena Short Line

The Pasadena Short Line was a line of the Pacific Electric Railway, running from 1902 until 1951, between Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Pasadena, California. The route went through Eastside Los Angeles along the foot of the eastern San Rafael Hills to the western San Gabriel Valley.[1][2]

Pasadena Short Line
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Southern California
Termini	Pacific Electric Building Downtown Pasadena
Stations	14
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Pacific Electric
Rolling stock	PE 5050 Class PCC cars (last used)
Daily ridership	7,693 (last counting)
History
Opened	1894 (Pasadena & Los Angeles Electric Railway) 1902 (Pacific Electric)
Closed	September 30, 1951
Technical
Line length	11.6 mi (18.7 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Old gauge	narrow gauge
Electrification	600 V DC Overhead lines
Route map Pasadena Santa Fe RR Raymond Hill South Pasadena Monrovia–Glendora Oneonta Park La Cresta Sierra Vista Newton Titus Happy Valley Soto Street Viaduct El Sereno Lincoln Park Southern Pacific RR Charlotte Street Marengo Street Upland–San Bernardino Valley Junction State Street Echandia Brooklyn Avenue Union Pacific RR Los Angeles River Santa Fe RR  P  Southern Division 6th/Main Terminal  F

History

Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena looking south from Colorado Boulevard, horsecar approaching at center frame, c. 1889.

The route began as a horsecar line. In 1894, the Pasadena & Los Angeles Electric Railway purchased, re-gauged, electrified, and double-tracked a section of the line for streetcar service. Pacific Electric acquired the route around 1902, and the line was again rebuilt to standard gauge. Upon opening on November 9, 1902, service ran between the Raymond Hotel and the junction with the Alhambra Line. Negotiations to cross the existing roads — the Santa Fe Railway, Terminal Railway, and California Cycleway — led Pacific Electric to build a bridge over the right of ways shortly after their service commenced. In 1908, double tracking was completed throughout. Service was replaced by buses after September 30, 1951.[3]

List of major stations

Station	Major Connections	Date Opened	Date Closed	City
Pasadena Short Line
Pasadena	East California, East Orange Grove, East Washington, Lamanda Park, Lincoln, Mount Lowe, North Fair Oaks, North Lake, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, South Pasadena Local, West California, West Colorado and Orange Grove	1902	1951	Pasadena
South Pasadena	Mount Lowe Railway, South Pasadena Local	1902	1951	South Pasadena
Oneonta Park	Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Shorb, Sierra Madre	1901	1951
Sierra Vista	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Shorb, Sierra Madre	1901	1951	Alhambra
Covina Junction [4]	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Riverside–Rialto, Sierra Madre, Upland–San Bernardino	1901	1951	Los Angeles
Echandia Junction	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Annandale, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Riverside–Rialto, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena Local, Upland–San Bernardino	1895	1951
Pacific Electric Building	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Annandale, Balboa, Fullerton, Hawthorne–El Segundo, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Riverside–Rialto, San Pedro via Dominguez, San Pedro via Gardena, Santa Ana, Santa Monica Air Line, Sierra Madre, Soldiers' Home, South Pasadena Local, Whittier Los Angeles Railway B, H, J, R, 7, and 8	1905	1961

References

1. Bigmapblog.com: "Map of Los Angeles, California Rail Systems (1906)", Archived 2016-08-25 at the Wayback Machine with Pasadena Short Line labeled.
2. "Bigmapblog.com: "Pacific Electric map of Los Angeles (1920)"". Archived from the original on 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
3. "Pasadena Short Line". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
4. California Appellate Decisions, Volume 34; ppg 306-307; by California. District Courts of Appeal; Civil Case No. 3652 (1921), with Covina Junction description.