Sierra Madre Line

The Sierra Madre Line was a Pacific Electric interurban route which ran 16.9 miles (27.2 km) from the Pacific Electric Building in Los Angeles to Sierra Madre.

Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre 1908 with PE line Depot and the Hotel Shirley in background
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Southern California
Termini	Pacific Electric Building Sierra Madre, California
Stations	24
Service
Type	Interurban
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Pacific Electric
Rolling stock	PE 1100 Class (last used)
Daily ridership	1713 (last counted)
History
Opened	January 1, 1906
Closed	October 6, 1950
Technical
Line length	16.9 mi (27.2 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	600 V DC Overhead lines
Route map Mount Wilson Trail Sierra Madre Kinneloa Wash Villa Eaton Wash El Rincon Vinedo Santa Fe Lamanda Park Junction Lamanda Park Line Halliday Monrovia–Glendora San Marino Las Rosas El Molino San Pasqual Wash Pasqualito Fletcher Avenue Pasadena Short Line 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

Central Ave, Sierra Madre CA in 1904. A mule team is grading the Ave for the installation of the 1905 Pacific Electric street car, in the background is the Old North Church with the original barn roof bell tower.

The line opened to Pasadena on March 19, 1904 and was extended to Sierra Madre in 1906.[1] On December 3, 1916 the routing through Downtown Los Angeles changed.[2]

Shuttle service began for evening trips between Sierra Madre and San Marino began by March 1, 1928 with passengers changing to Monrovia–Glendora Line trains to complete the trip.[2] Starting March 1939 the rear car of some Glendora trains were disconnected to continue to Sierra Madre. This arrangement became the line's only direct service starting February 21, 1943, as all midday service became shuttles and only rush hour cars from Monrovia trains serving the line.[2]

Weekend and midday service was discontinued on June 11, 1948 and all trips became shuttles. A single morning outbound trip from Los Angeles was added after November 25, 1949. On October 8, 1950 service was virtually abandoned with a single round trip running Sierra Madre and San Marino; this ended on December 28, 1950.[2]

List of major stations

Station	Major Connections	Date Opened	Date Closed	City
Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre		1902	1950	Sierra Madre
Lamanda Park Junction	Lamanda Park	1902	1950	Pasadena
San Marino	Monrovia–Glendora	1902	1950	San Marino
El Molino	Monrovia–Glendora, Pasadena via Oak Knoll	1902	1950
Oneonta Park	Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Shorb	1901	1951	South Pasadena
Sierra Vista	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Shorb	1901	1951	Alhambra
Covina Junction	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Riverside–Rialto, Upland–San Bernardino	1901	1951	Los Angeles
Echandia Junction	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Annandale, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Riverside–Rialto, 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 Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Riverside–Rialto, San Pedro via Dominguez, San Pedro via Gardena, Santa Ana, Santa Monica Air Line, Soldiers' Home, South Pasadena Local, Whittier Los Angeles Railway B, H, J, R, 7, and 8	1905	1961

References

1. "Pacific Electric Sierra Madre Line". Electric Railway Historic Association of Southern California. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
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. 83. Retrieved 18 January 2021.