Alan Weeks’ Pacific Electric Railway: Santa Anita Race Trains and San Vicente Shuttle, 1949
By Alan K. Weeks
This is a small group but two different subjects. The Santa Anita Race track trains, and the San Vicente Shuttle.
The Race Track trains only ran on the days that they held races. The San Vicente shuttle was a small leftover piece of the Santa Monica Via Beverly Hills Line.
Vineyard Junction was where the two Santa Monica Lines separated. They both ran from the Hill Street Station to the Junction and then went different routes to Santa Monica.
The Beverly Hills Line was abandoned in 1940 or ’41 (not sure). The Venice Short Line continued on until September 1950.
The little Shuttle ran from 1940 until the Venice Line was abandoned in 1950. It ran from the Junction to Olympic Boulevard using a long viaduct.
There was a horrible wreck at Vineyard in 1913. I am also attaching a report made at the time of the wreck.
NOTES
Image 468 – A bad negative for what ever reason that I tried unsuccessfully to restore. lol
Was it a light leak ? We will never know. Note the Vineyard Sub Station in the background.
The Santa Anita Trains were taken at the Main Street Station or in Arcadia where
the track still is.
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Thanks for sharing a great period of history.
Reading about the history of the Pacific Electric Railway and the various traction equipment than ran on it is always interesting. And seeing the accompanying photos of the traction equipment, including my favorite, the wood interurban “Ten” coaches is always the greatest plus! Thanks for sharing!
Please bring back alll electric! How sad