1243 at Etiwanda
Jack Finn Collection
Pacific Electric interurban no. 1243 bound for Los Angeles pauses at the Etiwanda Station in what is now Rancho Cucamonga. This was taken during a railfan trip. See an alternate angle in color by clicking here.
Jack Finn Collection
Recent Posts
Showing 5 comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This was taken during a railfan excursion in the 1940’s. Other photos from this trip have been in OERM’s Red Cars/Yellow Cars calendars. The station has been preserved and plans are in process to restore it, and possibly have a railroad car on static display. The track is long gone, and the right of way is now a bike trail. “Etiwanda” is now part of Rancho Cucamonga.
Update: we’ve learned from another dated image taken on the same fan trip with 1243 that this view was recorded in October of 1950.
Note the trolley wheels (as opposed to the trolley shoes that this car would normally have). This would have been after PE quit greasing the trolley wire where regular passenger service was no longer operated.
I believe 1243 belongs to the “Long Beach” subgroup.
Not only is 1243 a Long Beach Twelve, it started out as a “control trailer”, with no motors or air compressor, but with MU controls and train air brake equipment. 1243 was motorized in 1946, after 1231 and 1235 were “totaled” in a head-on collision. The concept of the “control trailer” is used in today’s Southern California scene in the Metrolink diesel powered push-pull suburban service and Amtrak SurfLiners.