PE 1141 on Huntington Drive at Warwick Road, San Marino

By Steve Crise

Late in the afternoon in July 1947, eighteen-year-old photographer Donald Duke captured this shot of a Pacific Electric Railway two-car train of “elevens” speeding inbound towards Los Angeles. It is very likely this train, lead by PE 1141, started out its run at the Glendora Station; the eastern-most end of the Monrovia – Glendora Line.

The train is rounding the bend on Huntington Drive gliding past Warwick Road in San Marino, California. Incidentally, San Marino happens to be the hometown of the photographer Donald Duke, who made many photographs of Pacific Electric Railway trains speeding along Huntington Drive.

In researching this image to verify its location, we discovered the home seen in the background of the photo on Warwick Road is still standing. If only we could make the same claim about PE car 1141!