PE 1498: The Last of Her Kind

By Ralph Cantos

Pacific Electric no. 1498 (originally car no. 881) is seen here on display at Travel Town around 1970. In 1940 she and four other 800s were converted to Express Motors. During World War II, they were put back into passenger service to be used mostly on the “Torrance Shop Train.” After the war, they were again converted back to Express Motor service until retirement in 1950, on the eve of PE’s total mass destruction. The 800’s were PE’s heaviest and fastest wood-bodied interurbans.

Ralph Cantos Collection