1299 at the End of the Wire
Roger Titus Photo, Ralph Cantos Collection
It’s July 4, 1954, and Pacific Electric Business Car no. 1299 pauses briefly at North Long Beach on the former Newport Beach Line. The overhead trolley wire ends here, about 200 feet south of the junction with the Long Beach Line. The 1299 is headed for Huntington Beach to attend July 4th festivities and will have to be towed the rest of the way to Huntington Beach; the overhead wires on the line had been removed in early 1951.
Roger Titus Photo, Ralph Cantos Collection
Bonus image and commentary by Ralph!
Roger Titus Photo, Ralph Cantos Collection
Southern Pacific Diesel switcher no. 1012 arrives to couple up to and tow PE 1299 and its carload of SP & PE wind bags the rest of the way to Huntington Beach.
Roger Titus Photo, Ralph Cantos Collection
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I remember seeing a photo of 1299 at Huntington Beach in 1954, and only one end of it was showing. I figured it had some help to get there, and here’s the rest of the story. I have a home movie from 1958 (or 59) of 1299 on the former Duarte Branch in Arcadia, presumably on a PE inspection trip. Here it had an SP 4600-class diesel for motive power. Does anyone have a record of this trip? I believe the car was stored in San Bernardino by this time, since that was one of the few remaining PE carbarns with rail access. And–note the PE air whistle on the switcher, required for working what was left of the Western District.