Rail and Motor Coach Lines of the Pacific Electric Railway

Postwar map showing transit options via the Pacific Electric Railway in Southern California.

This map of Southern California vibrantly shows the motor coach and rail lines of the Pacific Electric Railway Company shortly after the end of the Second World War. The combined routes extend from Los Angeles inland to San Bernardino and south to Orange County. Delicate shading shows the region’s rugged topography and primary roads are individually labeled.

Inset maps show downtown Los Angeles and Santa Catalina Island, accessible via steamship line of the Wilmington Transportation Company. The verso includes an index to primary attractions on the map, a list of stations and timetable, a map of the San Bernardino Mountain Resort Area, and numerous paragraphs lauding the points of interest served by the rail and motor lines.

The map was created in 1946 by the California Map Company on behalf of the Pacific Electic Railway Company. Though the transit juggernaut had experienced a boon during the war years, it had been in a period of steady decline in the years leading up to the conflict. The development of the interstate highway system in the 1950’s saw the termination of passenger service, and by the mid-1960’s the final vestiges of the Pacific Electric had been sold off entirely.