Rail and Motor Coach Lines of the Pacific Electric Railway

Prewar transit map of Southern California showing the network of the Pacific Electric Railway Company.

Created by a member of the gigantic and influential Southern Pacific Railroad in 1901, the Pacific Electric Railway company operated the largest electric railway system in the world by the early 1920’s. Aggressive pursuit by the company’s officers led to significant consolidation among private companies and generous land concessions by local politicians for new tracks. This led to a complex network of rail and bus routes owned by a private company connecting Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

This map shows the extent of that interconnected system and includes an inset map of downtown Los Angeles and Union Station. Profits boomed through the 1920’s, but at the time this map was published in February of 1941, service was in a steep decline.

Through the impending Second World War would temporarily boost ridership, real estate income from the land grants had largely dried up by the 40’s, and the construction of the area’s highway system pushed many potential riders to automobile transportation. By 1961, the last assets of the Pacific Electric were sold to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority.