Twenty-five years ago this summer, San Diego opened the first street-level trolley system built in the United States after World War II. Since then, following San Diego's lead, trolley and light-rail systems have been built in many major cities across the United States. Interestingly enough, San Diego was among the first cities in the country to abandon its original streetcar lines in 1949. The links, books and movies below provide a look back at historic streetcar and mass transit lines in San Diego and the United States.
WEB SITES
www.sdera.org/index.html?Info.shtml
The San Diego Electric Railway Association has purchased two 1950s-era streetcars that formerly were used in San Francisco. These cars are very similar to the streetcars used in San Diego from the late 1930s until service was discontinued in 1949. The association hopes to restore the cars and return them to service in the downtown area.
www.sandiegohistory.org/collections/streetcar/streetcar.htm
The San Diego Historical Society's page of streetcar links has a list of photographs showing local trolleys back to the horse-car era. Included are photos of the city's early cable car line, as well as the better-known electric trolleys of later years.
www.oerm.org/
The Orange Empire Railroad Museum in Perris, north of Temecula, has a collection of streetcars and interurban cars. It includes operating Pacific Electric and Los Angeles streetcars, as well as steam-powered trains.
www.erha.org/
The Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California site has links to the large number of electric railroads and trolley lines that formerly operated in Southern California. The site includes a detailed history of the Pacific Electric that served the greater Los Angeles area and maps, statistics and a history of each line.
www.sfmuni.com/cms/mms/home/home50.htm
The site of the San Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni, which operates cable cars and streetcars throughout downtown, has extensive information about the city's trolley system. In addition to its famous cable cars, San Francisco has the largest fleet of historic streetcars in daily operation in the United States.
www.davesrailpix.com/index.html
Dave's Electric Railroads site has a comprehensive list of photos and links to sites focusing on streetcar and interurban rail lines in the United States and around the world.
BOOKS
“Ride the Big Red Cars: How Trolleys Helped Build Southern California,” Spencer Crump (1965)
The book explores the impact early mass transit had on the development of Southern California.
“Henry E. Huntington and the Creation of Southern California,” William B. Friedricks (1992)
This biography of the man who created the Pacific Electric Railroad also details the railroad's tremendous impact on the growth of this region.
MOVIES
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988)
Featuring Christopher Lloyd, Bo Hoskins and Stubby Kaye, the movie blends live actors with animated characters in a late 1940s plot to replace Los Angeles' Red Cars with freeways.
“Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944)
This musical stars Judy Garland, Mary Astor and Margaret O'Brien. Its most famous song, “The Trolley Song,” has become a classic.
“A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951)
The film stars Marlon Brando, Karl Malden and Vivien Leigh. Though much more about desire than streetcars, it's considered a gem nonetheless.
– TOM STINSON, STAFF RESEARCHER
Contact the researchers at
intheknow@uniontrib.com.
