Riverside–Rialto Line

Riverside–Rialto was an interurban train service operated by the Pacific Electric Railway from 1914 to 1940, running from Downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Riverside. This was the longest service in the Pacific Electric system, and the only line to have exclusive trackage owned by the Union Pacific instead of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The line reached its highest ridership the year it opened but never recovered at a time when the Inland Empire was far less populated and a commute of that distance was rare.

Riverside–Rialto
The former Rialto Depot, seen in 2008. The ticket window is still intact, but unused.
Overview
Owner	Union Pacific Railroad
Locale	Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, Inland Empire
Termini	Pacific Electric Building Downtown Riverside
Stations	71
Service
Type	Interurban
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Pacific Electric
Rolling stock	1300 class (last used)
History
Opened	May 1, 1908 (1908-05-01)
Closed	November 18, 1940 (1940-11-18)
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	600 V / 1200 V DC Overhead lines
Route map Legend Arlington–Corona Riverside San Bernardino–Riverside Santa Ana River Southern Pacific Santa Fe East River Ranura Cement Plant Crestmore (Cedar Street) Curtisolo (Slover Street) Bloomington Southern Pacific Pooele Upland–San Bernardino Rialto Cactus Avenue Linden Avenue Locust Alder Fontana Muscat Sansevain Los Minos Etiwanda Milligan (Grapeland) Los Uvas East Alta Loma Alta Loma Carnelian Carillo Upland Euclid Avenue Mountain Avenue West Upland Claremont Claremont (ATSF) Santa Fe Baldy View North Pomona Pomona–Claremont Fulton Road Pomona La Verne (Lordsburg) San Dimas San Dimas Lone Hill (San Dimas Junction) Charter Oak Ruddock Masonic Home Hayler Barranca Street Covina Hollenbeck Avenue Azusa Avenue Lark Ellen Vincent Irwindale Orange Avenue Meadowview Vineland Baldwin Park La Rica Vista Del Valle Gravel Pit San Gabriel River San Gabriel River Maxson Cogswell Hayes Southern Pacific El Monte Rio Hondo Niobe Eaton Wash Rosemead San Gabriel Wash Garvey (Amarillo) South San Gabriel Alhambra Wash Wilmar Alhambra Avenue (Gaston) Garfield Avenue (Ramona Park) Ynez Street Ramona Convent Campbell Avenue Granada Park Floral Park City Terrace (La Borde)  B   E  Wallace Park 1200 V 600 V multiple lines Valley Junction South Pasadena Echandia Union Pacific Los Angeles River Santa Fe Southern Pacific Northern Division  P   P   B   F   O   9   D   U   3  6th/Main Terminal Edendale Local multiple lines This diagram: view talk edit

History

The line was initially constructed in 1907 by the Riverside Portland Cement Company to link their new plant to the national rail network at Riverside. Operating as The Crescent City Railway Company, service was contracted out to The Riverside & Arlington Railway Company who began regular operations on May 18, 1908.^[1] The line primarily served plant workers. Riverside & Arlington would go on to be absorbed into Pacific Electric as a result of the Great Merger.^[2] The line was opened to Bloomington on March 11, 1911,^[3] and finally to Rialto on March 25, 1914.^[4] Initially only local service was provided, and passengers from Los Angeles continuing to Riverside were encouraged to take the longer trip and change at San Bernardino.^[5]

On March 15, 1915, most local service was replaced with through trips to the Pacific Electric Building in Downtown Los Angeles. Cars were connected to San Bernardino Line trains.^[5] Between May 1921 and 1929, local cars made trips as far north as Foothill Boulevard in Rialto — the only scheduled trips to that point.^[5] All trips became through-routed to Los Angeles on November 2, 1931 as service to the cement plant was discontinued. This was short lived, as by 1935 all but one trip had been reverted to local with through routing ending entirely in 1938. Service was reduced to a single trip between Riverside and Rialto by June 9, 1940 and discontinued outright on November 18.^[5]

San Bernardino County acquired the right of way between Merrill Avenue and Colton Avenue in 1942 for a cost of $200 — this was used to widen the adjacent roadway.^[6]

List of major stations

Lordsburg station (later La Verne), 1922

Station	Major connections	Service began	Date discontinued	City
Riverside	Arlington–Corona, San Bernardino–Riverside	1908	1940	Riverside
Rialto	Upland–San Bernardino	1914	1940	Rialto
Upland	Upland–San Bernardino	1915	1940	Upland
Claremont	Pomona–Claremont, Upland–San Bernardino	1915	1940	Claremont
San Dimas	Pomona, Upland–San Bernardino	1915	1940	San Dimas
Covina	Pomona, Upland–San Bernardino	1915	1940	Covina
El Monte	Pomona, Upland–San Bernardino	1915	1940	El Monte
Covina Junction	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Sierra Madre, Upland–San Bernardino	1915	1940	Los Angeles
Echandia Junction	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Annandale, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena Local, Upland–San Bernardino	1915	1940
Pacific Electric Building	Alhambra–San Gabriel, Annandale, Balboa, Fullerton, Hawthorne–El Segundo, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, San Pedro via Dominguez, San Pedro via Gardena, Santa Ana, Santa Monica Air Line, Sierra Madre, Soldiers' Home, South Pasadena Local, Upland–San Bernardino, Whittier Los Angeles Railway B, H, J, R, 7, and 8	1915	1940

References

1. "New Trolley Line". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. May 17, 1908. p. 11. Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "R&A Riverside & Arlington". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
3. "Town Holds Reception". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. March 13, 1911. p. 17. Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Rialto Trolley Line". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. March 26, 1914. p. 24. Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Veysey, Laurence R. (June 1958). A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 (PDF). LACMTA (Report). Los Angeles, California: Interurbans. p. 60. ASIN B0007F8D84. OCLC 6565577.
6. "County Buys Unused Rail Right-of-way". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. July 7, 1942. p. 9. Retrieved December 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.