San Pedro via Gardena Line

San Pedro via Gardena (also known as San Pedro via Torrance) was an interurban line of the Pacific Electric Railway. This was the railway's original route to San Pedro. The line was essential in the establishment of light industry in Torrance. The route closely paralleled the present-day Harbor Transitway.

San Pedro via Gardena
The Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge in Torrance as seen in 2013
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Los Angeles, and the South Bay
Termini	Downtown Los Angeles San Pedro, California
Stations	37
Service
Type	Interurban
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Pacific Electric
Rolling stock	PE 1200 Class (last used)
Daily ridership	101,461 (last count)
History
Opened	January 1903 (1903-01)
Closed	January 15, 1940 (1940-01-15)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Old gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	Overhead line, 600 V DC
Route map Legend Pacific Electric Building to Northern Division  J   R   S   J   S  to Sierra Vista–Watts & South Pasadena Local Amoco Air Line Vernon Avenue  V  Slauson Junction Whittier / Fullerton Fleming Florencita Park Florence Nadeau Graham Latin Watts multiple lines Centralia South Park Avenue Main Street South Los Angeles (Forest)  7  Delta  F  Athens Hawthorne–El Nido Delphi 143rd Street Strawberry Park Gardena Hermosillo Redondo via Gardena Oliver Compton Creek Southmoyd McKinley La Jota (Humphreys) Funston Dolanco El Prado Bridge Guyer Carson Torrance Plaza del Amo Ocean Avenue Cuerna Joughins Weston Street Harbor City Bixby (Hilldale) McDonald Long Beach–San Pedro Wilmington Road San Pedro via Dominguez San Pedro local lines This diagram: view talk edit

History

California Pacific, a subsidiary of the Los Angeles Traction Company, began interurban service to San Pedro over a narrow-gauge line in 1903.^[1][2] By 1908, Los Angeles Inter-Urban's San Pedro Line linked downtown Los Angeles to San Pedro, starting at Main and 3rd and running on 3rd, Hill, 16th, Burlington, Hoover, 24th, Vermont, then on a largely private right of way to San Pedro.^[3]

Pacific Electric assumed control of the railroad in 1911; the tracks north of Delta Junction were turned over to the Los Angeles Railway and became part of the F line.^[4] The route was converted to standard gauge (with some cutoffs made), and began operations on March 19, 1912.^[5] Cars also reached Torrance that year.^[6] Trips initially ran between Delta and San Pedro. The Carson Cutoff had largely fallen into disuse for passenger service by 1917. Through service to Los Angeles via the Watts Line was established by 1921 (though could have occurred as early as 1918). This supplanted the need for the Torrance via Athens service, which was discontinued.^[4]

Commencement of the San Pedro via Dominguez Line had steadily eroded ridership on the line. Through service north of Hermosillo was discontinued February 26, 1939 and service to San Pedro was heavily curtailed. The line south of Torrance was reduced to a single round trip to Harbor City in 1939, and passenger service was fully discontinued the following January.^[4]

The remainder of the line has become the Union Pacific Torrance Branch.^[7]

Route

The line originated at the 6th and Main Street Station in Los Angeles and followed the Long Beach Line to Watts Junction, then the Redondo Beach via Gardena Line To South Los Angeles, and then the Hawthorne–El Segundo Line to Delta (Vermont Avenue at 117th Street). The line was entirely single track in private right of way from South Los Angeles to San Pedro.

The line turned south at Delta into the private right of way between the dual roadways of Vermont Avenue and ran to Strawberry Park (at Compton Boulevard). From Strawberry Park the line followed the double track Redondo Beach via Gardena Line south on Vermont Avenue, then turned west adjacent to 116th Street to Hermosillo (at Normandie Avenue).

From Hermosillo the San Pedro via Gardena Line turned south, crossed Normandie Avenue and entered private way on the west side of Normandie Avenue. The line ran south to Dolanco Junction (Del Amo Boulevard) where the Torrance loop line branched to the southwest. The line continued south to Ocean Avenue (228th Street) where the Torrance loop line rejoined the main line. The line continued south, crossed Sepulveda Boulevard, Pacific Coast Highway, and then turned to the southeast as it crossed the intersection of Gaffy Street and Anaheim Street where Normandie Avenue ended.

After crossing Anaheim Street, the line turned southerly and ran on the east edge of Gaffey Street, then crossed Wilmington Road and joined the San Pedro via Dominguez Line (West Basin Line) to run to San Pedro.

List of major stations

Station	Mile[8][4]	Major connections	Date opened	Date closed	City
Pacific Electric Building	0	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, Redlands, Redondo Beach via Gardena, Riverside–Rialto, San Pedro via Dominguez, 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	1905	1961	Los Angeles
Amoco Junction[dubious – discuss]		Balboa, Fullerton, Hawthorne–El Segundo, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Redondo Beach via Gardena, San Pedro via Dominguez, Santa Ana, Santa Monica Air Line, Soldiers' Home, Whittier	1902	1961
Vernon Avenue	3.26	Balboa, Fullerton, Hawthorne–El Segundo, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Redondo Beach via Gardena, San Pedro via Dominguez, Santa Ana, Whittier Los Angeles Railway V	1902	1961
Slauson Junction	4.27	Balboa, Fullerton, Hawthorne–El Segundo, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Redondo Beach via Gardena, San Pedro via Dominguez, Santa Ana, Whittier	1902	1961
Watts	7.45	Balboa, Hawthorne–El Segundo, Long Beach, Redondo Beach via Gardena, San Pedro via Dominguez, Santa Ana	1902	1961
South Los Angeles (Forest)	9.88	Hawthorne–El Segundo, Redondo Beach via Gardena Los Angeles Railway 7	1903	1940
Athens	10.31	Redondo Beach via Gardena
West Athens	11.04
Strawberry Park	12.75	Redondo Beach via Gardena
Gardena	13.57	Redondo Beach via Gardena	1903	1940	Gardena
Hermosillo	14.37
Dolanco			1903	1940	Carson
Torrance	17.93		1903	1940	Torrance
Weston Street	21.15
Harbor City	21.36
San Pedro	25.77	La Rambla, Long Beach–San Pedro, Point Fermin, San Pedro via Dominguez	1902	1961	San Pedro

References

 This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under the public domain as a work of the State of California. (license statement/permission). Text taken from 1981 Inventory of Pacific Electric Routes​, California Department of Transportation. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

1. "San Pedro Narrow Gauge". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
2. Coulter, Tom (July 1, 1980). "'Big Red Cars' were a prime factor in spread of L.A." San Pedro News-Pilot. p. 17. Retrieved December 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Security Map And Street Railway Guide of the City of Los Angeles (Map). Security Savings Bank. 1908. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
4. 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. pp. 73, 74, 112. ASIN B0007F8D84. OCLC 6565577.
5. "San Pedro via Torrance Line". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
6. Crump, Spencer (1977). Ride the big red cars: How trolleys helped build southern California. Trans-Anglo Books. p. 100. ISBN 0-87046-047-1. OCLC 3414090.
7. "Train-watchers guide to LA" (PDF). Trains. 2016. pp. 66–67. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
8. "Pacific Electric Time Tables" (PDF). wx4's Dome of Foam. Pacific Electric. September 1, 1934. p. 11. Retrieved September 1, 2021.