Alhambra–San Gabriel Line

{{Infobox rail line

|name = Alhambra–San Gabriel Line

|color = {{rcr|Pacific Electric}}

|image = File:Temple Citys Las Tunas Dr.jpg

|caption = Las Tunas Drive in Temple City, 1925

|type = Interurban

|system = Pacific Electric

|locale = Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley

|start = Pacific Electric Building

|end = Temple City, California

|stations = 18

|routes =

|ridership2 = 1,063,529 (1938){{Cite web |title=Alhambra-San Gabriel Line |url=http://erha.org/penasg.htm |website=Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California |accessdate=2020-09-16}}

|open = {{start date|1902|6|21}}

|close = {{end date|1941|11|30}}

|owner = Southern Pacific Railroad

|operator = Pacific Electric

|character =

|stock = 1300 class (last used)

|linelength_mi = 14.67

|tracklength =

|tracks = 1–4

|gauge = {{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}

|electrification = {{600 V DC|conductor=overhead}}

|speed =

|elevation =

|map = {{PE N Alhambra-San Gabriel}}

}}

The Alhambra–San Gabriel Line was a Pacific Electric interurban line which traveled between Los Angeles and Temple City.

History

The line was built by the Los Angeles & Pasadena Electric Railway starting in October 1901;{{Cite book |last=Orozco |first=Michael Anthony |title=Alhambra |work=Alhambra Historical Society |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2012 |isbn=9780738576077 |pages=41, 45–50}} it was the first standard gauge interurban railway in Southern California. It opened on June 21, 1902 running between Los Angeles General Hospital and the San Gabriel Mission, soon extended to the Masonic Home. The service became a part of the Pacific Electric system by 1911, terminating at the Pacific Electric Building. Tracks were extended to Temple City on July 29, 1924. Cars began bypassing the Mission in 1928.

The last trips occurred on November 30, 1941.{{Veysey-PE-1958 |page=8}} After passenger service ended, tracks were retained for freight until removed in 1951.

Route

Between the 6th & Main Terminal and Sierra Vista Junction, the line followed the Northern District main line. At Sierra Vista Junction (where Huntington Drive and Main Street meet near the western border of Alhambra), the line diverged due east along the median of Main Street, continuing down Main through Alhambra (with the Shorb Line freight spur running south on Palm Avenue to the Southern Pacific's Alhambra depot on Mission Road), into San Gabriel (where Main Street becomes Las Tunas Drive) and finally into Temple City, where the line had an off-street terminal at the northeast corner of Las Tunas Drive and Kauffman Avenue. Additionally, there was a branch that turned south on Mission Drive in San Gabriel, passed along the southern edge of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, then turned north on Junipero Serra Drive before rejoining the main line at Junipero Serra and Las Tunas drives.{{Cite book |title=Lines of Pacific Electric: Northern & Eastern Districts |date=1976 |publisher=Interurbans |isbn=0-916374-21-1 |pages=48–51}}

List of major stations

class="wikitable"
Station ! Mile{{Cite web \|last= \|date=1934-09-01 \|title=Pacific Electric Time Tables \|url=http://wx4.org/to/foam/sp/maps/and_timetables/1934-09-01PEsystemPTT.pdf \|access-date=2021-09-01 \|publisher=Pacific Electric \|page=13 \|via=wx4's Dome of Foam}} ! Major connections ! Date opened ! Date closed ! City
bgcolor = #{{rcr\|Pacific Electric}} \|colspan = "6"\|
Temple City \| 14.67 \| \| \| 1941 \| Temple City
East San Gabriel \| 12.07 \| \| \| 1941 \| rowspan=3 \| San Gabriel
San Gabriel \| \| Southern Pacific Railroad \| 1901 \|
San Gabriel Mission \| 10.91 \| \| \|
Alhambra \| 9.45 \| \| 1901 \| 1941 \| rowspan=2 \| Alhambra
Sierra Vista \| 7.39 \| Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Shorb, Sierra Madre \| 1901 \| 1951
Covina Junction \| 3.37 \| Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Riverside–Rialto, Sierra Madre, Upland–San Bernardino \| 1901 \| 1951 \| rowspan=3 \| Los Angeles
Echandia Junction \| \| Annandale, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Riverside–Rialto, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena Local, Upland–San Bernardino \| 1895 \| 1951
Pacific Electric Building \| 0 \| Annandale, Balboa, Fullerton, Hawthorne–El Segundo, La Habra–Yorba Linda, Long Beach, Monrovia–Glendora, Mount Lowe, Pasadena Short Line, Pasadena via Oak Knoll, Pomona, Riverside–Rialto, San Pedro via Dominguez, San Pedro via Gardena, Santa Ana, Santa Monica Air Line, Sierra Madre, Soldiers' Home, South Pasadena Local, Whittier Los Angeles Railway B, H, J, R, 7, and 8 \| 1905 \| 1961
bgcolor = #{{rcr\|Pacific Electric}} \|colspan = "6"\|

class="wikitable"

Station

! Mile{{Cite web |last= |date=1934-09-01 |title=Pacific Electric Time Tables |url=http://wx4.org/to/foam/sp/maps/and_timetables/1934-09-01PEsystemPTT.pdf |access-date=2021-09-01 |publisher=Pacific Electric |page=13 |via=wx4's Dome of Foam}}

! Major connections

! Date opened

! Date closed

! City

bgcolor = #{{rcr|Pacific Electric}}

|colspan = "6"|

Temple City

| 14.67

| 1941

| Temple City

East San Gabriel

| 12.07