Sierra Madre Line

{{Infobox rail line

|name = Sierra Madre

|image = File:Car 401 at Sierra Madre.jpg

|image_width = 300px

|color = {{rcr|Pacific Electric|Sierra Madre}}

|caption = Sierra Madre 1908 with PE line Depot and the Hotel Shirley in background

|type = Interurban

|system = Pacific Electric

|locale = Southern California

|start = Pacific Electric Building

|end = Sierra Madre, California

|stations = 24

|routes =

|daily_ridership = 1713 (last counted)

|open = January 1, 1906

|close = December 28, 1950

|owner = Southern Pacific Railroad

|operator = Pacific Electric

|character =

|stock = PE 1100 Class (last used)

|linelength_mi = 16.52

|tracklength =

|tracks =

|gauge = {{RailGauge|sg|allk=on}}

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

|speed =

|elevation =

|map = {{PE N Sierra Madre}}

}}

The Sierra Madre Line was a Pacific Electric interurban route which ran {{convert|16.52|mi|km}} from the Pacific Electric Building in Los Angeles to Sierra Madre.

History

Image:Central Ave Sierra Madre CA 1904-Old North Church .jpg with the original barn roof bell tower.]]

The line opened to Pasadena on March 1, 1904. Cars were run through on the Lamanda Park Line to Pasadena.{{cite news |title=New electric road opens |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114686848/ |access-date=16 December 2022 |newspaper=Los Angeles Evening Express |via=Newspapers.com |date=1 March 1904 |page=8}} {{free access}} The extension to Sierra Madre opened on New Year's Day 1906.{{cite news |title=Sierra Madre Line Open |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114687210/ |access-date=16 December 2022 |newspaper=Long Beach Tribune |via=Newspapers.com |date=2 January 1906 |page=1}} {{free access}}{{cite web |url=http://erha.org/pensm.htm |title=Pacific Electric Sierra Madre Line |author= |date= |publisher=Electric Railway Historic Association of Southern California |accessdate=August 20, 2010}}{{cite book |last=Crump |first=Spencer |title=Ride the big red cars: How trolleys helped build southern California |year=1977 |publisher=Trans-Anglo Books |isbn=0-87046-047-1 |oclc=3414090 |pages=87 |ol=5859107M |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL5859107M/Ride_the_big_red_cars}} On December 3, 1916 the routing through Downtown Los Angeles changed.{{Veysey-PE-1958 |page=83}}

Shuttle service for evening trips between Sierra Madre and San Marino began by March 1, 1928 with passengers changing to Monrovia–Glendora Line trains to complete the trip.{{Cite book |last1=Hilton |first1=George W. |title=The Electric Interurban Railways in America |last2=Due |first2=John F. |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=2000 |isbn=0-8047-4014-3 |location=Stanford, California |orig-year=1960 |page=410}} Starting March 1939 the rear car of some Glendora trains were disconnected to continue to Sierra Madre. This arrangement became the line's only direct Los Angeles service starting February 21, 1943, as all midday service became shuttles and only rush hour cars from Monrovia trains served the line.

Weekend and midday service was discontinued on June 11, 1948 and all trips became shuttles. A single morning outbound trip from Los Angeles was added after November 25, 1949. On October 8, 1950 service was virtually abandoned with a single daily round trip running between Sierra Madre and San Marino; this ended on December 28, 1950.{{cite news |title=Sierra Madre Rail Service Ends Officially |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94598726/ |access-date=9 February 2022 |newspaper=Daily News-Post |via=Newspapers.com |date=December 28, 1950 |page=7}} {{free access}} Pacific Electric continued to operate the route with motor coaches after abandonment.{{cite news |title=PE Gives Up Rail Stations in Two Cities |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94172279/pe-gives-up-rail-stations-in-two-cities/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |agency=Los Angeles Times |via=Newspapers.com |date=January 3, 1951 |page=20}} {{free access}}

Route

The Sierra Madre Line branched north from the Monrovia–Glendora Line in San Marino and its two tracks ran between the dual roadways of Sierra Madre Boulevard passing Lamanda Park Junction (Colorado Street and Sierra Madre Boulevard) where it met the local East Colorado Street Line. From this point, the line continued on single track in a northerly direction along a private right of way in the center of Sierra Madre Boulevard to Michillinda Avenue. There the tracks entered into the pavement of city streets and proceeded on Central Avenue (Sierra Madre Boulevard) to Baldwin Avenue in Sierra Madre, where the station was located on the northwest corner at what's now Kersting Park. It then continued north one and one-half blocks via Baldwin Avenue and turned easterly onto another private right of way (between Montecito Avenue and Highland Avenue) to the end of the line of Mountain Trail Avenue, where a small storage yard was located.

List of major stations

class="wikitable"

! Station

! Mile{{cite web |url=http://wx4.org/to/foam/sp/maps/and_timetables/1934-09-01PEsystemPTT.pdf |title=Pacific Electric Time Tables |date=September 1, 1934 |author= |publisher=Pacific Electric |website=wx4's Dome of Foam |access-date=September 1, 2021 |page=18}}

! Major connections

! Date opened

! Date closed

! City

bgcolor = #{{rcr|Pacific Electric}}

|colspan = "6"|

Sierra Madre

| 16.52

| 1902

| 1950

| rowspan=1 | Sierra Madre

El Rincon