Don Brown Photos, OERM Collection, click to enlarge
L. Swanson photo, OERM Collection,
click to enlarge
Orange Empire Railway Museum founding member Don Brown took the top two pictures in 1957. The Municipal Ferry Building can be seen in the background of the top photo. Today this building houses the Los Angeles Maritime Museum. Car 314, seen in the middle photo, also survives today at the Orange Empire Railway Museum. Ditto with car 498, seen in the lower photo, with the San Pedro City Hall building visible in the background.
PE’s two-story San Pedro depot was opened in 1920, and succumbed to the wrecking ball in 1961. The new 6th Station on the Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Red Car Line is located just east of the former PE station site, adjacent to the entrance of the Maritime Museum.
San Pedro Postcard Views
-click image to enlarge-
The Pacific Electric San
Pedro Depot Ca. 1920
View
of the San Pedro waterfront in the Teens. This view may be of the SP
slip, near the present Ports O’ Call Red Car Station.
View
of the bascule bridge that provided rail access to the San Pedro
harborfront. This bridge spanned the turning basin near what is now the
west side of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
Another
view of the San Pedro waterfront in the Teens.
The
Ferry Terminal Building Ca. 1960, now the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.
This
was the pre-1920 Southern Pacific / PE station in San Pedro. The train of Red Cars is parked
about where the new depot was built in 1920. The crowd of people is
walking towards what is now the site of the Ferry Terminal Building.
Front Street, today’s Harbor Blvd., prior
to construction of the 1920 PE depot.
Late 1920s view of San Pedro waterfront.
Two additional postcard views of
the depot.
Yesterday & Today
In this 1946
scene, PE 1001 is resting between runs just south of 6th St. San Pedro
City Hall, which remains a part of the skyline today,
is visible behind the car. Car 1001 itself is
preserved in operating condition at the Orange
Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California.
Photo: Craig Rasmussen Collection.
Same scene in 2003 with PE
1058 on the Waterfront Red Car Line. Note San Pedro City Hall in the
background.
John Smatlak photo
San Pedro yard, prior to construction
of present day City Hall building. Harbor Blvd. at left. PE tracks along
retaining wall at left.
USC Digital Archives
Same scene today,
Waterfront Red Car Line track at right
John Smatlak photo
It’s 1945, and a train of
PE Twelves headed by 1235 passes the San Pedro Municipal Power &
Light Station. The train has just entered the West Basin Line, inbound
to Los Angeles. The trestle approach to the bascule bridge is visible in
the background.
Photo: Craig Rasmussen Collection.
Fifty-six years later, the
building still stands. In 2001, it sits in the shadow of the Vincent
Thomas Bridge (visible at left and behind), adjacent to the World Cruise
Center and the new Waterfront Red Car Line. The old PE tracks are still
visible in the pavement in front of the building.
John Smatlak photo
PE
(MCL) 411 crossing Front Street, 1958
Credit:
Harold Stewart photo, OERM Collection
Same crossing, 2007. The
Vincent Thomas bridge now dominates this area.
John Smatlak photo
It’s 1950
and a railfan trip on the PE 496 has ventured to near the end of the
“Outer Harbor” freight spur. The car is on Signal St. with the
camera looking north, and the
warehouse buildings at left stand today. The small building visible at
far right is today part of the Westway Terminal facility. Credit:
OERM Collection
The
same area, looking north July 2005. The rails and the warehouse buildings are still in
use, although the Pacific Electric’s trains are long gone.
John Smatlak photo
A
color view from the same 1950s fantrip
Another
1950s era railfan trip to the Outer Harbor, this time with PE car 1374.
The camera looks south with Warehouse One in the background.
Credit:
OERM Collection
Looking
south down Signal St. in the same area, 2007. Warehouse One once again in the background.
John Smatlak photo
Harbor
Blvd., circa 1938. PE LaRambla Birney awaiting departure time. Note San
Pedro City Hall in background. Credit: Ernie Leo photo, ERHA-SC
Collection
Wilmington
Station area; looking northeast along the PE right-of-way at
“B” Street (today Harry Bridges Blvd.) and Fries Ave.
1947
Credit:
Craig Rasmussen Collection
Same
scene in 2007. Part of the Bekins warehouse is still in operation, and
rails are still in place on the abandoned PE right-of-way.
John Smatlak photo
This scene looks to the northeast along the PE right-of-way in Wilmington.
The outbound car is turning off the right-of-way onto westbound
“B” Street (Harry Bridges Blvd. today). Much of this scene
remains intact today; the right-of-way (still with some track) is still
visible on both sides of the street, and the Bekins Warehouse building
visible in the background is still there. Robert B. Petersen photo,
OERM Collection.
At 6th Street, Ferry Terminal Building (today’s Maritime Museum) in the
background. The track where the SP diesel switcher is running is still
in place today. The electrified PE tracks in the foreground are gone. Robert
B. Petersen photo, OERM Collection.
At the San Pedro PE Depot. San Pedro City Hall in the background. Robert
B. Petersen photo, OERM Collection.
This scene looks north at First Street. The PE tracks were much closer to the
water’s edge than the tracks along Harbor Blvd. are today (Harbor Blvd.
would be out of view to the left in this picture). Today this area is a
wide open concrete lot, part of which is used by Cruise Terminal
operations. Car 314 survives today at the Orange Empire Railway Museum. Robert
B. Petersen photo, OERM Collection.
Looking south in the San Pedro Yard during a 1950 PE fantrip. The electrified PE
tracks occupied the western edge of the property, directly adjacent to
Harbor Blvd. The SP freight tracks are at left, and the eastern-most
track is today electrified as the Waterfront Red Car Line. Robert B.
Petersen photo, OERM Collection.
