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Finding aid for the Pacific Electric Railway Company Records
70-DGPTL
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Table of contents
Title: Pacific Electric Railway Company records
Dates: 1908 - 1964
Bulk Dates: 1915 - 1955
Collection number: 70-DGPTL
Creator:
Pacific Electric Railway Company
Collection Size:
2.587 linear feet
6 boxes
Repository:
Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archives.
Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952
Abstract: The Pacific Electric Railway Company, established by Henry Huntington, connected cities across the Los Angeles metropolitan
area. The records in this collection consist of information about rules and regulations governing employees, time tables and
vehicle information, financial, operation, and service reports, as well as contracts and agreements made during the sale of
Pacific Electric Railway Company property to Metropolitan Coach Lines.
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Please contact the Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archives for information on collection access and restrictions.
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Dorothy Payton Grey Transportation Library. Permission for reproduction
or publication is given on behalf of the Dorothy Payton Grey Transportation Library as the owner of the physical items. The
researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement that may arise from reproduction or publication of materials
from the Dorothy Payton Grey Transportation Library collections.
Pacific Electric Railway Company records, 70-DGPTL. Dorothy Payton Grey Transportation Library.
The Pacific Electric Railway Company was sold to the Metropolitan Coach Lines bus company, which was later acquired by the
Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (LAMTA). LAMTA was superseded by the Southern California Rapid Transit District
(SCRTD) in 1964. SCRTD's library and its materials were retained by the successor agency, Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority, also known as Metro.
Biography / Administrative History
The Pacific Electric Railway Company (PERy) was created by Henry Huntington in 1901 who sold his shares in the company to
Southern Pacific in 1910. PERy grew to connect various cities across the Los Angeles metropolitan area. PERy vehicles were
commonly referred to as the Red Cars, distinguishing them from the local routes operated by the Los Angeles Railway. As patronage
on passenger rail lines declined, PERy began converting rail routes to bus service. Eventually, in 1953, PERy sold its passenger
operations to the Metropolitan Coach Lines. Pacific Electric was later abolished by Southern Pacific in 1965.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection consists of records created during the operation of the Pacific Electric Railway Company. Such records include
examinations, application materials, and rules and regulations for employees, time tables, vehicle specifications, fare information,
and service announcements, 26 issues of "Pacific Electric Magazine," reports on accidents, finances, operations, and service,
correspondence and interlining arrangements between the Pacific Electric Railway Company, Motor Transit Company, and Pacific
Greyhound Lines, contract containing the agreements made in the sell of Pacific Electric Railway Company rail passenger cars
to Metropolitan Coach Lines.
Arranged in 9 series: 1. Operations, 1908 - 1957. 2. Vehicles, 1911 - 1913. 3. Information for Passengers, 1915 - 1953. 4.
Pacific Electric Magazine, 1922 - 1953. 5. Reports, 1906 - 1949. 6. Joint Passenger Tariff, 1932 - 1948. 7. Union Agreements,
1934 - 1952. 8. Correspondence, 1952 - 1954. 9. Miscellaneous, 1948 - 1964.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Pacific Electric Railway Company
Metropolitan Coach Lines
Pacific Greyhound Lines
Container list available.
Records created by the Los Angeles Railway Corporation, which operated local rail passenger cars at the same time as the Pacific
Electric Railway Company, and records created by Metropolitan Coach Lines, the company that acquired Pacific Electric's passenger
rail cars and buses, may be found in this repository.