Can anybody recommend a good single source or published history that describes the history and operations of the electric streetcars operated by the Los Angeles Railway? I am primarily interested in the 500- 600- and 700-classes of cars that were featured in the silent films of Harold Lloyd, Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton during the 1920s.

Are these the trolleys referred to as "Hollywood" cars? Are any of them preserved? Also, was the Pacific Electric system affiliated with the Los Angeles Rwy in any way, or were they two distinct and seperate systems?

K.R. Bell

The best source to date is Jim Walker's (1977) The Yellow Cars of Los Angeles. Published by Interurban Press. The book covers all classes of cars from the LARy. It is out of print but available from time to time online.

OERM has cars #525 and #665 both operable. Our site has some more information on the cars commonly called "Huntington Standards".

As Cory noted, the reference is Jim Walkers Yellow Cars of Los Angeles.

The earlier “Huntington Standards” (an open, closed, open car with a 5 window end) used in the films mentioned are well documented.

“Hollywood cars” are a later Pacific Electric center entrance steel car (which on the PE replaced some earlier standard gauge Huntington Standards)

The PE and LA Ry both came from a common Henry Huntington ownership, but with the “great merger” which formed the modern PE, the two split, with PE, a standard gauge interurban owned by the SP running suburban and interurban service, and the LA Ry a narrow gauge (3’ 6”) line running local service in downtown Los Angeles.

Orange Empire Railroad Museum has a very comprehensive collection of LA Ry cars, including a couple of Huntington Standards, (Seashore also has a narrow gauge Huntington Standard on the right coast) and a very good collection of PE cars including 5 Hollywood cars.

Kurt,

As Corey stated the two operations separated at the time of the "great merger" of 1910-11. H.E. Huntington sold his interest in the PE and other lines to the SP and retired to devote time to the art and book collection. The Los Angeles Railway was 42" gauge and it took over the various 42" gauge local lines and cars operated by PE (and affiliated Los Angeles Inter-Urban) in Los Angeles. The 42" gauge interurban lines of the Los Angeles & Redondo were split between the LARy and the PE; the southern parts were standard gauged and a connecting line constructed, the northern part went to the LARy.

It was also in this era that his Pacific Light & Power was sold to Southern California Edison.

If you want information about the Pacific Electric "Hollywood Cars" you need to find a copy of Ira Swett's Cars of the Pacific Electric, Vol 1. This was also identified as "Special 28."

There were three volumes:
1) Local and Suburban Cars
2) Interurban Cars
3) Combines, express motors, freight motors, line cars

There were two issues of these. The first were with red covers and the second one was with white cover and different artwork. The second editions were done after Ira's death when Mac Sebree and Jim Walker operated Interurban Press.

For Brian, Corry and Randy,

Many thanks for furnishing information on these cars! We have some great people on this board who are an invaluable resource--I greatly appreciate your quick answers to my littany of questions.

Have a good Thanksgiving!

K.R. Bell
Strasburg, Pa.

Kurt:

We have the Walker book at the Maryland Rail Heritage Library. We have Vol. III of the Swett trilogy, and I think we have a member with Vols. 1 and 2. The National NRHS Library has all three volumes of the Swett trilogy and the Walker book, but they're probably in the process of packing for the move--ask Lynn.