San Pedro via Gardena Line facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Pedro via Gardena
The Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge in Torrance as seen in 2013
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Los Angeles, and the South Bay
Termini	Downtown Los Angeles San Pedro, California
Stations	37
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Pacific Electric
Rolling stock	PE 1200 Class (last used)
Daily ridership	101,461 (last count)
History
Opened	January 1903 (1903-01)
Closed	January 15, 1940 (1940-01-15)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Old gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	Overhead lines

San Pedro via Gardena (also known as San Pedro via Torrance) was an interurban line of the Pacific Electric Railway. This was the railway's original route to San Pedro. The line was essential in the establishment of light industry in Torrance. The route closely paralleled the present-day Harbor Transitway.

History

Built by the Los Angeles Interurban Railway starting in 1901, the first trains traveled to San Pedro in January 1903.

Pacific Electric assumed control of the railroad in 1911; they operated a service requiring a transfer between the standard and narrow gauge systems at Delta Junction. The route was converted to standard gauge (with some cutoffs made), and began operations on March 19, 1912. Cars also reached Torrance that year.

Cars initially ran between Delta and San Pedro, but through service to Los Angeles via the Watts Line was established by 1921. This supplanted the need for the Torrance via Athens service, which was discontinued.

Commencement of the San Pedro via Dominguez Line had steadily eroded ridership on the line. Through service north of Hermosillo was discontinued February 26, 1939 and service to San Pedro was heavily curtailed. The line south of Torrance was reduced to a single round trip to Harbor City in 1939, and passenger service was fully discontinued the following January. Freight operations on the line continued until 1965.

A segment of the line in South Los Angeles was demolished and rebuilt as the Century Freeway in the late 1980s, which included the construction of the light rail C Line.

Route

The line originated at the 6th and Main Street Station in Los Angeles and followed the Long Beach Line to Watts Junction, then the Redondo Beach via Gardena Line To South Los Angeles, and then the Hawthorne–El Segundo Line to Delta (Vermont Avenue at 117th Street). The line was entirely single track in private right of way from South Los Angeles to San Pedro.

The line turned south at Delta into the private right of way between the dual roadways of Vermont Avenue and ran to Strawberry Park (at Compton Boulevard). From Strawberry Park the line followed the double track Redondo Beach via Gardena Line south on Vermont Avenue, then turned west adjacent to 116th Street to Hermosillo (at Normandie Avenue).

From Hermosillo the San Pedro via Gardena Line turned south, crossed Normandie Avenue and entered private way on the west side of Normandie Avenue. The line ran south to Dolanco Junction (Del Amo Boulevard) where the Torrance loop line branched to the southwest. The line continued south to Ocean Avenue (228th Street) where the Torrance loop line rejoined the main line. The line continued south, crossed Sepulveda Boulevard, Pacific Coast Highway, and then turned to the southeast as it crossed the intersection of Gaffy Street and Anaheim Street where Normandie Avenue ended.

After crossing Anaheim Street, the line turned southerly and ran on the east edge of Gaffey Street, then crossed Wilmington Road and joined the San Pedro via Dominguez Line (West Basin Line) to run to San Pedro.

List of major stations