A Search for the Last (Pacific Electric) Red Car
This is the first episode of a series of short films we are making about the history of the Pacific Electric Railway. In particular the loved and fondly remembered red car! Way back in 2014 Jessica attended LACC and noticed remnants of train tracks that went right up to the school’s entrance! Later she moved to the San Fernando Valley. Rich and Jessica began to see remnants around their neighborhood as well! So we decided to keep exploring! One day our friend John Ulloth, who is a transit advocate, called us and let us know a red car had been returned to it’s original right of way in San Pedro! Unfortunately we had little time to react to the news as it was about to be torn out all over again! So we went on the very last day and we rode the very last red car that existed on it’s original tracks! Now I hear the old cars are in storage and termites are having at them as you read this. It was some sad news, but as you can see in the video, even on the last day John was not giving up! For the next episodes we plan to explore the Orange bus line, which now travels on paved streets were the train once ran. We also plan to visit the museum in Perris, CA where the very last trains in existence are carefully preserved. We had the best transit in the country and perhaps the world! We are slowly but surely returning the electric trains. But it isn’t cheap and is taking a very long time. Still, we are overjoyed that the trains are coming back. Even if they are not cute and red and beautiful like they once were. #red car #pacific electric #electric #trains #jessicachortkoff #richriggio #street cars #lost angeles #california #history #transit #transitadvocate #JohnUlloth