The California Central Railway was incorporated on April 23, 1887, with headquarters in
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...
. George O. Manchester was the President of the corporation.
At its peak it operated of
rail line
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...
with 14
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...
s, 14
passenger cars
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
and 83
freight cars. It operated rail lines from May 20, 1887, to November 7, 1889. On December 31, 1888, the California Central Railway was valued at $12,914,000.00.
On November 7, 1889, California Central Railway was consolidated with the
California Southern Railroad
The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between wh ...
and the
Redondo Beach Railway into the
Southern California Railway Company. On June 30, 1888, it began operations as a
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a ...
of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...
.
Original 1887 lines
The California Central Railway mainlines were from San Bernardino to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
at
La Grande Station
La Grande Station was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's (Santa Fe) main passenger terminal in Los Angeles, California from 1893 until the opening of Union Station in 1939. The station was located at 2nd Street and Santa Fe Avenue on th ...
,
Oceanside to Los Angeles; and High Grove to
Orange. It also ran a 19-mile line in
Riverside County
Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Uni ...
between
Perris
Perris is an old railway city in Riverside County, California, United States, located east-southeast of Los Angeles and north of San Diego. It is known for Lake Perris, an artificial lake, skydiving, and its sunny dry climate. Perris is w ...
to
San Jacinto, from May 1887 to May 1, 1888. California Central Railway also built and ran a 13-mile line from
Port Ballona
Port Ballona is an archaic place name for an area near the center of Santa Monica Bay in coastal Los Angeles County, where Playa Del Rey and Del Rey Lagoon are located today. Port Ballona was a planned harbor and town site from circa 1859 to 19 ...
(present day
Playa del Rey, Los Angeles
Playa del Rey (Spanish for "Beach of the King") is a seaside community in the Santa Monica Bay and the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It has a ZIP code of 90293 and area codes of 310 and 424. As of 2018, the community had a popul ...
) on
Santa Monica Bay
Santa Monica Bay is a bight of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, United States. Its boundaries are slightly ambiguous, but it is generally considered to be the part of the Pacific within an imaginary line drawn between Point Dume, ...
, to
Redondo Junction (just southwest of present-day
Boyle Heights
Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include:
Disambiguation
*Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...
) at the
Los Angeles River
, name_etymology =
, image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg
, image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge
, image_size = 300
, map = LARmap.jpg
, map_size ...
near
Washington Boulevard, which opened in September 1887. Redondo Junction became a major maintenance facility for trains.
California Central Railway expansions
Redondo Beach Railway
Redondo Beach Railway was incorporated in April 1888. Redondo Beach Railway first bond sales was on June 1, 1888.
Henry E. Huntington
Henry Edwards Huntington (February 27, 1850 – May 23, 1927) was an American railroad magnate and collector of art and rare books. Huntington settled in Los Angeles, where he owned the Pacific Electric Railway as well as substantial real estate ...
controlled and owned much of the Redondo Beach Railway. Line started operation September 1, 1888. California Central Railway operated, but did not own, the 11 miles of the Redondo Beach Railway. This line ran from Redondo Beach to
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...
. In 1890, the
Hotel Redondo opened, the rail line help make Redondo "The Place" for tourists. Also stopped at Burwell and Port Ballona. First train was on April 16, 1888. From Inglewood the line continued to downtown LA on California Central Railway tracks through the Redondo Junction. Redondo Beach Railway company was consolidated into the Southern California Railway on November 7, 1889. When the
street car line of the
Redondo and Hermosa Beach Railroad opened in 1902, ridership on the Redondo Beach Railway trains dropped.
;California Central Railway purchased and took control of the following lines:
Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway
Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway was incorporated September 29, 1885. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line started by the Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway Company, from
Santa Ana to Los Angeles on August 12, 1888, 34 miles. Also completed was he line from
High Grove to Orange on September 15, 1887, 41 miles. (started in 1886)
San Bernardino and San Diego Railway
San Bernardino and San Diego Railway was incorporated on November 20, 1886, bringing service to
San Diego County
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
. The company put up for sale $4,000,000.00 in stock to start construction. A Victorian-style depot was erected in 1887 at the site of current
San Diego Union Station. Directors of the company were: George. H. Bonebrake, A. W. Francisco and M. L. Wicks. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line started by the San Bernardino and San Diego Railway. The 35 mile rail line ran from Santa Ana to San Juan (present day
San Clemente
San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway between ...
) on November 30, 1887. Also completed was the 15 mile line from San Juan to
Fallbrook
Fallbrook is a CDP in northern San Diego County, California. Fallbrook had a population of 30,534 at the 2010 census, up from 29,100 at the 2000 census.
Fallbrook's downtown is not on a major highway route. It is west of Interstate 15 or n ...
Junction on August 12, 1888, 15 miles, (started 1887). San Bernardino and San Diego Railway was originally chartered to build a line from
Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...
to
San Juan Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano (Spanish for " St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census.
San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St ...
, and then to Oceanside and to San Diego. The ''
Pacific Surfliner
The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
The service carried 2,924,117 passengers during fiscal year 2016, a 3.4% increase from F ...
'' still runs on
this line from San Diego to Santa Ana.
San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway
San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway was incorporated on November 22, 1886. In 1887 the California Central Railway expanded and completed a rail line started by the San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway Co. from San San Bernardino to
Duarte Duarte may refer to:
* Duarte (surname), person's surname (or composed surname) and given name
* Duarte, California, United States
* Duarte Province, Dominican Republic
* Pico Duarte, mountain in the Dominican Republic
See also
*
*
{{disambigu ...
on May 31, 1887, 38 miles, (started 1887). This line connected with the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad at Duarte. The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad had already secured right of way East of Duarte. Other depots on this line are
Claremont and
North Pomona. Some towns start at railstops like: Rialto, North Cucamonga, and North Ontario. Later this line would run the Santa Fe ''
Southwest Chief
The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and Southwest via Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Flags ...
'' until 1994.
Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad
Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad
The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad was a railroad founded on Sept. 5, 1883, by James F. Crank with the goal of bringing a rail line to Pasadena from downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad was sold and cons ...
was incorporated on September 5, 1883. On September 16, 1885 a grand celebration was held in Pasadena for the completion of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad from downtown Los Angeles to
Lamanda Park in
East Pasadena. The rail line went from downtown Los Angeles through the
Arroyo Seco to Pasadena. The railroad crossed the Arroyo Seco just north of
Garvanza in
Highland Park. California Central Railway purchased the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad on May 20, 1887, and connected it to the end of the Daurte line to complete a line from San Bernardino to Downtown Los Angeles through the San Gabriel Valley. This gave the line the Azusa, Monrovia, Pasadena and Rancho Santa Anita depots. California Central Railway completed work started East of Daurte. Later this line connected with the San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway, which later would run the ''Southwest Chief''.
San Bernardino Valley Railway
San Bernardino Valley Railway was incorporated on January 12, 1887. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line started by the San Bernardino Valley Railway Co. from San Bernardino to
Mentone, California, on December 31, 1887, 13 miles. San Bernardino Valley Railway was chartered to build from the City of San Bernardino to near Lugonia (current city is now
Redlands in San Bernardino County). The final construction was from San Bernardino to Mentone.
San Diego Central Railroad
San Diego Central Railroad was incorporated on November 8, 1886. California Central Railway expanded and completed the 21 mile rail line in
San Diego County
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
started by the San Diego Central Railroad Co., from Escondido junction, (just south of Oceanside) to
Escondido. Service began in 1887. San Diego Central Railroad was chartered to build from the
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of ...
north to
Poway
Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. The unincorporated community became a city on December 1, 1980. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city has a population of 49,701 as of 2 ...
, Escondido, and Oceanside. However, San Diego Central Railroad only constructed a rail line between Escondido to Oceanside.
Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad
Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad was incorporated on January 6, 1886, to build a railroad line from downtown Los Angeles to a depot on the
Santa Monica Bay
Santa Monica Bay is a bight of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, United States. Its boundaries are slightly ambiguous, but it is generally considered to be the part of the Pacific within an imaginary line drawn between Point Dume, ...
in Los Angeles County. California Central Railway purchased the Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad, but the Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad company had not started any work on any rail lines, California Central Railway did get needed right of way land.
The 18.03-mile line was opened for business on September 7, 1887, with stops (from northeast to southwest) at Ballona Junction, Nadeau Park, Baldwin, Slauson, Wildeson,
Hyde Park,
Inglewood Inglewood may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Inglewood, Queensland
* Shire of Inglewood, Queensland, a former local government area
*Inglewood, South Australia
*Inglewood, Victoria
*Inglewood, Western Australia
Canada
* Inglewood, Ontario
*Inglewoo ...
, Danville, Mesmer, and Port Ballona. A train left Los Angeles at 9:15 a.m. on the one-hour journey and returned from Port Ballona at 4 p.m.
["Opening of the Ballona Branch," ''Los Angeles Herald,'' September 8, 1887, page 10]
San Jacinto Railway
San Jacinto Railway was incorporated on March 7, 1887, in
Riverside County
Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Uni ...
. California Central Railway purchased the San Jacinto Railway, but this company had not started any work on any rail lines, California Central Railway did get needed right of way land. Rail work was started in 1887, this branch rail line ran from Perris to San Jacinto and started operation on May 20, 1888, with the first train arriving at
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
.
Santa Fe
Jay Gould
Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made him ...
and
Collis Potter Huntington
Collis Potter Huntington (October 22, 1821 – August 13, 1900) was an American industrialist and railway magnate. He was one of the Big Four of western railroading (along with Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker) who invested i ...
worked hard to keep the
Santa Fe Railway out of the LA and the San Gabriel Valley. But in May 1887, the first Santa Fe train rolled into
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
. Santa Fe had an expensive agreement to use
Southern Pacific Railway
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
tracks to run trains on from
Colton to Los Angeles. This agreement was used for 1½ years.
With the May 20, 1887, sale of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad to the California Central Railway, a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, the two lines were connected together at Mud Springs, completing the rail line from Chicago to Los Angeles through the San Gabriel Valley. The Santa Fe line served the San Gabriel Valley until 1994, when the
1994 Northridge earthquake
The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles.
The quake had a duration of approximately 1 ...
weakened the bridge in Arcadia.
Los Angeles Metro Rail
The old Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad
right of way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
(ROW), is again in use for public rapid transit by the
Los Angeles Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), commonly branded as Metro, LA Metro, and L.A. Metro, is the state agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the transportation system in Los Angeles ...
light rail system. In the late 1990s construction of the
Gold Line started on the ROW, which opened in 2003.
In 2013 construction further east on the ROW began for the Phase 2A
Gold Line Foothill Extension
The Foothill Extension is an extension of the Los Angeles Metro Rail L Line light rail line from its former terminus in Pasadena, California, east through the "Foothill Cities" of Los Angeles County. The first stage of the plan, Phase 2A, exte ...
through the
San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...
and
Pomona Valley
The Pomona Valley is located in the Greater Los Angeles Area between the San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino Valley in Southern California. The valley is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
On March 1, 1893 the Californ ...
to
Azusa Azusa may refer to:
Relating to California
From a Native American language, likely Tongva language, Tongva ''Asuksagna:''
*Azusa, California, a city in the United States
*Azusa Pacific University, a Christian-based institution in Azusa, California
...
. It will use the 1926
Monrovia Santa Fe Depot for its
Monrovia Metro Station, and the site of the Azusa Depot for its
Azusa Metro Station, set to open in 2015. Phase 2B is through the
Pomona Valley
The Pomona Valley is located in the Greater Los Angeles Area between the San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino Valley in Southern California. The valley is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
On March 1, 1893 the Californ ...
to the
San Bernardino Valley
The San Bernardino Valley ( es, Valle de San Bernardino) is a valley in Southern California located at the south base of the Transverse Ranges. It is bordered on the north by the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains; ...
California Southern Railroad
The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between wh ...
was merged into the California Central Railway Company in June 1887. Collapse of the great land boom, resulted in the consolidation of the California Southern Railroad, the California Central Railway and the Redondo Beach Railway in 1889. The new corporation was named: Southern California Railway Company. The repair shops were all moved to San Bernardino and the rail headquarters were moved to Los Angeles.
See also
*
List of California railroads
*
History of Trains in Pasadena
*
History of rail transportation in California
The establishment of America's transcontinental rail lines securely linked California to the rest of the country, and the far-reaching transportation systems that grew out of them during the century that followed contributed to the state's soci ...
*
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass (; Spanish: ''Puerto del Cajón'' or ''Paso del Cajón'') is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andre ...
*
Colton Crossing
Colton Crossing is a railway crossing situated in Colton, California, directly south of Interstate 10. First built in 1883, it was the site of one of the most intense frog wars in railroad construction history, leading to a personal confrontation ...
*
Southern Transcon
The Southern Transcon is a main line of BNSF Railway comprising 11 subdivisions between Southern California and Chicago, Illinois. Completed in its current alignment in 1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, when it opened the Belen C ...
*
Union Station (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States. It opened in May 1939 as the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, replacing La Grande S ...
*
Rancho Santa Anita Depot
*
Pacific Electric
The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned Public transport, mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electr ...
's ''Red Cars'' that connected with the rail lines.
*
Santa Fe 3751
*
David B. Jones Special
The ''David B. Jones Special'' was a one-time, passenger train operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway from Los Angeles, California, to Chicago, Illinois, at the request of David Benton Jones. David B. Jones was suddenly taken i ...
*
Redondo Junction train wreck
The Redondo Junction train wreck occurred at 17:42 on the evening of January 22, 1956, on the Santa Fe Railroad in Los Angeles. The accident happened at Redondo Junction, California, just southwest of Boyle Heights near Washington Boulevard and t ...
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
;Reading
Psrm.org: California Southern Railway History*"The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad." by Hoyt, Franklyn., Pacific Historical Review 20 (August 1951): 227-239
*
ttp://www.abandonedrails.com/Second_District Abandonedrails.com: Abandon Rail Lines, The Second District of the AT&SFbr>
monroviacc.com, Monrovia at 125: “Trees, Trains, Troubles, and Triumphs.” By Steve Baker Archive.org: History of Pomona Valley, California, with Biographical Sketches of The Leading Men and Women of the Valley Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, Calif. 1920
LA Magazine CityDig: "Monrovia's 1887 Real Estate Bubble" by Glen Creason; 12 February 2014 issue.
;Images
circa 1887 image.
Digital Library Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad Depot at Alison Street and Anderson Street, Los Angeles, 1884Glabarre.com: photo of stock in Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad
{{DEFAULTSORT:California Southern Railroad
Predecessors of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Defunct California railroads
History of Los Angeles County, California
History of Orange County, California
History of Riverside County, California
History of San Bernardino County, California
History of San Diego County, California
Companies based in San Bernardino County, California
American companies established in 1887
Railway companies established in 1887
Railway companies disestablished in 1889
1887 establishments in California
1889 disestablishments in California
19th century in Los Angeles
American companies disestablished in 1889