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Glossary

Amoco Junction
WAmoco Junction
Box Motor
WSelf propelled box car. Used for less-than-carload freight delivery.
Combination Gauge
WSection of track where three running rails are provided so that equipment of two different gauges can operate over one shared rail on the same route. In Los Angeles the standard gauged 4'-8½" Pacific Electric shared some routes in downtown Los Angeles with the narrow gauge 3'-6" Los Angeles Railway.
Dominguez Junction
WDominguez Junction
Fouling Point
WFouling Point
Franchise Car
WAn infrequently run car, of any type, run over little used trackage to prevent the loss of the state franchise granting rights to operate that route.
Great Merger
WIn 1911 all of the independent street railway operations of Southern California were merged together into either the
Pacific Electric or the Los Angeles Railway. (Only the tiny Glendale & Montrose remained independent.) Interlocking Plant
WInterlocking Plant
Island Junction
WA point 3.51 miles from Long Beach, 19.84 miles from Los Angeles on the Long Beach-San Pedro Line.
Multiple-unit Train
WMultiple-unit Train
One-manned
WConversion from operation by a motorman and a conductor (two-man operation) to a single employee who collected fares and operated the train. This was done to save money in salaries and hastened the end of streetcar service by lessening the pleasure of using the system for patrons. Many types of cars had to be rebuilt, modified or retired completely to force patrons to pass the operator to pay their fare.
RPO - Railway Post Office
WA dedicated Box Motor or baggage end of a Combo under contract to the United States Post Office. Mail was sorted en-route to speed up delivery.
Register Station
WA "sign-in" box at each end of a single track section where motormen were required to stop their trains and "register" lest they meet another train coming through the section going the opposite direction!
San Pedro
WSan Pedro
Slauson Junction
WSlauson Junction
Spur Tracks
WSpur Tracks
Trolley Contactor
WTrolley Contactor
United States Maritime Commission
WThe United States Maritime Commission operated 81 interurban cars bought used from retirement on the Southern Pacific's Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley service. After the USMC's operation over the Pacific Electric during 1943, 1944 and 1945 to carry war workers to defense plants to build warships for the U.S. Navy, the cars were sold after the war to the Pacific Electric.
Valley Junction
WValley Junction
Watts
WWatts


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