Pacific Electric Santa Ana Line

Background:
The Santa Ana Line diverged from the Long Beach Line at Watts and proceeded in a southeasterly direction straight as an arrow until reaching the city of Santa Ana which it entered on Fourth Street. Most service terminated at the Pacific Electric Station, but a few continued on about 2/3 of a mile eastward to the Southern Pacific Station.

This line served the towns of Lynwood, Clearwater, Bellflower, Artesia, Cypress, Stanton, and Garden Grove en route. In its original condition, the Santa Ana Line was entirely double tracked except for certain bridges where single track was considered sufficient. In 1940-41, this line lost one track and thereby much of its ability to render a superior service. Much of the rails and fastenings realized when this line was single-tracked went into the well known Shipyard Railway, connecting Oakland and the Kaiser Shipyards at Richmond.

The territory served by this line was primarily agricultural in nature; in later years considerable growth occurred, but new residents depended on automobiles for transportation rather than the big red cars.

Mileage:

Mileage:
Los Angeles	0.00
Watts	7.45
Lynwood	9.70
Clearwater	13.06
Bellflower	15.40
Artesia	18.43
Cypress	21.02
Stanton	24.69
Garden Grove	28.51
Santa Ana PE	33.61
Santa Ana SP	34.00

History:
PE controlled the Santa Ana Line in 1903, when preliminary surveys were run and the right-of-way obtained. On January 12, 1904, this line was turned over to the Los Angeles Interurban Railway (LAIU) and was deeded to LAIU on July 1, 1904, and the completed line was opened for service on November 6, 1905.

PE took over this line under lease on July 1, 1908. On November 1, 1911 under terms of the Great Merger, this line became the property of New PE. Passenger service on that portion of this line between Bellflower and Santa Ana was discontinued on July 2, 1950. Abandonment of the Bellflower Line occurred on May 25, 1958.

Equipment:
The Santa Ana Line enjoyed superior equipment, being on a par with the best lines except for the period 1921"-1"940 when the second rank 1000s were assigned. (It should be noted that the 1000 Class car was the Southern District's best equipment prior to the advent of the Long Beach Twelves in 1921.)

Equipment by year:
1905"-1"925:	800 class
1925"-1"940:	1000 class
1940"-1"942:	1200 class
1942"-1"950:	1200, 4500 (300), 4600 (400) classes; occasionally 1100's
1950"-1"958:	300, 400 class
Of interest is the fact that this line, being virtually flat, was the only line the ex-Visalia motors operated on in 1919"-1"920.

Track:
Refer to the Long Beach Line for description of trackage between 6^th & Main and Watts.

As of 1939, the following conditions prevailed:
From	To	Rail	Ties	Balance
Watts	Stanton	60 lb.	R	D
Stanton	Garden Grove	60*	R	G
Garden Grove	Santa Ana	60	R	D
*Inbound track was 75 lb. rail D: Dirt G: Gravel R: Redwood

Electrical Facilities:
The following substations furnished energy for this line (in addition to those already described under Long Beach Line);

Substation No. 12 - Bellflower
Substation No. 13 - Stanton
Substation No. 14 - Santa Ana

Car Storage:
In addition to the 7^th Street surface tracks, cars for the Santa Ana Line were stored at Bellflower (8 cars) Artesia and Santa Ana.

Freight:
This line was of relatively minor importance to the system total. Based on the 3 year average of 1935"-1"936"-1"937, the Santa Ana Line's revenue was but 1.52% of the total. Revenue per mile of line was $1,615 —decidedly below the major freight lines. Garden Grove was by all odds the most important originating point for freight; in the same three years, Garden Grove averaged 357 cars, with a total tonnage of 7,105 and revenue of $23,857.68. The next most important freight originating point was Santa Ana with 133 cars, 3,626 tons and $6,325 in revenue. Other important stations were Crutcher, Greenville and Dyer—the latter two on the Old Santa Ana-Huntington Beach stub line.

The revenue for the year 1947 amounted to $290,000 from freight, which was only about $86,000 more than the estimated operating loss on passenger operations for this line.

The flow of freight on this line was overwhelmingly toward Los Angeles. Items handled were first of all citrus products, with general freight making up the balance. After passenger service was abandoned, the line was converted to diesel motive power and still did freight business as far as Beach Boulevard.

In 1958 PE freights began operating via SP trackage between Stanton and Santa Ana with joint use of the SP Santa Ana Station; this permitted removal of PE rails on 4^th Street between Pacific Electric Station and West Santa Ana.

Passengers:

Passengers (Fare and Transfer)
Year	Passengers	Car Miles	Revenue
1914	1,143,675	856,229	$291,282
1916	936,257	578,574	$225,501
1918	1,193,306	735,322	$243,536
1920	1,090,490	638,275	$268,927
1922	888,531	548,292	$297,578
1924	881,931	566,542	$313,478
1926	734,529	536.202	$255,610
1928	751,032	502,058	$230,200
1930	852,268	583,690	$219,719
1932	446,876	460,756	$132,140
1934	367,159	404,580	$104,190
1936	369,230	360,656	$106,812
1938	315,603	339,949	$95,354
1940	343,984	348,885	$81,612
1942	750,758	440,797	$199,061
1944	2,270,201	1,001,143	$590,800
1945*	2,479,246	1,030,924	$635,905
1946	2,231,655	894,937	$501,139
1947	2,064,688	795,527	$492,843
1950	1,046,974	398,694	$277,422
1952	884,177	258,293	$235,566
1954	704,078	223,732	$222,140
1956	651,181	221,658	$240,198
1958	181,167	80,499	$71,681
*Best year Note: 1950: Cut back to Bellflower on July 2^nd Note: 1958: Abandoned May 25^th; figures are to May 31^st Note: 1958: Statistics start 1/24/58 upon resumption after strike

Miscellaneous:
The diagonal route of this line in relation to highways permitted a better than average operating speed between the two termini. Until the establishment of Firestone Boulevard (now the Santa Ana Freeway) as a through route about 1935, this line could consistently better the best highway time. The fact that there was no paralleling highway for a substitute bus operation saved this line for continued rail operation several times prior to its final abandonment. To reach settlements located upon the rail line by bus operation would have required a very circuitous zigzagging route that would have required a considerably greater running time.

Nevertheless, when the Santa Ana Line was cut back to Bellflower in 1950, there was no substitute service provided for patrons living in towns between Bellflower and Santa Ana. Further, PE in its abandonment plea (subsequently granted) made no secret of the fact that residents of intermediate towns would be left to find other means of transportation.

Upon the abandonment of the Bellflower Line in 1958, the Metropolitan Transit Authority did establish a substitute motor coach route which, as was to be expected, had to be routed in a very circuitous fashion; increasing running times and resulting in a further loss of patronage.

Two other early-day lines were closely associated with the Santa Ana Line: the cross-country line from Santa Ana to Huntington Beach, and the Santa Ana-Orange Line.

To permit removal of rails on Fourth Street in Santa Ana, PE in 1955 effected a connection with the SP at Stanton and secured trackage rights between Stanton and Santa Ana on SP. PE rails were then cut at the western entrance to Santa Ana, leaving a stub track between that point and Stanton. Removal of rails on Fourth Street followed isolating the Pacific Electric Station, which never-the-less was used for a considerable length of time by buses of the Metropolitan Coach Lines.

Effective 2:01^AM November 12, 1945 both tracks in Fourth Street, Santa Ana, between the Pacific Electric Station and the SP Station were removed from service.

The Santa Ana Line was one of the flattest lines on the PE system. It was the only line on the Southern District on which locomotives were permitted the same tonnage rating in both directions (4500 M in case of 1619"-1"631 Class engines). For this reason the Santa Ana Line was the only line on which the ex-Visalia Electric motor cars (I 1045, 1364) could operate after being converted to DC power.

Register stations (after single tracking) were located at Socorro, Bellflower, and King Street (west end of Fourth Street).

Railroad crossings were located as follows:

Palomar: SP Flag crossing
Clearwater: UP Interlocker
Stanton: SP 10 mph limit

Of historical interest is the fact that Old PE first planned to build this line from Santa Ana to Los Angeles via Orange, Fullerton and Whittier.

In 1948 PE announced in a Staff Letter that automatic block signals would be installed on the Santa Ana Line between Watts and the end of the private way at 4^th & Artesia Streets in Santa Ana. Alas, it was not to be! In 1946 PE re-laid 4^th Street in Santa Ana with 128 lb. girder rail removed from Pine Avenue in Long Beach. Effective 2:00^AM December 18, 1941 the outbound track from Socorro to King Street in Santa Ana, was removed from service and subsequently removed.

Track conditions as of 1949 on the Santa Ana Line were as follows:
Between Watts and Bellflower, ballast was adequate. Ties were in poor shape; the company was far behind in its renewals. The original 60 lb. rail was still being used; it was so badly worn that wheel flanges were cutting into the tops of angle bars. Rail was also badly surface bent. However, not all rail was 60 lb. Between Watts and MP 7.78 there was 90 lb. rail laid in 1945; this was in fair shape but needed relining and resurfacing.
From MP 7.78 to the end of double track at MP 8.17 (Socorro) the rail was the 60 lb. steel laid when the line was built. It was of course, in poor shape. From Socorro to Alameda Street (MP 8.73) rail was also 60 lb., and in poor condition.
From Alameda Street to Long Beach Boulevard, MP 9.76, 60 lb. rail was in place, in poor shape.
At MP 11.54, 90 lb. rail began, laid in 1945; it continued only as far as MP 15.74, then back down to 60 lb. steel again. This continued to MP 24.81 where 75 lb. rail, laid in 1914, resumed. It continued to MP 28.26, then to a brief stretch of 60 lb. steel, which continued to MP 28.64; there 75 lb. steel resumed, laid in 1914; it continued to MP 29.92, where 70 lb. rail (laid in 1910) began. This ran to MP 30.75, then 60 lb. rail resumed.
At MP 30.97 double track began, also 60 lb. steel; this continued to Artesia Street, MP 31.79, where 128 lb. rail, laid in 1946, began and continued to the Santa Ana Station, MP 33.50
At this time, (1949) ballast was mostly rock; near Santa Ana there was sand ballast from MP 29.92 to MP 30.97, then no ballast whatsoever to MP 31.37, then sand & gravel to Fourth Street.
Recommendation was made at that time to relay the entire line with 90 lb. steel, but this was never accomplished, although quite a bit of the line actually did get the heavy steel.

Second Street Line, Santa Ana: This was a main spur of SP's, 3,530 feet long extending from the SP Station in Santa Ana via Second Street to Bush Street. On March 12 1912, PE entered into a lease with SP, giving PE the right to electrify this trackage and operate it jointly; this track was not used by passenger cars.

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