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Re: Anyone Remember When Hollywood Had SP Freight Service? Yep.... I'll bet plenty of folks still do....
Author: BOB2
Date: 03-15-2023 - 08:26
2Joe Magruder Wrote:
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> I hate to bring this back to trains, but I don't
> remember the SP service on Santa Monica Blvd. I do
> remember the PE electric freight locomotives
> working the industries along Santa Monica Blvd. in
> the late evening. The electric service continued
> long after the Hollywood Blvd. and Santa Monica
> Blvd. streetcars were discontinue.
PE had no electric service or freight of any kind on Hollywood Blvd. after the abandonment of passenger services, except to scrap the line on the private ROW segments. You may just be too young to remember SP serving Santa Monica Blvc. long after the wires came down.
After abandonning electrified passenger service on Santa Monica (all west side trains), PE and then the SP continued freight service using diesels on Santa Monica to Hollywood, almost as far out to Vermont, as late as 1967 or maybe 1968(???). There were a number of industries and lumber yards taking carloads on Santa Monica, which were all served at night, the train being a big hit with bar patrons at closing time. The LA Times did a big story about the last train to Hollywood....
The picture that Nancy found and posted is from around that time, with what looks like an SW-8, which would have had to have been equipped with a PE whistle, instead of an SP air horn, to comply with the law agaisnt train air horns in Beverly Hills.
After 1968 freight service was cut back to the old West Hollywood Team track at the old PE yard, where today's MTA bus division is today, between San Vincente and end of tracks just short of La Cienega. All of these jobs worked out of Culver City, until service was finally cut back to one job by the early 80's, for the whole "Expo" (SM Branch/Inglewood/Venice, West Hollywood traffic needs)working out of PE Butte Street (last weeks actual picture of real RR's posted on AP of J yard).
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> I hate to bring this back to trains, but I don't
> remember the SP service on Santa Monica Blvd. I do
> remember the PE electric freight locomotives
> working the industries along Santa Monica Blvd. in
> the late evening. The electric service continued
> long after the Hollywood Blvd. and Santa Monica
> Blvd. streetcars were discontinue.
PE had no electric service or freight of any kind on Hollywood Blvd. after the abandonment of passenger services, except to scrap the line on the private ROW segments. You may just be too young to remember SP serving Santa Monica Blvc. long after the wires came down.
After abandonning electrified passenger service on Santa Monica (all west side trains), PE and then the SP continued freight service using diesels on Santa Monica to Hollywood, almost as far out to Vermont, as late as 1967 or maybe 1968(???). There were a number of industries and lumber yards taking carloads on Santa Monica, which were all served at night, the train being a big hit with bar patrons at closing time. The LA Times did a big story about the last train to Hollywood....
The picture that Nancy found and posted is from around that time, with what looks like an SW-8, which would have had to have been equipped with a PE whistle, instead of an SP air horn, to comply with the law agaisnt train air horns in Beverly Hills.
After 1968 freight service was cut back to the old West Hollywood Team track at the old PE yard, where today's MTA bus division is today, between San Vincente and end of tracks just short of La Cienega. All of these jobs worked out of Culver City, until service was finally cut back to one job by the early 80's, for the whole "Expo" (SM Branch/Inglewood/Venice, West Hollywood traffic needs)working out of PE Butte Street (last weeks actual picture of real RR's posted on AP of J yard).
