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Re: Ex-San Jose LRVs at Sac depot--and Diridon's trolley
Author: R Ruiz
Date: 05-26-2012 - 15:34
Well that's an interesting revisionist take.
The passenger lines were built by developers such as Huntignton to support real estate development. After that, the only thing that kept the PE afloat was that it was a very effective feeder of freight to parent SP. From about the mid-1920s on, they were trying to pare back passenger service as much as they could, while holding on to their franchises.
Offering passenger service has always been about making a trade off. The private company offers this service at a loss, and in return, the adjacent orange groves (owned by the same people as the railway) skyrocket in value. Later, the private company offers this service at a loss, and in return they get to run tracks all over the city that serve thousands of freight customers.
The passenger lines were built by developers such as Huntignton to support real estate development. After that, the only thing that kept the PE afloat was that it was a very effective feeder of freight to parent SP. From about the mid-1920s on, they were trying to pare back passenger service as much as they could, while holding on to their franchises.
Offering passenger service has always been about making a trade off. The private company offers this service at a loss, and in return, the adjacent orange groves (owned by the same people as the railway) skyrocket in value. Later, the private company offers this service at a loss, and in return they get to run tracks all over the city that serve thousands of freight customers.
