Interurban Memories - The Sounds of L.A. Pacific Electric

This is a cut from the 1961 LP record "Interurbans in Action". It's November 1, 1959 at 1:15pm. All Aboard for a ride to Watts on one of the famed "Hollywood" cars. It's the last full day of operation for the watts local. Were riding on the 1801 and our mikes have been set up just behind the motorman; the conductor stands half way back in this center-entrance car and his calling of streets will be heard faintly. The ride is a mixture of the sounds of rail joints, banging switches, whistles and wig-wags at grade crossings. Enjoy the ride!

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Trains
• Interurban
• railroad
• railfan

[Butchuk2007]

That's a cool audio track.

Thanks for posting it.

[Jeffbear1]

I actually have this record. But I no longer have a record player to play it. I certainly remember those days and those great old sounds. Who would have ever thought that it would be coming back in so many cities today. Had you predicted it ten years ago, they would have called you crazy.

But the fact is that none of this died a natural death. It was killed off by the automobile and oil industry. It was a great form of public transit back then and will be again.

[TheGentlemanCaller88]

The Red Car has a very distinct type of whistle that I don't think any other streetcar had. This is a beautiful recording. All you have to do is close your eyes and imagine one of these beautiful vehicles clickety-clacking down old Los Angeles streets.

[TheHoodhistorian]

@ka6mht i gotta check that out..

[ka6mht]

Taxes and municipal liabilities were more at fault than the auto and oil industry. Have you seen the "This was Pacific Electric"? Skycity productions.. Wonderful presentation and enlightening too. I too have this record and it is also available on CD as well. The Northshore side is still my fav as I rode it on the last day .

[DaveWVideo]

The Pacific Electric was not killed off by the oil/auto industry. It was killed off by its parent railroad, Southern Pacific, who no longer wanted to be in the passenger business. SP was losing a lot of money on the PE as well as their own passenger trains, so they sold the PE Red Cars to the Los Angeles MTA in the late '50s. The MTA continued operating PE cars at a loss until they finally stopped all operations in 1961.(SP had lost money on PE since they bought it from Huntington in 1911.)

[jennangel122397]

This is so cool! I'm glad that we can at least still have some form of this at the Orange Empire Railway Museum!

[Jeffbear1]

I have this actual record, but no longer have a record player to play it on. It was a tragic crime that all of this was abandoned. We can thank General Motors et. al. for the dirty deed. But thankfully, it's all coming back today in a modern form. But the idea is still the same.....electric traction on rails. It worked well then and will work well again. We weren't so dependent on oil back in those days.

[frecce500]

Nice Sound!!

[524koki]

我々鉄道ファンにとってはまさに子守唄ですよね。