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San Pedro — Trolley Progress

Rail Transit Online, August 2002

Testing of vintage Pacific Electric car No. 1058 has begun along the full 1.5-mi. (2.4 km) route of the Waterfront Red Car Line at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro (photo). The track, 600-volt DC overhead, ADA-compliant stations and other infrastructure is complete and work is continuing on two new replica cars patterned after the Pacific Electric’s 500-series design. The line, built on a former PE right-of-way and also used for freight operations when the trolleys aren’t running, links a cruise ship terminal with downtown San Pedro and other waterfront attractions. According to consultant John Smatlak of Railway Preservation Resources, No. 1058 will carry passengers for a few days during a tall ships festival in early September. However, the opening date of regular service won’t be announced until the 500-series cars are closer to completion. Herzog has been awarded the operating contract, with trolleys tentatively scheduled to run Friday through Monday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., the most popular times for cruise ships to dock. The fare has been set at $1. Smatlak said service could be expanded as demand warrants.

The two 500-series cars are shown under construction at a harbor-area warehouse located not far from the Red Car line’s right-of-way. They have steel underframes but the wooden bodies and seats are being expertly hand crafted by a team of experts assembled for the job. The first unit was sitting on its trucks and most of the electrical gear had been installed by mid-July, when these photos were taken.

The second 500-series car is still at an early stage of construction but components are being manufactured at a rapid pace and all of the necessary mechanical parts are on hand. The first car can be seen in the background.