Railroad Boosters trolley trip

Image: cropped frame from PACIFIC ELECTRIC RAILWAY BOOSTERS CLUB INTERURBAN TROLLEY TRIP LOS ANGELES CA RED CARS 17304e

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIjHmyOqBHY

The Railroad Boosters (now Pacific Railroad Society) were southern California railfans who sometimes chartered trips on trolleys and trains. The video at the link is from a 1939 trip they took from Los Angeles to points north of San Bernardino on the Pacific Electric red cars. At 5:32 you can see where tank cars were filled with Arrowhead water near the famous Arrowhead Hotel.

This is a silent amateur movie that offers a glimpse into the greater L.A. area. A few seconds are blank (6:10 to 6:20) followed by seemingly random shots of trolleys that may or may not have been part of this trip. In the comments section of the youtube link there are some mentions of locations seen.

This film was saved and made available by Periscope Film LLC. Learn more about them and how to support their work at https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm .

 

De Havilland taken off train

This blogger thinks that it was probably a publicity stunt. The “Dodge City” Special was a train publicizing the movie.

In April, perhaps as the train was returning from its cross-country tour, it stopped in San Bernardino for a fan club president to join Errol Flynn.

Newspaper image: California Digital Newspaper Collection, https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SBS19390405.1.13&e=——-en–20–1–txt-txIN——–1 .

Dude ranches

Images: Front cover and details from a 14 page fold-out brochure published by the Santa Fe to promote travel on their trains. Courtesy of the Western Archives, Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society.

Listings for four of the eight southern California ranches are shown.

 

 

Streetcar residences

Image: Undated photo of Class 1 Streetcar homes in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, CA from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Class_1_Homes_in_Old_Town.jpg .

“In early 1939, the San Diego Electric Railway Company began the process of retiring the Class 1 streetcars. For a period of seven months that year, public sales were held to sell off the streetcar bodies, which could be purchased for $50 each.

“Fortunately, some of the big, roomy Class 1 streetcar bodies were purchased, put on lots, and converted into residences. Within a few months, however, there were complaints, and city leaders passed laws which made it illegal to use any more of the retired streetcars as residences…

“Since 1939, any time residential property with a streetcar home was sold in San Diego, the streetcar body had to be removed from the property, because they were not legally transferable as homes. The only streetcar bodies that could be used for homes were those that were grandfathered in, and continually resided in by the original property owner. Most streetcar homes were gone by the 1960s.

“A young, newly married couple purchased three of the streetcars in 1939 during that short seven-month period. This couple lived in them together for over fifty years. These are the last of the original 24 Class 1 streetcars and they are ready to be restored and returned the streets of San Diego.”

Excerpts from: http://sandiegohistoricstreetcars.org/history.html . Read more about the history of this class of streetcar in San Diego at the link.