Now the history. This time from 1930s to 1960s...
By 1930, thanks to a massive expansion of electric trains, Southern California just urbanizing and turning the what became the San Angeles Metropolitan Area, a huge metropolis that sprawling from Los Angeles to Tijuana. The Mileage of Pacific Electric by 1930, was more than 578 miles of tracks, and becoming the standard system of transportation in South California. By 1932, the Mainline from Los Angeles to Tijuana is modernized and becomes the new L.A. - Tijuana Air Line Railroad, with a top speed of 120 km/h. Meanwhile, there were still several railroads and interurban lines in several cities such as Bahia Blanca and Delano. Although shy, but with increasing competition with the automobile, these smaller lines ended up facing problems to continue to operate and expand, unlike the Pacific Electric, which was now a consolidated and high standard service system.
Seeing the opportunity to expand his empire, the Pacific Electric began acquiring many smaller and medium Interurban lines, and closing the same, but instead of abandoned, constructing state-of-art high-speed and subway lines, and thus, making these systems are not finished but on the contrary, they are increasingly used, upgraded and expanded. With the massive purchase of hundreds of smaller railroads, around 1945, the mileage of rail reaches over 890 miles. In 1948, the upgraded of the mainlines allowed speeds of 200 km / h, connecting all California. With the population explosion in the Central Valley and the Bay Area, new fast lines and subway systems are built.
Built together by Budd and EMD in 1943, new electric streamliners known as California Vision start rotating the mainlines at speeds of 200 km/h.
In the late 1940s, a failed attempt by the oil, tire and rubber companies, to buy various electric rail systems and subways, through a fictitious company named National City Lines, is discovered. They had the idea to buy these systems and scrap and in its place, build roads and highways, something that if it had occurred, would cause a collapse in the cities. After that, the rail systems are just more stronger, and many cities finance the construction of subways and electric trains.
In 1953, P.E. begins construction in San Francisco of its new state-of-art subway system, BART and modernizes the lines the Key System. The Pacific Electric reconstruct much of their system for a high speed service, and many lines are rebuilding like subways or EL. Many new models of electric trains are build. By 1955, the new state-of-art Metro Type III-A build by Budd and ACF, became the standard for rapid transit.
By 1964, the Pacific Electric System as more than 1.350 miles of tracks, and became the world synonym for rail rapid transit.
This is the background from 1930s to 1960s. I Hope everyone enjoy the photos and history!
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