Colton Line

Colton
Colton
	Car 136 in service on 8th Street in Colton, 1910
Overview
Locale	Inland Empire
Termini	San Bernardino; Colton
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Pacific Electric
History
Opened	1902
Closed	February 22, 1942
Technical
Line length	4.24 mi (6.82 km)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	600 V DC Overhead lines

The Colton Line was a local streetcar line, mostly known as being a service of the Pacific Electric. It operated between Colton and San Bernardino, one of two lines in service between the two cities.^[1]

History[]

The line was established by the in 1902.^[2] The company was absorbed into the Pacific Electric in 1911. In 1913 the service was through-routed with the . Completion of the more direct San Bernardino–Riverside Line in late 1914 greatly reduced demand on the line, with ridership reduced by more than half on the old line the following year. Despite its lesser popularity, the Colton Line outlasted the shorter route, remaining in service until February 22, 1942.^[3]

Route[]

The line started at the Colton station at 9th and J Streets near Colton Crossing where passengers interchanged with transcontinental trains. Cars ran west on J for a block before turning north on 8th Street. At Vernon Avenue, the tracks ran northward until the main line at 3rd Street where a right turn continued into San Bernardino.^[2]^[3]

The line connected the joint Pacific Electric and Southern Pacific stations in San Bernardino and Colton via the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot.^[4]

References[]

^ Pacific Electric Railway Time Table (PDF). wx4's Dome of Foam. Pacific Electric. March 26, 1932. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b "San Bernardino Local Lines". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b Veysey, Laurence R. (June 1958). A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 (PDF). LACMTA (Report). Los Angeles, California: Interurbans. pp. 64, 107. ASIN B0007F8D84.
^ "Pacific Electric Time Tables" (PDF). wx4's Dome of Foam. Pacific Electric. September 1, 1934. p. 16. Retrieved September 1, 2021.