The California Central Railway was incorporated on April 23, 1887, with headquarters in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

. George O. Manchester was the President of the corporation. Train_in_Arroyo_Seco_1888

At its peak it operated of

rail line Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film *Rails (film), ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini *Rail ( ...

with 14

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

s, 14

passenger cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

and 83

freight cars A railroad car, railcar (American English, American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and International Union of Railways, UIC), also called a tra ...

. It operated rail lines from May 20, 1887, to November 7, 1889. On December 31, 1888, the California Central Railway was valued at $12,914,000.00. On November 7, 1889, California Central Railway was consolidated with the

California Southern Railroad The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between wha ...

and the Redondo Beach Railway into the

Southern California Railway Southern California Railway was formed on November 7, 1889. It was formed by consolidation of California Southern Railroad Company, the California Central Railway Company, and the Redondo Beach Railway Company. A second consolidation and reformi ...

Company. On June 30, 1888, it began operations as a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

of the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

Original 1887 lines

The California Central Railway mainlines were from San Bernardino to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

La Grande Station La Grande Station was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's (Santa Fe) main passenger terminal in Los Angeles, California from 1893 until the opening of Union Station in 1939. The station was located at 2nd Street and Santa Fe Avenue on t ...

Oceanside Oceanside may refer to: Places United States *Oceanside, California ** Oceanside Transit Center *Oceanside, New York Oceanside is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the southern part of the town of Hempst ...

to Los Angeles; and High Grove to

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

. It also ran a 19-mile line in

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...

between

Perris Perris is an old railway city in Riverside County, California, United States, located east-southeast of Los Angeles and north of San Diego. It is known for Lake Perris, skydiving, the Southern California Railway Museum, and its sunny dry cli ...

to San Jacinto, from May 1887 to May 1, 1888. California Central Railway also built and ran a 13-mile line from

Port Ballona Port Ballona is an archaic place name for an area near the center of Santa Monica Bay in coastal Los Angeles County, where Playa Del Rey and Del Rey Lagoon are located today. Port Ballona was a planned harbor and town site from circa 1859 to 1 ...

(present day

Playa del Rey, Los Angeles Playa del Rey (Spanish language, Spanish for "Beach of the King") is a seaside neighborhood on the westside of Los Angeles in the Santa Monica Bay region of Los Angeles County, California. It has a ZIP Code of 90293 and area codes 310 and 424, ...

) on

Santa Monica Bay Santa Monica Bay is a bight of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, United States. Its boundaries are slightly ambiguous, but it is generally considered to be the part of the Pacific within an imaginary line drawn between Point Dume, in ...

, to Redondo Junction (just southwest of present-day

Boyle Heights Boyle may refer to: Places United States * Boyle, Kansas, an unincorporated community * Boyle, Mississippi, a town *Boyle County, Kentucky *Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, a neighborhood Elsewhere * Boyle (crater), a lunar crater * 11967 Boyle, ...

) at the

Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River (), historically known as by the Tongva and the by the Spanish, is a major river in Los Angeles County, California. Its headwaters are in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and it flows nearly from Canoga Park ...

near Washington Boulevard, which opened in September 1887. Redondo Junction became a major maintenance facility for trains.

California Central Railway expansions

Redondo Beach Railway

Redondo Beach Railway was incorporated in April 1888. Redondo Beach Railway first bond sales was on June 1, 1888. Henry E. Huntington controlled and owned much of the Redondo Beach Railway. Line started operation September 1, 1888. California Central Railway operated, but did not own, the 11 miles of the Redondo Beach Railway. This line ran from Redondo Beach to

Inglewood Depot The Inglewood depot in Inglewood, California, was built by Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in September 1887. From 1902 to 1928 it was used for the Venice–Inglewood Line of the Los Angeles Railroad Pacific Electric Railway Depot, and th ...

. In 1890, the

Hotel Redondo Hotel Redondo was a hotel in Redondo Beach, California, that opened in 1890 and was demolished in 1925. The hotel, which had 225 rooms in three stories, was built in a High Victorian style. Construction cost approximately $500,000. At the ti ...

opened, the rail line help make Redondo "The Place" for tourists. Also stopped at Burwell and

. First train was on April 16, 1888. From Inglewood the line continued to downtown Los Angeles on California Central Railway tracks through the Redondo Junction. Redondo Beach Railway company was consolidated into the Southern California Railway on November 7, 1889. When the street car line of the Redondo and Hermosa Beach Railroad opened in 1902, ridership on the Redondo Beach Railway trains dropped. ;California Central Railway purchased and took control of the following lines:

Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway

Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway was incorporated September 29, 1885. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line started by the Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway Company, from Santa Ana to Los Angeles on August 12, 1888, 34 miles. Also completed was the line from High Grove to Orange on September 15, 1887, 41 miles. (started in 1886)

San Bernardino and San Diego Railway

San Bernardino and San Diego Railway was incorporated on November 20, 1886, bringing service to

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

. The company put up for sale $4,000,000.00 in stock to start construction. A Victorian-style depot was erected in 1887 at the site of current San Diego Union Station. Directors of the company were: George. H. Bonebrake, A. W. Francisco and M. L. Wicks. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line started by the San Bernardino and San Diego Railway. The 35 mile rail line ran from Santa Ana to San Juan (present day

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the O ...

) on November 30, 1887. Also completed was the 15 mile line from San Juan to

Fallbrook Fallbrook is a census-designated place in northern San Diego County, California. It had a population of 32,267 at the 2020 census. Fallbrook is immediately east of the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton. It is known for its avocado groves and ca ...

Junction on August 12, 1888, 15 miles, (started 1887). San Bernardino and San Diego Railway was originally chartered to build a line from

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (also known colloquially as San Juan or SJC) is a city in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 35,253 at the 2020 Census. Named for Saint John of Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano was founded ...

, and then to Oceanside and to San Diego. The ''

Pacific Surfliner The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is Amtrak's third-busiest service (exceeded in ridership only ...

'' still runs on this line from San Diego to Santa Ana.

San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway

San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway was incorporated on November 22, 1886. In 1887 the California Central Railway expanded and completed a rail line started by the San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway Co. from San San Bernardino to Duarte on May 31, 1887, 38 miles, (started 1887). This line connected with the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad at Duarte. The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad had already secured right of way East of Duarte. Other depots on this line are

Claremont Claremont may refer to: Places Australia *Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland * Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart * Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth * Town of Claremont, Perth * Claremont Airbase, an ...

and North Pomona. Some towns start at rail stops like: Rialto, North Cucamonga, and North Ontario. Later this line would run the Santa Fe ''

Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and American Southwest ...

'' until 1994.

Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad

Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad was a railroad founded on September 5, 1883, by James F. Crank with the goal of bringing a rail line to Pasadena, California from downtown Los Angeles, the line opened in 1886. Los Angeles and San G ...

was incorporated on September 5, 1883. On September 16, 1885 a grand celebration was held in Pasadena for the completion of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad from downtown Los Angeles to Lamanda Park in East Pasadena. The rail line went from downtown Los Angeles through the Arroyo Seco to Pasadena. The railroad crossed the Arroyo Seco just north of Garvanza in Highland Park. California Central Railway purchased the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad on May 20, 1887, and connected it to the end of the Daurte line to complete a line from San Bernardino to Downtown Los Angeles through the San Gabriel Valley. This gave the line the Azusa, Monrovia, Pasadena and Rancho Santa Anita depots. California Central Railway completed work started East of Daurte. Later this line connected with the San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway, which later would run the ''Southwest Chief''.

San Bernardino Valley Railway

San Bernardino Valley Railway was incorporated on January 12, 1887. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line started by the San Bernardino Valley Railway Co. from San Bernardino to

Mentone, California Mentone is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 7,803 at the 2000 census and 8,720 at the 2010 census. It is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, it has a total ar ...

, on December 31, 1887, 13 miles. San Bernardino Valley Railway was chartered to build from the City of San Bernardino to near Lugonia (current city is now Redlands in San Bernardino County). The final construction was from San Bernardino to Mentone.

San Diego Central Railroad

San Diego Central Railroad was incorporated on November 8, 1886. California Central Railway expanded and completed the 21 mile rail line in

started by the San Diego Central Railroad Co., from Escondido junction, (just south of Oceanside) to Escondido. Service began in 1887. San Diego Central Railroad was chartered to build from

San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port in San Diego County, California, near the Mexico–United States border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of ...

north to

Poway Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city had a population of 48,841 as of the 2020 United States census. Poway is part of San Diego's Eas ...

, Escondido, and Oceanside. However, San Diego Central Railroad only constructed a rail line between Escondido to Oceanside.

Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad

Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad was incorporated on January 6, 1886, to build a railroad line from downtown Los Angeles to a depot on the

in Los Angeles County. In March 1886, the ''

Los Angeles Herald The ''Los Angeles Herald'' or the ''Evening Herald'' was a newspaper published in Los Angeles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1873 by Charles A. Storke, the newspaper was acquired by William Randolph Hearst in 1931. It ...

'' reported that the "

surveyors Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

of the Santa Monica Railroad have just crossed the S.P. track at Ballona, just where the county road crossed that track near La Ballona station. The terminus is finally fixed at South Santa Monica, near where the old Juan Bernard wharf is." California Central Railway purchased the Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad, but the Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad company had not started any work on any rail lines, California Central Railway did get needed right of way land. The line was opened for business on September 7, 1887, with stops (from northeast to southwest) at Ballona Junction, Nadeau Park, Baldwin, Slauson, Wildeson, Hyde Park,

Inglewood Inglewood may refer to: Places Australia *Inglewood, Queensland * Shire of Inglewood, Queensland, a former local government area *Inglewood, South Australia *Inglewood, Victoria *Inglewood, Western Australia Canada * Inglewood, Ontario *Inglewoo ...

, Danville,

Mesmer Franz Anton Mesmer ( ; ; 23 May 1734 – 5 March 1815) was a German physician with an interest in astronomy. He theorized the existence of a process of natural energy transference occurring between all animate and inanimate objects; this he cal ...

, and

. A train left Los Angeles at 9:15 a.m. on the one-hour journey and returned from Port Ballona at 4 p.m.

San Jacinto Railway

San Jacinto Railway was incorporated on March 7, 1887, in

. California Central Railway purchased the San Jacinto Railway, but this company had not started any work on any rail lines, California Central Railway did get needed right of way land. Rail work was started in 1887, this branch rail line ran from Perris to San Jacinto and started operation on May 20, 1888, with the first train arriving at

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

Santa Fe

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who founded the Gould family, Gould business dynasty. He is generally identified as one of the Robber baron (industrialist), robber bar ...

and

Collis Potter Huntington Collis Potter Huntington (October 22, 1821 – August 13, 1900) was an American industrialist and railway magnate. He was one of the Big Four of western railroading (along with Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker) who invested ...

worked hard to keep the

Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Railroad classes, Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight tra ...

out of the LA and the San Gabriel Valley. But in May 1887, the first Santa Fe train rolled into

. Santa Fe had an expensive agreement to use

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

tracks to run trains on from Colton to Los Angeles. This agreement was used for 1½ years. With the May 20, 1887, sale of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad to the California Central Railway, a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, the two lines were connected together at Mud Springs, completing the rail line from Chicago to Los Angeles through the San Gabriel Valley. The Santa Fe line served the San Gabriel Valley until 1994, when the

1994 Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake affected Greater Los Angeles, California, on January 17, 1994, at 04:30:55 PST. The epicenter of the moment 6.7 () blind thrust earthquake was beneath the San Fernando Valley. Lasting approximately 8 seconds ...

weakened the bridge in Arcadia.

Los Angeles Metro Rail

The old Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad

right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

(ROW) is again in use for public rapid transit by the

Los Angeles Metro Rail The Los Angeles Metro Rail is an urban rail transit system serving Los Angeles County, California, United States, consisting of six lines: four light rail lines (the A, C, E and K lines) and two rapid transit lines (the B and D lines), ...

light rail system. In the late 1990s, construction of the Gold Line started on the ROW, which opened in 2003. In 2013, construction further east on the ROW began for Phase 2A of the

Gold Line Foothill Extension The Foothill Extension (formerly the Gold Line Foothill Extension) is a construction project extending the light rail A Line, a part of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The project begins at the former terminus of the former Gold Line at Si ...

through the

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

and

Pomona Valley The Pomona Valley is located in the Greater Los Angeles Area between the San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino Valley in Southern California. The valley is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. History The earliest inhabitants of Pomo ...

Azusa AZUSA refers to a ground-based radar tracking system installed at Cape Canaveral, Florida and the NASA Kennedy Space Center. AZUSA was named after the southern California town Azusa, California where the system was devised in the early 1950s. ...

. It uses 1926 Monrovia Santa Fe Depot for its Monrovia station, and the site of the Azusa Depot for its

Azusa Downtown station Azusa Downtown station is an at-grade light rail station on the A Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located on Alameda Avenue, a block north of Foothill Boulevard, in Downtown Azusa, after which the station is named. This stat ...

, which opened in 2016. Phase 2B is through the

to the

San Bernardino Valley The San Bernardino Valley () is a valley in Southern California located at the south base of the Transverse Ranges. It is bordered on the north by the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains; on the east by the San Jacin ...

. The

was merged into the California Central Railway Company in June 1887. The collapse of the great land boom resulted in the consolidation of the California Southern Railroad, the California Central Railway, and the Redondo Beach Railway in 1889. The new corporation was named: Southern California Railway Company. The repair shops were all moved to San Bernardino, and the rail headquarters were moved to Los Angeles. Digital Library Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad Depot at Alison Street and Anderson Street, Los Angeles, 1884
/ref>

References

* * * * * *

External links

;Reading
Psrm.org: California Southern Railway History
*"The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad." by Hoyt, Franklyn., Pacific Historical Review 20 (August 1951): 227-239

* ttp://www.abandonedrails.com/Second_District Abandonedrails.com: Abandon Rail Lines, The Second District of the AT&SFbr>monroviacc.com, Monrovia at 125: “Trees, Trains, Troubles, and Triumphs.” By Steve Baker Archive.org: History of Pomona Valley, California, with Biographical Sketches of The Leading Men and Women of the Valley Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, Calif. 1920
LA Magazine CityDig: "Monrovia's 1887 Real Estate Bubble"
by Glen Creason; 12 February 2014 issue. ;Images

circa 1887 image.
Digital Library Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad Depot at Alison Street and Anderson Street, Los Angeles, 1884Glabarre.com: photo of stock in Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad
{{DEFAULTSORT:California Southern Railroad Predecessors of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Defunct California railroads History of Los Angeles County, California History of Orange County, California History of Riverside County, California History of San Bernardino County, California History of San Diego County, California Companies based in San Bernardino County, California American companies established in 1887 Railway companies established in 1887 Railway companies disestablished in 1889 1887 establishments in California 1889 disestablishments in California 19th century in Los Angeles American companies disestablished in 1889