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Book

Author: Raphael Long Title: Red Car Era: An Album Subtitle: Memories Of Los Angeles And The Pacific Electric Railway Publisher:   CreateSpace Independent Publishing Country: USA Date: 9 Jul 2010 Format: Paperback Genre: Transport, History, Photography ISBN-10: 1452844755 ISBN-13: 9781452844756 Rating: Rate Collection:   I Own It     I Want It  Community:  1 Owns Price Guide: Valuation Page » Search eBay #AD  » Search Amazon #AD This site contains affiliate links for which we may be compensated.

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Notes

During the first six decades of the Twentieth Century, Southern California boasted a comprehensive network of suburban electrically powered trains and trolleys. Known as the Pacific Electric, it was the world's largest interurban electric system. In their bright red livery, the Red Cars went everywhere. Lines extended along the beaches from Balboa to Santa Monica Canyon; from the cool snow covered alpine heights of Mount Lowe to the hot dry sandy desert of the San Fernando Valley; and from Los Angeles to the rural orange groves of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. At its peak, Pacific Electric operated 6,200 trains daily over 1,061 miles of track. Raphael Long was there at mid-century photographing the system during its final years under Pacific Electric management. Presented here are 230 images from Mr. Long's private collection. Red Car Era is filled with memories of a Southern California and Pacific Electric Railway that once was and will never be again.

Comments and Reviews

WPLives 20th Jun 2021		Review Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2010 Excellent and Enjoyable This book is a real treat for any PE fan and history buff. The author shares his personal experiences as if he were sitting across the table with a cup of coffee. Very personable and even humorous at times. I found his interests to mirror my own and was delighted to find references to the minor details that are often undiscussed and left in the background. As an example there are two photos and personal informative text about the ACME traffic signals that were once unique to Los Angeles. Not a PE subject matter, but just as much a part of the times and places as the PE. Most of the photos were new to me as well as much of the information. The four elevation views of Oneonta Park Station and descriptive text are worth the price of the book themselves as are other detailed views, in this fan's opinion. Now the bad part. The printing of the photos is a bit too light as is the weight of the paper. But then the price is right, I guess, in today's market. It is because of these two detractions that the book gets 4 stars from me. I heartily suggest it. Thanks, Mr.Long. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
WPLives 20th Jun 2021		Review Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2014 Good memories and information, poor photos Great source for information not found elsewhere. The author relates his personal experiences, including the photographic. It's refreshing to have an opinionated author, even if you don't agree with all his opinions. He tries a dig at public ownership when telling of the yellow cars demise, by saying they were clean and free of dirt under private ownership. They were just as clean under public ownership, and it was not "politicians" who did-in the cars, but a pro-bus management crew. It's odd that he has coverage of the yellow cars until the end, his red car coverage stops in 1953 when a notorious private bus-loving owner (Metropolitan Coach Lines, owned by Jesse Haugh) bought them, and let them get filthy and rundown. A minor error is that April 8, 1961 is given as the date of the last red train to Long Beach, when actually it was the early morning of April 9. A major drawback is that most of the photos are of terrible quality. They are washed out and grey, as if taken through a thick fog. I'd love to see this book in an edition with high quality photos. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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See Also

Book

Raphael Long - Red Car Days - Interurban Press - Paperback - USA - 0916374637 (1983)

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Carol Kelly - In Her Life... - CreateSpace Independent Publishing - Paperback - USA - 9781419648809 (2006)

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