PE 1001

Shown here waiting at the Perris Depot, PE 1001 depicts the future for OERM. We're working towards extending electric car service from its current terminus at 7th St. to 4th St. and the Perris Depot. Click here for more information on the Depot.

Car 1001 represents the PE’s last order of wooden cars. The elegant “five-window front”, with its trademark curved-glass corner windows, was also found on many Los Angeles Railway streetcars, (reflecting the common influence of Henry Huntington, who held a major interest in both properties prior to 1911). Like many of the system’s early cars, 1001 was built with an “open air” section which had no windows. The open section was enclosed during a 1928 rebuilding.

The 1000 class cars, or “Tens”, were withdrawn from service in the Fall of 1950, coinciding with the closing of the Venice Short Line. Car 1001 was spared from the scrap heap because it had been converted to a maintenance car (rail-grinder 00199) in 1948. Although its seats were removed, and one of its trucks was modified to hold the rail-grinding apparatus, the body of the car was not altered. The car was declared surplus in 1954 and was purchased by Museum member Walter Abbenseth, to whom we are grateful for saving this magnificent remnant of the Pacific Electric.


Night scene in the Abbenseth Carhouse. John Smatlak photo	1001 at Oil Junction. John Smatlak photo	1001 on the South Mainline, Peter Ehrlich photo


PE used every car it had to provide service to Pasadena's annual Rose Parade festivities. Here's a 1947 view of 1001 in action. Al Haij photo, ERHA-SC / Ray Younghans Collection	In service as Rail grinder 00199 at Torrance Shops 1/24/53. Robert B. Petersen photo, OERM Collection	1001 at Travel Town in Los Angeles, Ca. 1955. The car moved to Perris with the rest of the growing Orange Empire collection in 1959.



Steve Crise photo	John Smatlak photos