“Big Red Cars”

For more than half a century, the Pacific Electric Railway served Southern California. Established by Henry Huntington in 1895, it linked Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties with over 1,000 miles of service and up to 2,700 scheduled trolleys daily. Although the trolleys were painted different colors through the years, the most famous and symbolic were the “Big Red Cars.” The electric trolley system carried commuters and sightseers through Southern California cities, fruit groves, beach areas, ranchland, and the Spanish Missions. The “Santa Ana” line, which operated from 1905 to 1950, remains as one remnant of the vast Pacific Electric System. This portion of the corridor diagonally traverses central Orange County from the Los Angeles County line to Santa Ana, crossing La Palma, Cypress, Buena Park, Anaheim, Stanton, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana.

Garden Grove, California · United States