Car # 54 Now Has A Place to Call Home

January 2017 Car # 54 Now Has A Place to Call Home As many may remember from the October Newsletter, The Car Barn for Car #54 was well underway. One small step closer to our goal of restoring San Diego s oldest street car. A car I might add that has never left the county since it was constructed in 1903 from two of the original San Diego cable cars that arrived here in February of 1890 from the Stockton Combine, Harvester & Agriculture works. Photos on page 7

Page 2 SDERA Trolley Lines President s Report By Mike Reading Another year coming to an end! We have accomplished a lot this year and plan on continuing with this progress into the New Year. After a couple years of winding our way through the permitting process with the City of National City, we finally were able to raise a carbarn to get SDERy Car #54 out of the weather and to finally begin the process of surveying this artifact for future restoration. While we have been working on this project, we have also been trying to get out and share our organization with the community. We have gone on the road with programs at Senior Living Facilities and we have participated in 2 National City events, Christmas on Brick Row last December and A Kimball Christmas this year at Kimball Park. Both events were well attended by the citizens of National City and we had booths about SDERA and talked with many of these community members, with many coming to visit the depot or planning to in the future! We also were invited to have a one day exhibit at the San Diego History Center during their Free Tuesday in December. Free Tuesday in Balboa Park is a program to bring local citizens into the museum s in the park. We talked with many visitors and again, invited them to visit the National City Depot. Richard Finch, our newsletter editor and photo archivist, began assembling a portable exhibit for just these sort of events and was well received at the History Center and Kimball Park events. We hope to continue building on this exhibit for future road trips to other events! We hope to be able to have enough material for this exhibit that it can be tailored to fit the location of the event and to present the transportation that served the region. We also partnered with the National City Rotary Club this year and hosted a Waffle Breakfast at the Depot. It was a roaring success with about 200 people showing up to enjoy an outdoor breakfast with raffle prizes thrown in as well as the opportunity to explore the depot and all of our equipment! We are planning future events with the Rotary Club and other community organizations along with starting a STEM Lab program based at the depot for school children, working with 3rd to 6th graders. More to come on this in the New Year! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to ALL! San Diego Electric Railway Association DBA San Diego Electric Railway Co. Inc 922 West 23rd Street National City, CA 91950 (619) 474-4400 In the July 2016 Issue: President s Report page 2 Grip Cars page 4 letters page 5 Happenings At the Depot page 6 San Diego Transit 194 8 page 8 2017 Calender preview page 10 Upcoming Events Back Page SDERA operates the historic National City Depot museum which is located at 922 West 23rd Street, National City, CA 91950 and is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Or visit us on the web at: www.sdera.org San Diego Electric Railway Association, Inc v Mike Reading - President v Tom Carnes - Vice President v Jody Surowiec - Secretary v Randy Butler - Treasurer v Jim Anderson - Director v Mitch Beauchamp - Director v Richard Finch - Director v Mike Reneau - Director v Jason Ballard - Director v Chris Higgins - Web Master v Sam Judd - Legal Counsel v Richard Finch - Editor v Dave Slater - Editorial staff v Jody Surowiec - Editorial Staff v Tom Sapien - Librarian v Jim Anderson - Curator of Special Collections Gift Shop Manager/ Facilities Director v John De Lalla - Special Events/ Docent Coordinator

A Salute To Our Volunteers! They are as follows: Jim Anderson Jason Ballard Robert Baxter Mitch Beauchamp Chuck Bencik Randy Butler Robert Butler Tom Carnes Missy Cheeseman John DeLalla Richard Finch George Geyer Conrad Gomez Chris Higgins Hubert Jansen Gary Johnson Scotty Lewis Tim Lewis Patrick McColgan Sean McColgan Steve Mitton Jim Price Mike Quigg Mike Reading Mike Reneau Tom Sapien Dave Slater Bill Steinmetz Jody Surowiec Jeff Trimble Matt Zacharzuk WE COULDN T OPERATE WITHOUT YOU! Thanks! January 2017 URGENT REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEER DOCENTS AND CASHIERS Please consider sharing your interest in railroads and San Diego s historic streetcars with our visitors. Our dedicated group of docents needs your help to ensure that the Depot is properly staffed. Docents guide our visitors through the depot and the grounds. Training and support are provided by our docent coordinator and other experienced docents. Reference material is on hand, including talking points for the tour, and general procedures for operating the depot. Shifts are for 3 hours: 10 AM to 1:00 PM, and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Please contact John DeLalla at: docents@sdera.org or 858-847-3138 for additional information and to join our group of docents. Page 3 Attention Members: Please look carefully at the mailing label. If your membership has expired, or will expire soon, and you wish to renew your membership, or become a new member, we offer the following levels: Life,(for a single member) $400; Family, $35(please include names); Regular(or Individual) $25; Senior age 60 and up, $15; Junior for ages 17 and below, $15. Checks can be made out to, SDERA and mailed to SDERA, 922 West 23rd Street, National City, CA 91950 Come visit, and enjoy all the improvements in your Museum!

Page 4 San Diego s Grip Cars RECREATIONAL LURES It was the nation-wide practice of public service transportation companies to establish amusement parks at the ends of some of their car lines to boost the number of fares. The San Diego Cable Railway conformed with the trend. At the inaugural services it was announced: Near the terminus at the Bluffs, the erection of a large pavilion is in progress. It will be a handsome structure where concerts will be held. It will have a commodious stage, a hall for dancing and private dining rooms. The plot of ground contained five acres and extended along the northerly line of Adams Avenue from Campus Street to Georgia Street. The area around the pavilion was landscaped. This was the start of the attractive private park later known as Mission Cliff Gardens.[ Editor s note: More stories and photos of the gardens can be found in the December 2012 issue of the Trolley Lines at : http://www.sdera.org/newsletters/sderadec12.pdf ] The opening of the Pavilion was delayed until Admission Day, September 9th. Thousands then visited the new recreation center and enjoyed the magnificent views of Mission Valley, unmarred by freeways and commercial developments. The company also owned Recreation Park on the northerly side of University Avenue about Tenth Avenue. It was fenced and a grandstand was constructed. Here baseball games, bicycle-riding contests and other sport events were staged. Part Five SDERA Trolley Lines FOR THE EMPLOYEES South of the Power House was a company owned Boarding House or barracks. This provided facilities for the unmarried carmen. Mr. Enneking (1) revealed that the pay was 18 cents an hour. The men alternated long and short days. The long day was from 5:30a.m. to ll:30 p.m. with an hour off for meals. The hours of the short shifts were from 5:30a.m. to 3:15p.m. or from 3:15 to 11:30 p.m. In cable railway practice, the carmen were required to supply their outfits, as per the specifications prescribed by the company. In San Francisco, the uniforms cost from $19.50 to $22.50 and the caps added $2.50. Rules instructed that the men keep their clothing clean and neat. On the California Street Cable Railroad (San Francisco ) a force of inspectors was maintained but it was provided that the inspections be made only when the employees are on duty. In case, however, it is found that any of the men are in the habit of spending their time in saloons and gambling places, they are soon discharged. (1) Mr Enneking: I started work as a conductor on the cable-cars on June 7, 1890, the day they started, and I put the last one away in the old power-house at Fourth and Spruce streets a few years later One of the early electrics built in the San Diego Electric Car shops from salvaged Grip cars Here ends part Five of San Diego s Grip Cars Richard V. Dodge s fascinating and in depth accounts of San Diego s transit history re printed from the May 1962 issue of the Dispatcher from the Railway Historical Society of San Diego.

P. Allen Copeland El Cajon, CA 92020-2914 Thursday, December 08, 2016 Hi Richard Thanks for your efforts in putting Trolley Lines together and getting all that news and information out to us. This is very much appreciated. While looking for something else the other day, I found this interesting one page article on the San Diego Electric Ry. written by Eric Sanders in 1948. [ see page 8 ] I thought this was an excellent status report of the streetcar system as it existed in the last days, and was very pleased to see the detailed track map. I thought I would send a copy of this for possible use as filler or something. I think there was an earlier San Diego article from about 1946 or so that had a track map of all the WWII era lines. Will have to look for that. I am also working on a history of the San Diego Trolley as seen through timetable collecting. I have an all time compilation of SDT timetables (as far as I know), but need to write text to accompany this and put things in context. A number of people have helped me with this over the years, including Andy Goddard and George Geyer. I also have an all time SDT/SDHT roster of equipment that I have been working on, and can make that available at a later date. A number of the old original U2 cars have been sent elsewhere and not easy to keep track of this. Things that seem so recent are now history! Will keep looking for interesting historical material that might be helpful. Thanks again for all your efforts, and best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful holiday season. Best Regards, January 2017 Page 5 Letters Hi Allen I am gald that you and others who have written me are enjoying the news letters and finding From the Desk Of the Editor them informative. It is my intent that the news letter would be an open forum in which we can share our information about the San Diego Electric Railway and other vintage transit topics. I must say that with your letter, you have meet all of my expectations. I am familiar with many of writings of Eric Sanders and others, but I have never seen this article. A copy of which I have added to our archives at the Depot. I was also unaware of the Electric Railroaders Association or their publication the ERA Headlights. This looks like a rich resource for future research. My other intent for Trolley Lines is to find and reprint Articles like this that have been long forgotten, dust them off, Digitize them, and make all the information they contain, available for the coming generations. Library Update With the continuing sorting and cataloging of our collection, we have run into a bit of a storage problem. Since the goal is to tag and exhibit the many artifacts we now have. To just asset them and then hide them away in another box is not the goal. We now have a need for two items that will keep this process moving forward in an orderly fashion. If you have, or know of someone who has these things and would like to donate them please contact us. The first item is Shelfing (see page 11). These will be for storage in the upstairs library so they do not need to be anything fancy,. Utility or garage type shelving with easily adjusted shelves. The second is a Flat File ( see page 11) to store maps, newspapers, large photos, and artwork with a minimal amount of damage.

Page 6 SDERA Trolley Lines at The Depot October 1st was a busy day as Members pitch in for the Fall Clean up. A good scrubbing and a coat of paint really spruced the place up. Thanks to all who participated. All photos by Richard Finch SDERA s new display at the History Center December 13

January 2017 Page 7 As threatening storm clouds blew in from the south; A crew composed of (left to right) Mike Reading, Mike Reneau, Tim Higgings, Chris Higgings, Two days later we take the show on the road at Kimball Park in National City Mitch Beauchamp and Richard Finch, prepared the track for car 54. Two days where spent leveling, replacing rotted ties, tightening loose rail spikes, and adding rock Ballast. All just minutes before the first of several winter storms brought some much need rain.

Page 8 San Diego Transit lines 1948 BY ERIC SANDERS From an electric railway system that reached its peak in facilities in the period of 19211-1927 and its highest volume of traffic in War II, San Diego Electric Railway came into the year l948 with three car lines, 7 passenger cars and 3 work cars. This story, of course, ignores the vast network of bus lines operated by the company in the metropolitan area. Early in 1948 a change of ownership took place, and in September came a change in name to San Diego Transit System. This replaced a name first used in 1891. Since that year San Diego Electric Railway had been under one continuous ownership. San Diego is almost a one-company town in that SDT s only competition comes from the International Border line of Pacific Greyhound and the very limited service of two small independent bus companies. Even the ferries to Coronado are controlled by the same ownership through the San Diego & Coronado Ferry Co. One opposing line the fleet of small ferries (for foot passengers only) operated by the Star & Crescent Oil Co between San Diego and North Island. Although the rail operations of SDT have reached an all-time low, there are a few encouraging factors. The three remaining lines are heavy ones, and the equipment on the whole is good - comprising 28 PCC cars and the fifty 400 series cars. Some interesting trackage remains in Balboa Park. An article in October 1946 Headlights discusses the past history of the company. We shall content ourselves here with the present and the future. The latter can be disposed of briefly. Statements of the new ownership, J.L.Haugh and associates, as published in the local press at different times, are: (1) All rail lines will be abandoned by 1950; and (2) Immediate abandonment of routes #2, 7 and 11 SDERA Trolley Lines is not planned, although eventual abandonment is contemplated. The most recent statement, issued at the time Haugh took over actual control from the Spreckels companies, announced plans for the erection of a bus garage and for the purchase of more buses. So the street cars are to go. Rumor has it that #2 line is next on the list. At this writing, however, the company is officially concerned only with fare increases. In general, car assignments are as follows. Routes #7 and ll are served in the daytime, Monday through Saturday, by the Class 5 cars (400 series). Evenings, Sundays and holidays the PCC cars take over. During PCC operation hours, however, tripper service does bring the Class 5 cars onto the street. This tripper service includes Balboa Park specials and Sunday church specials. The class 5 cars are also used as extras in connection with sports events at the stadium or Lane Field. Route #2 is almost entirely equipped with PCC cars. The headway on all three lines varies from 3-1; minutes to 1hour ( #2 & 7 owls ). Up to 16 or 17 cars per line run in rush hours. Headquarters for the operation of the three rail lines is on the #11 route at Adams Ave car barn. in pre-war days this barn had been closed down, with all operations centered at Imperial. With the defense boom came the reopening of Adams barn and the installation there of a substation and minor repair facilities. Now about two-thirds of the Imperial barn has been torn down, and in the remaining portion 11 of the 400 series cars are stored. A couple of them are pulled out occasionally for extra service, but the rest will probably never again return to service. Most are in need of overhaul, as is also true of many of the actively operating cars; PCC s included. One block from the Imperial car barn, is the Imperial repair shop. Six short tracks in this shop, and the track in the paint shop next door, are little used. Over in Coronado the car barn is boarded up and is completely empty. Track no longer in use is being covered up.

January 2017 The track on the PRW in Coronado has been removed (although the neutral strip remains). After use by aircraft plant specials during the war, ex-interurban trackage on Kettner (routes #l3,14, l5, l6) has been covered over. Numerous crossovers or sharp high curves, particularly on lines #1 and 3, have been removed. The remaining trackage is indicated on the map. When the Broadway track is blocked, route #2 cars take to the F St trackage while #7 & #11 use the B St track. Tracks of lines #4 & 12 remain in place to 16th & Imperial to allow access to Imperial barn. Some connecting trackage downtown also intact. The Balboa Park private right-of-way includes three high steel trestles (the middle one curved). The Balboa Park station includes two passenger subways (not in use), a siding, and crossovers at both ends. From the south end of the PRW to Park & Indiana the route is protected by an elaborate block signal system. Three street bridges (wooden trestles) are also protected for single track or for Page 9 one car only rules. Certain corners also have signal protection. A11 the Wilkes-Barre car bodies and most of the Third Avenues were burned, as were the two Coronado DT Birneys and all but 3 work cars. The bodies of the 14 Salt Lake City cars and the San Diego center entrance cars may be seen around the county. Street car fares are 10 cents or 6 tokens for 50, with free transfer. Passes are also available. This is San Diego Transit System in l948. The interurbans are gone, many city car lines abandoned, and 74 cars have been scrapped. However, the gongs still clang on Broadway, and through Balboa Park. For a little while longer, at least, street cars will remain a part of the San Diego scene. 1948 Car Roster on page 11

Page 10 SDERA Trolley Lines 2017 Here is a sneak preview of some of the photos that will be featured in the new SDERA calender for 2017 By popular demand the 2017 Calender is now Available Go to SDERA.org for more information. Contains photographs printed on 11 by 8 1/2 inch heavy weight paper stock suitable for framing.

January 2017 Page 11 Flat files come in may configurations, from 2 ft by 3 ft, To 5ft by 6 ft; 3 to 8 drawers. We can use any size Items wanted from page 5 Garage or Utility shelves of any height (72 in. would be best) 36 in. Wide and a minimum of 18 in. Deep. In fair condition or better. 1948 Car ROSTER from page 9 Passenger Cars Class 5 # 400-449 - Steel 56 passenger - American 1923 SE DT (Ex-interurban IU cars) Class 6 - #501-528 - Steel 62 passenger - St Louis 1937 - SD DT PCC Work Cars #010 - Service Car - Ex- express # 1000 - Ex - passenger #106 #026 - Line Car - Ex- passenger #96 #028 - Trolley wire greaser - Ex- passenger #107 All 3 are Wooden cars built 1910 by SDER, part of #87-110 series Also if you would like to help out with the many small tasks that are involved in scanning and cataloging all the photos and artifacts (supper simple). Please contact me at : editor@sdera.org Order Form for the 2017 photo calender Enter your name and shipping address below. NAME: STREET ADDRESS: CITY: STATE: ZIP: PHONE or EMAIL: ITEM QUANTITY PRICE TOTAL SDERY Calender for 2017 $9.95 + $5.00 for shipping and handling --------------- --------- --------- (CA residents add.90 for sales tax) Mail this form and your check payable to San Diego Electric Railway Association in a stamped envelope to: San Diego Electric Railway Association 922 WEST 23RD STREET, NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

San Diego Electric Railway Association d.b.a. San Diego Electric Railway PLEASE ADDRESS ALL WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE TO 922 WEST 23RD STREET, NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950 SDERA is at the historic National City Depot, off I-5 at Mile of Cars Way - take Bay Marina Dr. west, right on Cleveland, go one block and left on W. 23rd St and straight into the Depot Open Saturday and Sunday, 10AM 4 PM. Depot phone: call (619) 474-4400 To submit items to the Newsletter, contact : Richard Finch via e-mail (editor@sdera.org) Items need to be submitted by the 10th of the month prior to publication. -- Next issue in April Please send all photos in the largest size as possible. 2 or 3 meg file ( about 1000 pixels on the longest side) also include the names from left to right of people in the photos. Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Chula Vista, Ca Permit No. 1800 Attention Members: Please look carefully at the mailing label. If your membership has expired, or will expire soon, and you wish to renew your membership, or become a new member, we offer the following levels: Life,(for a single member) $400; Family, $35(please include names); Regular(or Individual) $25; Senior age 60 and up, $15; Junior for ages 17 and below, $15. Checks can be made out to, SDERA and mailed to SDERA, 922 West 23rd Street, National City, CA 91950 The Members meetings are now held Quarterly on the 2nd Saturday of the month at the National City Depot. Upcoming Events You can Now find us on: Depot Opens: 6:00 PM for social time Business Meeting: 6:30 PM Program: 6:45 PM Hello All, It s time to think about meeting programs for 2017. As of now, the meetings will be on February 11, May 13, August 12, and November 11, 2017. Please let me know if you would like to present a program and the month that you prefer. Thank you! Kind regards, John https://www.facebook.com/pages/ San-Diego-Electric-Railway-Association/ 241154262614173 Elections - Were not held at the November general meeting. Scott Lewis, Mike Reneau, and Tom Carnes are the Nominating Committee. The elections will be held at the February meeting. Members offering to run: Tom Carnes-one year; Mike Reading-one year; Jim Anderson-2 years; Jason Ballard-2 years; Mitch Beauchamp-2 years; Randy Butler-2 years; Mike Reneau-1 year; Richard Finch-1 year. No one has offered to run for Secretary.