The Pacific Electric Ry. was an extensive electrified freight and commuter railway centered in Los Angeles, with over 200 route miles of commuter lines. Pacific Electric -- a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) -- had been formed in 1910 from the merger of several Southern California electric railways that had been bought up by SP.
The electrified commuter railway operations were basically intact until 1950, and then were progressively dismantled in the '50s. SP-controlled management pushed for replacement of trains with buses from the late '30s onward due to persistent financial losses from rail passenger service.
In 1953 Pacific Electric sold its remaining passenger operations to Metropolitan Coach Lines (MCL). Part of the sale agreement was that MCL would continue to push for replacement of rail operations with buses on city streets, thus freeing PE's tracks for unimpeded movement of profitable freight trains.
The Pacific Electric was also the third-largest railway in California in terms of freight cars handled, ranking ahead of Union Pacific or Western Pacific in traffic within California. In particular, PE was the main carrier of carload freight to and from the combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, handling 35% of all harbor-related traffic. In 1947 PE made a profit of about 6% on invested capital from its rail freight operations.
PE also was a part of the nation-wide Railway Express Agency system, and distributed package and less-than-carload freight to outlying towns in trolley box motors from its hub at 8th & Alameda Sts. and the REA offices at Union Station. Carload freight operations were converted to diesel by 1957, and trucks took over LCL and package freight delivery in 1952.
| Line | Weekday Rides |
Year Rail Service Ended | % Operating Expense Paid by Fares 1948 |
| LA to Long Beach | 16,000 fare rides 1947 | Converted to bus 1961. | 97 |
| LA to San Pedro | 15,000 fare rides 1947 | Converted to bus 1958. | 86 |
| Long Beach to San Pedro | 3,700 fare & transfer rides 1938 5,000 fare rides 1947 | Converted to bus 1949. | -- |
| LA to Watts Local | 20,000 fare rides 1947 | Converted to bus 1959. | 95.5 |
| LA to Santa Ana | 1,100 fare & transfer rides 1938 5,000 fare rides 1947 | Cut back to Bellflower 1950 with no direct bus replacement. Remainder converted to bus 1958. | 58.8 |
| LA to Newport Beach | 700 fare & transfer rides 1938 | Replaced by bus 1940. A few trains revived during World War II. | -- |
| LA to Pasadena via Oak Knoll | 5,500 fare & transfer rides 1938 7,500 fare rides 1947 | Replaced by bus 1950 | -- |
| LA to Pasadena via Fairoaks Ave | 4,800 fare & transfer rides 1938 7,500 fare rides 1947 | Replaced by bus 1951 | 81 |
| LA to Santa Monica via Beverly Hills (plus Brentwood) | 7,600 fare & transfer rides 1938 | Converted to bus 1940. | -- |
| LA-Gardena-Torrance-San Pedro | 400 fare & transfer rides | Eliminated 1940. Replaced by Torrance and Gardena city bus systems. | -- |
| LA-Gardena-Redondo | 1,100 fare & transfer rides 1938 | Eliminated 1940. Replaced by Gardena city bus system. | |
| LA to Sierra Madre | 1,000 fare & transfer rides 1938 2,000 fare rides 1947 | Replaced by bus 1950. | -- |
| LA-Monrovia-Glendora | 2,900 fare & transfer rides 1938 5,000 fare rides 1947 (Plus 8,000 Santa Anita rides during race season.) | Replaced by bus 1951. | 73.7 |
| LA-Pomona-San Bernardino-Riverside | 3,500 fare & transfer rides 1938 5,000 fare rides 1947 | Replaced by bus east of Baldwin Park 1941. Remainder converted to bus 1950. | 52.5 |
| LA-Alhambra-Temple City | 3,600 fare & transfer rides 1938 | Replaced by bus 1941. | -- |
| LA-Glendale-Burbank | 25,000 fare rides 1947 | Replaced by bus 1955. | 99 |
| Hollywood Blvd-Echo Park Ave-Venice Blvd Local | 69,000 fare rides 1947 | Echo Park Ave-Hill St- Venice Blvd replaced by bus 1950. Hollywood via Subway replaced by bus 1954. | 90 |
| LA to Santa Monica via Venice Blvd | 15,000 fare rides 1947 | Replaced by bus 1950. | 85 |
| Santa Monica Blvd-Van Nuys-West Hollywood | 37,000 fare rides 1947 | Western-Franklin branch converted to bus 1940. Van Nuys converted to bus 1952. West Hollywood converted to bus 1953. | 85 |
| LA to Sierra Vista (El Sereno local service) | 12,000 fare rides 1947 | Converted to bus 1951. | 95.5 |
| LA to Redondo via Culver City | 2,000 fare & transfer rides 1938 | Converted to bus 1940. | -- |
| LA to Whittier via Huntington Park (Randolph St) | -- | Cut back to Walker Ave in Maywood 1935. Remainder eliminated without bus replacement 1938. | -- |
| LA to South Pasadena via Highland Park | -- | Cut back to General Hospital 1935. South Pasadena-Highland Park replaced by Monterey Rd shuttle bus. Hospital shuttle eliminated 1942. | -- |