California Central Railway
The California Central Railway was incorporated on April 23, 1887, with headquarters in San Bernardino, California. George O. Manchester was the President of the corporation.
File:Train_in_Arroyo_Seco_1888.jpg|thumb|right|400px|1888 group photo taken in the Arroyo Seco south of Pasadena with locomotive #13, built in 1882 by the Rhode Island Locomotive Works, this locomotive was renumbered 7 in 1889 and scrapped as AT&SF#0109. Photographed on the former Los Angeles and [San Gabriel Valley Railroad] line.
At its peak it operated of rail line with 14 steam locomotives, 14 passenger cars and 83 freight cars. It operated rail lines from May20, 1887, to November7, 1889. On December31, 1888, the California Central Railway was valued at $12,914,000.00.
On November 7, 1889, California Central Railway was consolidated with the California Southern Railroad and the Redondo Beach Railway into the Southern California Railway Company. On June30, 1888, it began operations as a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
Original 1887 lines
The California Central Railway mainlines were from San Bernardino to Los Angeles at La Grande Station, Oceanside to Los Angeles; and High Grove to Orange. It also ran a line in Riverside County between Perris to San Jacinto, from May 1887 to May1, 1888. California Central Railway also built and ran a line from Port Ballona on Santa Monica Bay, to Redondo Junction at the Los Angeles River near Washington Boulevard, which opened in September 1887. Redondo Junction became a major maintenance facility for trains.California Central Railway expansions
Redondo Beach Railway
Redondo Beach Railway was incorporated in April 1888. Redondo Beach Railway first bond sales was on June1, 1888. Henry E. Huntington controlled and owned much of the Redondo Beach Railway. Line started operation September1, 1888. California Central Railway operated, but did not own, the of the Redondo Beach Railway. This line ran from Redondo Beach to Inglewood Depot. In 1890, the Hotel Redondo opened, the rail line help make Redondo "The Place" for tourists. Also stopped at Burwell and Port Ballona. First train was on April16, 1888. From Inglewood the line continued to downtown Los Angeles on California Central Railway tracks through the Redondo Junction. Redondo Beach Railway company was consolidated into the Southern California Railway on November 7, 1889. When the street car line of the Redondo and Hermosa Beach Railroad opened in 1902, ridership on the Redondo Beach Railway trains dropped.;California Central Railway purchased and took control of the following lines:
Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway
Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway was incorporated September29, 1885. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line started by the Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway Company, from Santa Ana to Los Angeles on August12, 1888,. Also completed was the line from High Grove to Orange on September15, 1887,.San Bernardino and San Diego Railway
San Bernardino and San Diego Railway was incorporated on November20, 1886, bringing service to San Diego County. The company put up for sale $4,000,000.00 in stock to start construction. A Victorian-style depot was erected in 1887 at the site of current San Diego Union Station. Directors of the company were: George H.Bonebrake, A.W.Francisco and M.L.Wicks. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line started by the San Bernardino and San Diego Railway. The rail line ran from Santa Ana to San Juan on November30, 1887. Also completed was the 15 mile line from San Juan to Fallbrook Junction on August12, 1888,,. San Bernardino and San Diego Railway was originally chartered to build a line from Anaheim to San Juan Capistrano, and then to Oceanside and to San Diego. The Pacific Surfliner still runs on this line from San Diego to Santa Ana.[Image:San Bernardino station, 1915.jpg|thumb|The station and yards at San Bernardino in 1915. A year later, the station was destroyed by fire.]
San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway
San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway was incorporated on November22, 1886. In 1887 the California Central Railway expanded and completed a rail line started by the San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway Co. from San San Bernardino to Duarte on May31, 1887,,. This line connected with the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad at Duarte. The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad had already secured right of way East of Duarte. Other depots on this line are Claremont and North Pomona. Some towns start at rail stops like: Rialto, North Cucamonga, and North Ontario. Later this line would run the Santa Fe Southwest Chief until 1994.Image:HotelGreen-1900.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Pasadena Hotel Green, with bridge to the Pasadena rail station.
Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad
was incorporated on September5, 1883. On September16, 1885 a grand celebration was held in Pasadena for the completion of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad from downtown Los Angeles to Lamanda Park in East Pasadena. The rail line went from downtown Los Angeles through the Arroyo Seco to Pasadena. The railroad crossed the Arroyo Seco just north of Garvanza in Highland Park. California Central Railway purchased the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad on May20, 1887, and connected it to the end of the Daurte line to complete a line from San Bernardino to Downtown Los Angeles through the San Gabriel Valley. This gave the line the Azusa, Monrovia, Pasadena and Rancho Santa Anita depots. California Central Railway completed work started East of Daurte. Later this line connected with the San Bernardino & Los Angeles Railway, which later would run the Southwest Chief.San Bernardino Valley Railway
San Bernardino Valley Railway was incorporated on January12, 1887. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line started by the San Bernardino Valley Railway Co. from San Bernardino to Mentone, California, on December31, 1887,. San Bernardino Valley Railway was chartered to build from the City of San Bernardino to near Lugonia. The final construction was from San Bernardino to Mentone.San Diego Central Railroad
San Diego Central Railroad was incorporated on November 8, 1886. California Central Railway expanded and completed the rail line in San Diego County started by the San Diego Central Railroad Co., from Escondido junction, to Escondido. Service began in 1887. San Diego Central Railroad was chartered to build from San Diego Bay north to Poway, Escondido, and Oceanside. However, San Diego Central Railroad only constructed a rail line between Escondido to Oceanside.Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad
Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad was incorporated on January6, 1886, to build a railroad line from downtown Los Angeles to a depot on the Santa Monica Bay in Los Angeles County. In March 1886, the Los Angeles Herald reported that the "surveyors of the Santa Monica Railroad have just crossed the S.P. track at Ballona, just where the county road crossed that track near La Ballona station. The terminus is finally fixed at South Santa Monica, near where the old Juan Bernard wharf is."California Central Railway purchased the Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad, but the Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad company had not started any work on any rail lines, California Central Railway did get needed right of way land. The line was opened for business on September 7, 1887, with stops at Ballona Junction, Nadeau Park, Baldwin, Slauson, Wildeson, Hyde [Park station (Los Angeles Metro)|Hyde Park], Inglewood, Danville, Mesmer, and Port Ballona. A train left Los Angeles at 9:15a.m. on the one-hour journey and returned from Port Ballona at 4p.m.
San Jacinto Railway
San Jacinto Railway was incorporated on March7, 1887, in Riverside County. California Central Railway purchased the San Jacinto Railway, but this company had not started any work on any rail lines, California Central Railway did get needed right of way land. Rail work was started in 1887, this branch rail line ran from Perris to San Jacinto and started operation on May20, 1888, with the first train arriving at Winchester.Santa Fe
and Collis Potter Huntington worked hard to keep the Santa Fe Railway out of the LA and the San Gabriel Valley. But in May 1887, the first Santa Fe train rolled into Los Angeles. Santa Fe had an expensive agreement to use Southern Pacific Railroad tracks to run trains on from Colton to Los Angeles. This agreement was used for 1½ years.With the May20, 1887, sale of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad to the California Central Railway, a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, the two lines were connected together at Mud Springs, completing the rail line from Chicago to Los Angeles through the San Gabriel Valley. The Santa Fe line served the San Gabriel Valley until 1994, when the 1994 Northridge earthquake weakened the bridge in Arcadia.
Los Angeles Metro Rail
The old Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad right of way is again in use for public rapid transit by the Los Angeles Metro Rail light rail system. In the late 1990s, construction of the Gold Line started on the ROW, which opened in 2003.In 2013, construction further east on the ROW began for Phase 2A of the Gold Line Foothill Extension through the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona Valley to Azusa. It uses 1926 Monrovia Santa Fe Depot for its Monrovia station, and the site of the Azusa Depot for its Azusa Downtown station, which opened in 2016. Phase 2B is through the Pomona Valley to the San Bernardino Valley.
The California Southern Railroad was merged into the California Central Railway Company in June 1887. The collapse of the great land boom resulted in the consolidation of the California Southern Railroad, the California Central Railway, and the Redondo Beach Railway in 1889. The new corporation was named: Southern California Railway Company. The repair shops were all moved to San Bernardino, and the rail headquarters were moved to Los Angeles.