A Branch Line Again: Trees Spruce Up Red Cars’ Path

With plans for reusing the old Pacific Red Car right of way in limbo, the Orange County Transportation Authority is planting trees instead of track along the historic trolley route.

During ceremonies Tuesday in Garden Grove, OCTA and municipal officials dedicated the first of 12 landscaping projects to help spruce up sections of the vacant right of way in six cities. The cost is about $1.2 million.

The Pacific Electric Railway, which operated in Southern California from 1901 to 1950, owned miles of right of way throughout Orange County from the coast to the interior.

Between 1982 and 1992, OCTA bought 11.75 miles of the network for about $28 million in anticipation of future transportation projects. In the early 1990s, a new commuter rail system to better link Los Angeles and Orange County was discussed, but OCTA officials say those plans are years away.

“The basic right of way is still intact, and perhaps it will be used for future transportation needs,” said OCTA Chief Executive Arthur T. Leahy. “Meanwhile, it should not be an eyesore for the hosting cities.”

The Garden Grove landscaping project--the first of four in the city--involved less than a quarter-acre of right of way on Brookhurst Street between Lampson and Chapman avenues. Rows of red plum, carrot wood and melaleuca trees now stand in what was once a littered strip.

OCTA paved part of the site and added faux rails in the concrete to designate the path the old rail cars traveled. Nearby, the Pacific Red Cars are honored by a brick monument that contains an image of the famous trolleys.

“The route was a scar across the city for a long time,” said Garden Grove Mayor Bruce Broadwater, whose city contains a four-mile section of the old line. “It’s good to see the right of way being used for something instead of trash.”

OCTA is landscaping the route in two phases. The first includes sites in Garden Grove and Stanton. This summer, improvements to the remaining parcels will be made in Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress and La Palma.

The project uses about $1 million in federal funds and about $200,000 from OCTA. Authority officials say the work is scheduled to be completed by early next year.

In its heyday, the Pacific Electric Railway was considered the cleanest and quickest way of getting around the Los Angeles metropolitan area. During World War II, the Red Cars carried up to 100 million passengers a year.