Historical Group to Tour old G&M; Railway Route

Montrose once had its own electric trolley line, the Glendale and Montrose Railway, which connected the Crescenta Valley with the larger world of Glendale and Los Angeles.

From 1913 when the rails extended to the first land sale in the new development of Montrose until its demise in 1930, the G&M; Railway fueled the rapid development of the Crescenta Valley in the boom years of the ‘20s.

Step back in time to 1926, and tour the railway from its terminus at Pennsylvania and Montrose avenues and down through Glendale. Hear about the freight operations of the line, hauling lumber to the growing Crescenta Valley and produce back to downtown L.A., pulled by a locomotive still in operation at a train museum in Perris. Along the route will be sights such as the car barn and powerhouse still standing in Montrose. Those on the tour will see Verdugo Park, destination of country picnickers from the big cities of Glendale and L.A.; the site of the boyhood home of Marion Morrison (John Wayne) near the G&M; tracks in Glendale; the location of a horrific head-on train wreck on a busy street in Glendale; and the original entrance to Forest Lawn, which was designed for service by the G&M; - along with portions of the original track still in place after more than 75 years.

Mike Morgan will narrate the tour and will punctuate each stop by clanging an original trolley bell from one of the G&M; Trolley cars, just one piece of his collection of G&M; Railway memorabilia. A bus has been provided by Glendale Parks and Recreation for this special trip back in time. Reservations are required because seating is limited.

Two tours are available at noon and 3 p.m. April 1. They will leave from and return to the Montrose Shopping Park parking lot located to the south of the 2200 block of Honolulu Ave. at the intersection of Market Street and Broadview Avenue. Call 957-2968 to make reservations.