Map of California Central Railway lines in 1889
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Locale | Southern California |
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Dates of operation | April 23, 1887 | –November 7, 1889
Successor | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Length | 250 miles (400 km) |
Headquarters | San Bernardino, California |
The California Central Railway was incorporated on April 23, 1887, with headquarters in San Bernardino, Southern California. George O. Manchester was the President of the corporation.
At its peak it operated 250 miles (400 km) of rail line with 14 steam locomotives, 14 passenger cars and 83 freight cars. It operated rail lines from May 20, 1887, to November 7, 1889. On December 31, 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 June 30, 1888, it began operations as a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
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 19-mile line in Riverside County between Perris to San Jacinto, from May 1887 to May 1, 1888. California Central Railway also built and ran a 13-mile line from Port Ballona (present day Playa del Rey, Los Angeles) on Santa Monica Bay, to Redondo Junction (just southwest of present-day Boyle Heights) at the Los Angeles River near Washington Boulevard, which opened in September 1887. Redondo Junction became a major maintenance facility for trains.