It was a special kind of streetcar. One whose sole purpose was to ferry passengers between the Maryland hotel in Pasadena, and Virginia hotel in Long Beach. It was the fastest car in the Pacific Electric fleet, clocking in at 109mph.

It was the Maryland Special. The year was 1900.

Photo from the USC Digital Library

The first interurban rail line ran from Los Angeles to Pasadena. It opened in 1895.

33 years later, The Pacific Electric Railway was operating over 1000 miles of track and 2700 trains daily.

It was another milestone. It was the opening of the Hollywood Subway. The year was 1928.

Photo from the USC Digital Archive

The War was on. So was a strike by workers of the Pacific Electric Railway.

They walked at Sixth & Main. The year was 1943.