San Fernando (Pacific Electric)

Another part of a remarkable Pacific Electric Railway system, designed to maximize downtown Los Angeles circulation, and actually to develop the extended Los Angeles suburbs.

In 1911-1912, a 20 mile interurban electric railway was being built from Hollywood through Cahuenga Pass all the way through the lands of the Van Nuys-Lankershim Ranch, the entire southern San Fernando Valley to help promote development.

This historic land deal, brokered by Harry Chandler, Moses Sherman, Hobart Johnstone Whitley and others, was done in anticipation of the Owens River aqueduct, which would bring water and intensified agriculture to the San Fernando Valley. It's very much the Los Angeles land deal suggested by the l974 movie Chinatown.

General Moses Sherman, a partner, built the electric railway line that ran from North Hollwood through the 3 new towns planned for the land, Van Nuys, Marion (now called Reseda, and Owensmouth (now called Canoga Park.

In addition, the San Fernando Mission Land Company, which owned much of the northern San Fernando Valley (north of Roscoe), started building its own electric railway, to connect San Fernando, and new developments between San Fernando and Van Nuys, to the Pacific Electric system.

This right of way still largely exists—in center medians down Brand Blvd from San Fernando so that the electric railway would go by the San Fernando Mission to promote tourism and the old Spanish style, turning down Sepulveda Blvd to Parthenia Place, where a graceful circle takes one east onto Parthenia, and then another graceful circle where the cars turned south down Van Nuys Blvd in now Panorama City for the straight line to Van Nuys.