Visalia Electric Railroad

Visalia Electric Railroad
Locale	Tulare County, California
Dates of operation	1904–1992
Successor	Southern Pacific Railroad
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Length	68 miles[1]
Headquarters	Visalia, California

The Visalia Electric Railroad, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), began as an electric interurban railroad in Tulare County, in the U.S. State of California.^[2] The railroad was incorporated on April 22, 1904.^[3] Passenger service was discontinued in 1924, and the electrification was removed in 1944. Subsequent operation was by diesel locomotive. The railroad was closed in 1992.

The Visalia Electric used the unusual choice of 15 Hz AC at 3,300 Volts^[4] carried by overhead wire, with pantographs on the cars for pickup. Parent SP intended this as a testbed for main line, long distance electrification of its own lines in the area, a project that never came to fruition.^{[citation needed]} At one time the Visalia Electric briefly interchanged with the ATSF. The ATSF was seen by the SP as a rival, so for most of the life of the Visalia Electric only interchanged with its parent SP.

References

1. ↑ Demoro, Harre W. (1986). California's Electric Railways. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. p. 201. ISBN 0-916374-74-2. 
2. ↑ Hilton, George W.; Due, John F. (2000) [1960]. The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4014-3. 
3. ↑ Railroad Commission of California (1921). Report of the Railroad Commission of California from July 1, 1920 to June 30, 1921. Sacramento: California State Printing Office. 
4. ↑ Demoro, Harre W. (1986). California's Electric Railways. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-916374-74-2.