Los Angeles Railways #733 and #860
LARy #733 and #860 in the OPT lot, 2009
Background
Old Pueblo Trolley owns two Huntington Standard car bodies, #733 from 1911 and #860 from 1913. These cars were part of a fleet of nearly 750 similar cars acquired after the type was standardized in 1902. Designed for Henry E. Huntington, who at that time controlled both Los Angeles Railway ("the yellow cars") and the Pacific Electric Railway ("the red cars"), the style became known as the Huntington Standard. It featured a five-window front, the two corner windows sporting elegant curved glass at Huntington’s insistence. It was a double-ended car with controls at both ends enabling operation in either direction without being turned around. It also had a “California” style body, characterized by an enclosed center section where one could sit when the weather was bad, and two end sections open to the balmy breezes more common to Los Angeles.
LARy car #468 in service, similar to #733 and #860
Service History
As first designed, there were no doors or gates, and the sides of the open sections were enclosed only by steel mesh. Canvas roller curtains provided the only shelter. Soon after #860 was delivered, a program was begun to refit the Huntington Standards with solid steel side panels on the open sections and add folding doors. This was typically done when the cars were in for overhaul or modification and the program was not finished until well into the 1920’s. Although LARy was famous for rebuilding cars at the drop of a hat, and many Huntington Standards went through several variations, Both #733 and #860 were little changed after this modification until their retirement, #733 in 1940, and #860 in 1945.
Douglas Street Railway Huntington Standard car #2 in Douglas in 1907
Post-Service History
The two car bodies ended up as shelters or house additions in southern California. In the 1990s, OPT was given the chance to own them.
The first three electric streetcars in Douglas, Arizona (which arrived in 1906) were of a style identical to that of the most modern cars in Los Angeles according to the Douglas Daily Dispatch. Since no original Douglas car bodies have been found, OPT initially acquired car 860 with the intention of painting it to represent the Douglas Street Railway when restored. It is hoped one day #733 and #860 can be combined into something more than the sum of its parts. Until then, they are inside and away from the elements.
Restoration Status
There are no plans to restore #733 or #860 at this time.
Ownership Snapshot
Original Owner: Los Angeles Railways #733 and #860
Acquired: 1998 and 2002
Current Livery: None
Technical Specs
Year Built: 1911 (#733) and 1912 (#860)
Manufacturer: St. Louis Car Co.
Model: Huntington Standard
Serial: N/A
Powertrain: N/A
Body: Wooden body on trucks
Length:
Width:
Seating: