1949: The End of a Transportation Era in San Diego

April 24, 1949

It was the end of a transportation era in San Diego, California, at 5:45 that morning. This was when streetcar no. 446 of the San Diego Transit Company (known as the San Diego Electric Railway up until September of the previous year) completed its final run by pulling into the car barn on Adams Avenue in the city. All 78 of the remaining cream-and-green streetcars of that railway were then officially removed from service and replaced with buses. This changeover in transit modes made San Diego the first major city in California — as well as the entire southwestern part of the United States — to completely halt the use of streetcars in favor of an all-bus network.

The origins of streetcars in San Diego can be traced back to 1886. On July 3 of that year, the first horse-drawn vehicle of the San Diego Street Car Company began making regular runs on 5^th Street in the city. This company had been founded by E.S. Babcock and H.L. Story. The longer-lasting San Diego Electric Railway was formed by John D. Spreckels on November 30, 1891. (The accompanying photo of one of this system’s streetcars was taken at 5^th and Broadway Streets in 1915.)

In reporting on the final day of service for this type of public transportation in 1949, the San Diego Union focused on a veteran streetcar operator N.A. Holmquist. This article noted that “he closed not only his own 42-year career as a motorman but also signaled the end of the street car era in San Diego.” The San Diego Union then stated, “The last nervous ding-ding-ding of street car bells had died on the morning air.”

In the long term, however, goodbye did not necessarily forever. On July 26, 1981, streetcar service in the city returned with the formal debut of the San Diego Trolley. These rail trolley cars, which continue to operate today, constituted the first modern light rail system in the United States to be integrated with a city’s bus network.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

For more information of the history of streetcars in San Diego, please check out https://www.sdmts.com/sites/default/files/attachments/san_diego_pcc_pallen.pdf and https://sandiegohistory.org/journal/2002/january/holle/