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 The Redlands
Trolley is no longer running
The Rebirth of the Redlands
Trolley
103 years after Mr.
Henry Fisher started the Redlands Railway and exactly
one century away from the two other lines in Redlands, it
returned.
Of-course there were some differences. No tracks, bells
or overhead power lines. The new Redlands Trolley had
bus-like inflatable rubber tires, and wasn't restricted
to the permanent tracks of a hundred years ago. But the
really big difference was that they were powered by compressed
natural gas, a clean burning fuel, unlike diesel or gasoline.
They were probably even cleaner than the old methane producing
horses, and a lot easier to pick up after!
Gary George, city councilman has spearheaded the project.
At the “State of the City Luncheon on July 2nd, George
proudly announced the September 2nd inaugural run. “We
wanted to get the old giant busses of the street, they really
don’t fit in our community,” said George.
While busses have been a part of Redlands transportation
for years, the old streetcars also had nearly a 40-year
run, and is a large part of the history of this fair city.
In 1890’s H.H.
Sinclair secured financing from Henry
Fisher, both of Redlands to start the Redlands Electric.
Together they spearheaded the Mill
Creek No. 1, three phase generating plant. This new
type of generator had never been attempted before. The primary
reason the three-phase generator was necessary, was because
a potential customer, the Mentone Ice house, needed better
control of their motors. They engaged, a Mr. Decker, a brilliant
young engineer who had been working in the Inland Empire
on electric projects for Claremont.
 Decker
designed a new type of generator, which would produce three-phase
electricity, which had several qualities that single-phase
electricity lacked. Westinghouse turned the contract down,
staying that is was impractical, but newly created General
Electric believed that it could be built and upon its completion
and installation, the Redlands Light and Power company made
history by creating the virtual world standard for commercial
power systems world wide. The company H.
H. Sinclair and Henry
Fisher created, would later be merged with a company
that became Southern California Edison Electric!
With power assured, Fisher started the Redlands Street
Railway Company in 1899, (100 years before RedlandsWeb.com!).
Two additional lines were started in 1903, The Redlands
Central Railway and the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company.
These lines were eventually consolidated into other Southern
California system owned by Henry
Huntington, the Pacific Railway.
The Streetcars of Redlands played a part of its tourism
age. Redlands was already a famous town, due mostly because
of the high visibility of Canyon Crest (Smiley Heights).
For tourists of a century ago, Canyon Crest was a must see
destination location much the way Disneyland is today. (I
have heard it said that the percentage of tourists who came
to Canyon Crest was higher than the percentage of tourists
to Disneyland today!) As many as one hundred tourists per
day would disembark at the train station in downtown Redlands.
They would head down Orange to the “triangle.”
The triangle was at Citrus and Orange streets. It can still
be recognized today, at the corner in front of the Verizon
phone building. This was the locus of activity for the Trolleys
in town. The Highland Line went up Cajon to Cypress and
on to the Canyon Crest Park entrance. Here private horse
drawn Surreys would then drive the park to partake of vegetation
unknown to most visitors resident states, and a spectacular
360 degree view of the San Temeteo and San Bernardino Valleys
and mountains beyond.
The automobile which was adopted very early in Redlands
do to the wealth of many of the residents, eventually reduced
the demand for public transportation and the last trolley
ceased service in 1936.
 Certainly
the new Redlands Trolley faces new challenges, its innovation
in fuel, does not mean people will ride it. Ironically today
many need a lift from their car’s parking lot, to
their work or shopping because of too many cars! Weather
the new Trolley will be a long or short chapter in our history
remains to bee seen, but hats off to Gary George and the
city council for trying to help clean the air and give us
a look back to the cities golden area.
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