Of the rail lines created at the turn of the 20th century, in order to build interurban links through Southern California communities around metropolitan Los Angeles, the Pacific Electric grew to be the most prominent of all. The Pacific Electric Railway is synonymous with Henry Edwards Huntington, the capitalist with many decades of railroad experience, who formed the "P. E." and expanded it as principal owner for nearly its first decade. Huntington sold his PE holdings to the giant Southern Pacific Railroad in 1910, and the following year the SP absorbed nearly every electric line in the fourcounty area around Los Angeles in the "Great Merger" into a "new" Pacific Electric. Founded in 1901 and terminated in 1965, Pacific Electric was known as the "World's Great Interurban."

Los Angeles railroad and history buffs will love this fourth volume in a series of books that feature the routes and operating divisions of the interurban Pacific Electric Railway. The Western Division was formed from a mixed bag of long interurban lines, and many short local lines, by the "Great Meger" of 1911. It served passengers and freight shipments throughout the western section of Lose Angeles County, including Los Angeles and Hollywood to the San Fernando Valley and the beach cities. As with the other books in this series, it is filled with wonderful historical photographs and accompanied by a well-written documented history of the development and history of the various lines.