Bakersfield and Kern Electric Railway

Early history In 1874, after a land dispute between the City of Bakersfield and the Southern Pacific Railroad, the railroad built its tracks about east of the city. It founded the town of Sumner as its rail stop. It was soon realized that efficient transportation between these two points was needed. So in the same year, a franchise was granted by the city for the construction of a streetcar line. That company, however, never constructed the line. Transportation was instead provided by road vehicles. One of the earliest was the H. H. Fish Omnibus Line, which charged $1 for the trip. In 1887, a second franchise was granted to a partnership made up of T.J. Packard, H.A. Blodget, John Keith and H.H. Fish (the operator of the Omnibus Line). In 1888, they constructed a single track railroad between the Courthouse in Bakersfield with the Southern Pacific Train Station. The company was named the Bakersfield and Sumner Railroad and used horse drawn cars on 16-pound rails, which were previously used in a mine. The underlying ballast was substandard, and during heavy rain the cars would sink into the street or derail. The trek was through rural terrain, with little development. Electrification In December 1894, the Power Development Company was founded. Its owners were H. A. Blodgett, C. N. Beale, S. W. Fergusson, W. S. Tevis and Henry Jastro. The company began work on constructing a hydroelectric power plant at the base of the Kern River Canyon. The construction was completed in 1897. It also would provide enough power for an electric streetcar line. In 1900, the power company absorbed the streetcar line. That same year, the subsidiary was named the Bakersfield and Kern Electric Railway (Sumner was incorporated in 1892 and was renamed Kern City). With electricity being provided in a large enough quantity, the company began electrifying the line. An unusual decision was made to use a 550-volt system, instead of the more common 600-volt. In preparation for heavier cars, the rails were upgraded to 36-pound girder type (which was previously used in Australia). Four 24-seat passenger cars were purchased. Under the city's ownership, there were little changes made to the system. Some new equipment was purchased in the late 1950s and in 1960. Also, there were some minor route changes to serve new growth areas of the city. By 1970, the system was losing $91,000 per year. Also, much of the system was being operated in the county. The city asked the voters whether they wanted to continue having a bus system. Over 70% voted in favor of keeping it. Two years later, after a second vote, the Golden Empire Transit District was formed. It would take over ownership and operation of the bus line. It would also end the city's direct involvement in its operation. ==Routes==

Streetcar routes At its height, five streetcar routes were operated. • Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Line - This was the main line which ran from the Santa Fe Bakersfield Station to the Southern Pacific Sumner Station (later Bakersfield Station). • F Street and H Street Loop - This started at the terminal of the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Line. It traveled south on F Street to California Avenue. It then looped north on H Street, ending at a switch on 19th Street, reconnecting with the main line. This created a loop. Later the H Street switch was abandoned and the loop became a line between Santa Fe Station and the intersection of 19th Street and H Street (although it continued to have the name loop). • North Chester Line - It initially ran from the intersection of 19th Street and Chester Avenue, to the intersection of 30th Street and K Street. It was later realigned to run entirely on Chester Avenue, ending at 32nd Street, across the tracks from the Southern Pacific Chester Station. • South Chester Line - This ran from the intersection of 19th Street and Chester Avenue to the intersection of 8th Street and Chester Avenue. It then looped back via 8th Street, N Street and 11th Street. • West 19th Street Line - This started at the intersection of 19th Street and F Street, where the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Line turned south to connect to the Santa Fe Bakersfield Station. It continued west to Oak Street, where it turned south to Truxtun Avenue. A short branch line was constructed on Ceder Street, which terminated at 18th Street. Feeder bus routes Before the conversion of streetcar service to buses, three bus routes were in operation. The Westpark Line started at the Santa Fe Bakersfield Station and served the area southeast of the station (which is known as Westpark). Another line started at the Southern Pacific Bakersfield Station, and traveled east on Niles Street to Brown Street. The last line also started at the Southern Pacific Bakersfield Station and traveled north on Baker Street to Garces Street, where the waterworks was located. ==Equipment==

A total of 23 electric streetcars were purchased over the life of the system. The early cars were open–closed California cars. Later entirely enclosed cars were purchased. After that, light-weight safety cars replaced the heavier equipment. These cars could start and stop quickly and could not move when the door was opened. Little information is known about the horse drawn cars that operated before the line was electrified. From pictures, it is known that they were open air and could seat 18 to 20 people. Little is also known about the number and type of buses the company operated. ==See also==