Huntington Drive links metropolitan Los Angeles to the San Gabriel Valley. It's named for the man who connected most of Southern California with a thousand mile commuter rail system.

If there was one thing land baron and railroad king Henry Huntington understood, it was mass transit. For the first half of the 20th century, Huntington's Pacific Electric trolleys, including the old Red Cars, connected Los Angeles to the suburbs and beach towns. Phil Brigandi, who wrote "Orange County Place Names A-Z," says the number of riders began to fall during the Depression, and the Red Car system was gone by the 1960s. But wasn't it nice while it lasted?

"The first line, 1902, was from L.A. to Long Beach. And the last line to go out of service, passenger service, 1962, 60 years later, L.A./Long Beach. And of course, what's the first inter-urban line we rebuilt? The Blue Line. L.A./Long Beach. There's your answer right there. Huntington and his associates understood the traffic patterns a hundred years ago."

These days, the Blue Line isn't the busiest light rail route. The Gold Line holds that distinction, followed by the Red Line. The Long Beach to L.A. route comes in third.

(Airdate: 7/6/2008)