Red Car Trolley: Reality vs. Roger Rabbit

If you’ve been to Disney California Adventure, you’ve probably seen the Red Car Trolley which takes guests up and down Buena Vista Street. This shiny red mode of transportation was based on the Los Angeles Pacific Electric system, which was once the largest public transit system in the country, covering 1,100 miles in Southern California. Taken over by the freeway system, the last car was retired in 1961. Enter nostalgia. The movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (1988) centered its entire plot over the demise of the Red Car Trolley. The following photos were captured by trolley enthusiast Bill Volkmer during the filming of “Roger Rabbit” in December 1986. Taken before CGI became the norm, this film required a lot of post production. The car in this shot, PE 717, was created specially for the movie and ran on tires. It also was given a large lip so that Bob Hoskins could ride on the front of it.



This particular area of L.A. was re-dressed for the flick; contemporary skyscrapers are still visible from this angle though which was avoided by the camera crew when shooting for the film. The policeman attempts to keep nosy Angelenos away from the set.



I believe the location used here was Hope Street between 11th and 12th streets. The trolley in this shot, PE 1058, was motorized for the movie.



This image shows director Bob Zemeckis:



Loving the vintage autos that line the streets:



A closeup of the trolley used in the movie:



Here’s the REAL Pacific Electric Trolley as seen in this vintage shot.



I’d much rather ride these than a bus!

See more pop culture photos at my main website.