S (Los Angeles Railway)

History

San Pedro Line

The Main, Fifth and San Pedro Railway constructed a streetcar line on its namesake streets in 1898.

Eleventh Street Line

Beginning in September 1910, the Los Angeles Railway rerouted several cars though downtown to relieve congestion. The North Main and West Eleventh Street car line, formerly operating in Hoover and West Eleventh Streets and via Broadway, Spring and Main Streets to Eastside Park, began running west from Hoover Street in Tenth Street to Gramercy Place, then the terminal of the West Eleventh Street Line. In October 1917, work began on an extension west to Los Angeles High School.

S Line (1911–1963)

With the great rerouting of 1920, a new curve at Seventh and San Pedro was required to connect the San Pedro Line with the Western Avenue line. A delay in procuring materials delayed construction until a few weeks after other lines had changed routes. The San Pedro line then ran from San Pedro Street to Seventh Street from Downtown to the outskirts of Westlake. Here, the route took advantage of an old LAIU track on Hoover, Wilshire, and Commonwealth to continue northwest via Sixth Street, Vermont Avenue, Third Street, and Western Avenue to Santa Monica Boulevard on the southern edge of Hollywood. That same year, both ends of the line were extended. The south end was extended on Avalon, Merrill (Gage), Merrill, and Central Avenue to 68th and the north side on Western Avenue to Santa Monica Boulevard.

During the LARy and LATL eras, further route changes were made. The LAIU shortcut to Sixth Street was eliminated and the route ran straight on 7th between San Pedro and Vermont, while the route's southern terminus was extended 1.25 mi further south to the intersection of Avalon and Firestone Boulevard. When the N line was decommissioned in 1950, S was re-routed to fill in its route along 8th street.

Operation of the line passed to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1958. Streetcar service ended on March 31, 1963, by which time the southern terminus had become Central and Manchester Avenue.

Rolling stock

After 1955, PCC streetcars replaced the old rolling stock on the line.

Sources

References

1. (1942). "Mass Transit Facilities and Master Plan of Parkways".
2. (July 7, 1898). "Street Railways". Los Angeles Record.
3. (September 22, 1910). "Street Railway Plan Changes in Car Runs". Los Angeles Herald.
4. (October 18, 1917). "Car Line Extension to New School Promised". Morning Tribune.
5. (June 20, 1920). "Two Rerouting Changed Pend.". The Los Angeles Times.
6. "May 1: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
7. (May 2, 1921). "Cars To Have Letter Signs". Los Angeles Railway.
8. H.P. Noordwal. (1938). "Route Map Los Angeles Railway Electric Car and Bus Routes". Los Angeles Railway.
9. (September 8, 1950). "Transit Lines Fete Changes of Routes". The Los Angeles Times.
10. "‘S’".
11. "March 31: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
12. Walker, Jim. (2007). "Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars". Arcadia Pub.
13. "No.1080 Los Angeles Transit Lines". [[Market Street Railway (nonprofit).