If it wasn’t for photos like these, most of us would probably never have know that there was an electric railway line that used to run down Santa Monica Blvd through West Hollywood. This photo was taken at the corner of Doheny Dr and Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood in 1937. With several lanes in each direction plus two sets of railway tracks, I can see now why Santa Monica Blvd is so unusually wide.
How that same corner looks in 2017:
Electric railway along Santa Monica Blvd at La Cienega, West Hollywood, 1951:
A Pacific Electric car on Santa Monica Boulevard at Canon in Beverly Hills, 1954:
I used the red car SO often & loved it – pity it was dismantled. Word at the time (post WW II) was that GM wanted to sell more cars – ergo, get rid of the Red Car system.
Looking forward SO much to your new book. Love, L&M.
I’m adding this link to the history of the Red Car line. http://veniceheritagemuseum.org/VHF/RED_CAR_HISTORY.html
My mom used to take me on this back in the late 40’s early 50’s. We lived in Venice and the electric lines were so convenient as we lived close to them off Lincoln Blvd. The story is that the owners of the land the tracks ran on in Beverly Hills refused to sell so the tracks stayed until the land was finally turned over. Now the median strip is landscaped and this also allowed the widening of Santa Monica Blvd. Martin do you have the real scoop on this?
If it wasn’t for photos like these, most of us would probably never have know that there was an electric railway line that used to run down Santa Monica Blvd through West Hollywood. This photo was taken at the corner of Doheny Dr and Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood in 1937. With several lanes in each direction plus two sets of railway tracks, I can see now why Santa Monica Blvd is so unusually wide.
I used the red car SO often & loved it – pity it was dismantled. Word at the time (post WW II) was that GM wanted to sell more cars – ergo, get rid of the Red Car system.
Looking forward SO much to your new book. Love, L&M.
I’m adding this link to the history of the Red Car line. http://veniceheritagemuseum.org/VHF/RED_CAR_HISTORY.html
My mom used to take me on this back in the late 40’s early 50’s. We lived in Venice and the electric lines were so convenient as we lived close to them off Lincoln Blvd. The story is that the owners of the land the tracks ran on in Beverly Hills refused to sell so the tracks stayed until the land was finally turned over. Now the median strip is landscaped and this also allowed the widening of Santa Monica Blvd. Martin do you have the real scoop on this?