In this photo, we’re seeing a Los Angeles Railway streetcar on the P Line, which ran along First Street in downtown L.A. (it’s crossing Alameda here) en route to Pico Blvd. This photo was taken in 1918, so that team of horses on the far right would have been – I imagine – a quickly disappearing sight on LA streets conquered by the mighty automobile and ubiquitous streetcar system.
I’m guessing that that crossing gate the comes down across First St. are tied into the Southern Pacific (?) tracks running up Alameda. The gate on the right appears to have a mini-arm that blocks the sidewalk. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those.
Good eye…earlier crossing gates did often have a pedestrian arm. There were no klaxon alarms nor safety lights like flashers on crossbucks or swinging flagman (wig-wag type). Without such a gate, railroad personnel or the trainmen might have to “protect” the movement themselves, with lanterns where appropriate.
In this photo, we’re seeing a Los Angeles Railway streetcar on the P Line, which ran along First Street in downtown L.A. (it’s crossing Alameda here) en route to Pico Blvd. This photo was taken in 1918, so that team of horses on the far right would have been – I imagine – a quickly disappearing sight on LA streets conquered by the mighty automobile and ubiquitous streetcar system.
I’m guessing that that crossing gate the comes down across First St. are tied into the Southern Pacific (?) tracks running up Alameda. The gate on the right appears to have a mini-arm that blocks the sidewalk. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those.
Good eye…earlier crossing gates did often have a pedestrian arm. There were no klaxon alarms nor safety lights like flashers on crossbucks or swinging flagman (wig-wag type). Without such a gate, railroad personnel or the trainmen might have to “protect” the movement themselves, with lanterns where appropriate.