I’m glad that someone was on hand to capture this moment—and in color. This may not have been the very final run, but it’s certainly one of the final Red Car runs on Pacific Electric’s North Hollywood line from the Lankershim depot in the San Fernando Valley. This photo was taken in 1952, which saw the beginning of the end of L.A.’s vast streetcar network and the rise of its freeway system crisscrossing the city. One spot of good news is that that depot is still around. It’s currently a coffeeshop and you can learn more about it here:

https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/lankershim-depot

This is how the depot looks now. This image is from May 2019.