After five years of construction, May 3, 1939 was a big day for Los Angeles—it was the opening day for the new Union Station that consolidated rail services from the Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific under one roof. A big part of the celebrations was a huge parade down Alameda St, which runs out front of the station. And, of course, never one to miss an publicity opportunity, Paramount Pictures contributed a Union Pacific locomotive (and five railway cars) re-painted for their new Cecil B. DeMille movie, “Union Pacific” starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea, which was opening nationwide two days later.

Matt H. says: “There was a railway track up Alameda, coming from the south, and continuing northward, to Cornfield Yard, just north of this area. It was gone by 1956.

This image was captured 83 years later, in June 2021, when the traffic was lighter that day and the palm trees were taller.