A Southern Pacific train chugs up Alameda St at 2nd St, which puts it a few blocks south of where Union Station will later be built on the edge of downtown LA. There is a flagman on the left helping to control traffic. I’m guessing those workmen on the left are laying down a third track along Alameda. Between the trains, the regular traffic, and the construction, this shot was probably taken amid a deafening din.
The California Hardware Company building on the left is still there. This image is from June 2022.
Great shot. Building: California Maritime ? Company. Flagman on RIGHT is stopping traffic Parked car on Left side of f photo. Looks like laying pipe on LEFT Men working between engine and track. Lastly is that an old style cement mixer in front of CA Maritime Co.?/
Thanks for that correction, William. I think the sign says “California HARDWARE Company.”
I don’t know if it is possible to add but one of your colorized conversions of this might be really interesting if it is successful.
As a matter of fact, I did try it, but the image just came out in boring murky browns and greens.
Thanks for trying Martin. I appreciate getting to read your posts every day
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoy them!
There was a California Hardware Company on E First in the 1915 City Directory.
https://i.imgur.com/dWCWXWz.png
Of course Martin is not responsible for the original source’s misidentification of action scenes. That said, the flagman’s long shadow says early morning sunlight which must be coming from the right (east), so the train is in fact arriving in Los Angeles heading south toward the Arcade/Central Station blocks. The crossing gate might be out of service here, but it looks to be an early version and probably not fully automatic….it could be manual or on a local circuit activated by a towerman. Part of the open trench work might involve upgrades to signal controls? [Alameda was the normal route for all SP passenger trains entering and exiting the core. Further out near River Yard, lines split for the Sunset Route going east and all other trains on the northern access lines. Switch engines from the freight yards used the line to get to industries and warehouses.]
California Hardware Company shows up on the 1921 map at the corner of First & Alameda.
https://i.imgur.com/Y61fgfQ.png
Thanks for that detective work. That map indicates that only Southern Pacific trains used the track that ran up Alameda. It makes sense now that I think about it, but I hadn’t put that together before now.
California Hardware was a wholesale distributor retail hardware stores and lumber yards. They carried lawn & garden, paint sundry, plumbing, electrical, housewares, fasteners, tools, hardware, etc.
They moved to bigger facilities in Irwindale (?) in the 80’s. Home Depot ,Depot, Home Base, Lowe’s, etc took over the market and ran smaller stores out of business, as well as destroying the mfg base in the industry. Now all your tools, etc are from China.
It’s hard to see, but looking in the distance on the far right, there appears to be another small (switcher) steam engine facing us on a service line in front of the buildings. Being stopped, it may be releasing steam which is clouding up the far view. The trackage would only be a siding that turned out from the main line and terminated by the buildings which is why it does not run all the way down to us. It might be found on detailed maps.
I have to say, this is one of the few “then and now” comparisons where the current one looks better than the old one.
And that doesn’t happen often!
Checking a map, the locomotive further down is probably exiting the SP station site (Arcade/Central). [A crossover track connecting the two rail lines appears on another map further up near Aliso.] Mulholland led Bureau of Water Works & Supply had moved in 1912 to 510 E. 2nd Street (Second & Rose) just next to this site. [Hay was unloaded directly from trains on Alameda to a loft for the water works which relied on animals at one time.] So perhaps this is a water project right near where the equipment was available.
Another view of the California Hardware Company, shot from southside down Alameda towards the first arch door and looking back up north towards the corner end, can be found at the end of this blog about the McVey family run Annandale Hardware Company in early (eastern) Eagle Rock: https://jmcvey.net/hdwe/annandale.htm