I’ll take any excuse to post a color photo of a red Pacific Electric streetcar. This one was rolling along a route known as the “Venice Short Line” which went from downtown Los Angeles to the beach via Culver City. The year was 1945, so this route only had another five years to go before it was closed down. And extra points to the white Flying A gas station we can see in the background.
Color photo of a Pacific Electric streetcar rolling along the Venice Short Line, Los Angeles, 1945
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Elsewhere, someone has noted that the “train is moving westward on Venice Blvd, (16th St), having just crossed Vermont Ave.”
Also note the Bell Telephone sign and the phone booth.
Ridership looked good judging from all the people on board.
Were there other lines that ran on Venice? Because I have an extremely early memory (probably my first memory) of being on a red car and passing the Helmsman statue. But I wasn’t born until late 1951. So, this is a false memory? There was another line that ran a few years more?
I have some memories of taking the Red Car with my mother before my brother was born in 1950. We lived off Lincoln Blvd in Venice. It was a much better option than some of the buses. I live in Alexandria Egypt now and rely on the tram system to go across town. It’s fun, cheap and beats fighting traffic or finding parking
My goodness, Carole! You live in EGYPT? I never knew that. And it’s nice to know that you have a tram system you can avail yourself to.
I rode Red Cars from DTLA to Long Beach in the 1950’s. I believe that line lasted into the early 1960’s.
I was born much too late to ride the Red Car, but every time I see them pictured, I think of what a missed opportunity it was not to maintain and modernize the system, and expand it over time. How different things would be in L.A. if that had happened!
Ken, your father rode them three-times a week from Van Nuys Blvd along Chandler into North Hollywood to go to the Valley Jewish Community Center, the Valley’s first Jewish temple for Hebrew lessons which was in a former speak easy. And, then back along the same route to go home. It was our means of transportation to go to downtown Los Angeles to go shopping in such places as Grand Central Market and the clothing district. Lots of memories. In the photo above, note the white rectangle painted on the street with the two little lights. That was the “safe zone” for people to step into awaiting the streetcar to board so that motorists could go around them. I always found them a little scary to be in.
Oh yes, those would be scary. In San Francisco those waiting areas were raised concrete, like a little patch of sidewalk. A car would have to jump the curb to get to you.
I’m originally from a city with streetcars and our stops were on raise concrete too. The idea of a passenger loading zone marked out with just painted lines IS scary!
My Grandpa worked for the red cars, I remember when we would go visit in Hollywood from Burbank and you could still see the tracks. My Mom would talk about using them, she thought they were great for getting around.