We have to take a long trip in the Wayback Machine for this one. This is the 600 block of Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, circa 1890s when LA’s streetcars were still cable cars. They don’t look like they had room for many passengers, but back before the turn of the century, there were far fewer Angelenos needing transportation as evidenced by zero pedestrians in sight. W.E. Coons & Co were at 611 S. Broadway. A couple of decades later, that address would be very well known as it became the side of the sumptuous Los Angeles Theater, which opened in 1931.
This is roughly how that view looked in June 2024
Great photo, Martin. You’re right, doesn’t look like that cable car held too many folks. Note the horse and buggy nearby, which was probably more effective and less expensive. Did a little research, and according to stats, electric cable cars came to LA in 1902, and were larger. The problem was all those lines overhead. The city became a spider web. Many of your later pix show that in spades. The current photo of the LA Theater shows off some spectacular architecture. What a treat for all us art lovers.
Probably dropped folks off further uptown on the way into the city. This has a grip mechanism up front with a trailer following. Side boards on the cars give the route, and this has come across the cable viaduct IIRC. More in this link: https://martinturnbull.com/2019/12/05/a-new-cable-line-on-broadway-downtown-los-angeles-june-1889-2/#comment-409902
Any links to the history of the cable cars? I wonder if the lack of people and other vehicles isn’t due to the day of the week or time of day. Sunday morning? Although the “Butter Cheese Headquarters” and the business next to it appear to be opened.
By the way, the Travel Town Museum, near Forest Lawn (Forest Lawn Drive) Burbank, features a trolley car from 1880, or close to that year. It was donated decades ago. Its mostly a vintage train museum, but yes, they do have a restored trolley car. It’s a beautiful place to visit and the site was used by many tv shows, for all us Hollywood buffs.
I keep meaning to visit Travel Town. Maybe once these horrendous fires have died down.
Electric Railway Historical Association….use the ERHA homepages to navigate all this local rail history: https://erha.org/index.html
This one might be the Spring and Sixth Street Railway Company derived line which was listed on both Fort Street (S. Broadway now) and Downey Avenue (North Broadway now).
Additional source: https://www.cable-car-guy.com/html/cccaoth.html
Metro’s master maps files: https://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/maps/
You’ll have to ask them why some are so fuzzy. As Pee Wee said, “I don’t know!”.
Partially answering own question:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_cars_and_funiculars_in_Los_Angeles
https://calisphere.org/item/8e407992d1b0b7bbdc3976dc75db1d6b/
https://metroprimaryresources.info/broadway-bound-looking-back-at-historic-streetcars-on-broadway-in-los-angeles-historic-core/5921/