Tag Archives: Streetcars
Downtown Los Angeles in 1910
This shot of downtown Los Angeles in 1910 is filled with Angelenos for whom: catching public transport was a way of life because not many of them knew someone with their own private automobile; the sight of a horse and … Continue reading
Smog-belching traffic heading east on Hollywood Blvd from Wilcox Ave, Hollywood, 1940
This 1940 photo shows a 1941 Pontiac, a circa 1933 Ford, and a 1940 Ford driving east along Hollywood Blvd from Wilcox Ave past the streetcar that I wish still ran and the Warners Theater that I wish was still … Continue reading
Looking north along Spring St from First St toward Hamburger’s Department Store, downtown Los Angeles, 1887
The Los Angeles we see in this photo is unrecognizable from the LA we know today. The year was 1887 so that electric streetcar we see amid the horse-drawn carriages would have been a brand-new sight for the Angelenos captured … Continue reading
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Tagged 1800s, Downtown Los Angeles, Stores and Shopping, Streetcars
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The Trackless Trolley on Laurel Canyon Blvd looking south to Sunset Blvd, circa 1915
Not only did Los Angeles have an extensive network of streetcar trolleys, but in the early part of the 20th century, it also had the rubber-tired “trackless trolley.” The first of their kind in the United States, they shuttled sightseers … Continue reading
Court Flight funicular, downtown Los Angeles (1904-1943)
Until just last week, I thought there was only one funicular in downtown Los Angeles: Angel’s Flight. But then I learned there was a second one. Known as Court Flight, it opened on September 24, 1904 mid-block between Temple and … Continue reading
Looking west from around 8570 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, 1933
These days, it’s virtually impossible to see where the streetcar line used to run down the middle of Santa Monica Boulevard but in this 1933 photograph, we can see how it cut a wide swath down the center of the … Continue reading
A Pacific Electric Red Car travels through the Cahuenga Pass, Los Angeles, 1940s
As much as I love the old-fashioned feel of black-and-white and sepia photos, there’s something so alive and real about color vintage photos. In this one from the 1940s, we’re treated to a glimpse of a Pacific Electric Red Car … Continue reading
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Tagged Cahuenga Pass, Color photo, Freeways, San Fernando Valley, Streetcars
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The Second Street Cable Railway, Los Angeles, circa mid to late 1880s
If you look closely near the bottom center of this photo, you’ll see the Second Street Cable Railway streetcar rattling along the line that ran from 2nd & Spring to 1st & Belmont in what is now downtown Los Angeles. … Continue reading
Pacific Electric Red Car running along Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, circa 1940s
These days, of course, there is little left to remind us that back in the heyday of LA public transportation network the Pacific Electric Red Cars ran down the middle of Santa Monica Blvd. Fortunately, though we have gorgeous color … Continue reading
A Pacific Electric Red Car heads east along Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, early 1950s
I’m so glad this early 1950s shot was in color because we can see the splash of a vibrant Pacific Electric Red Car heading east along Santa Monica Blvd at Western Blvd. In this one photo there is a bunch … Continue reading