W (Los Angeles Railway)

W was a streetcar line in Los Angeles, California. It was operated by the Los Angeles Railway (LARy) from 1895 to 1956.

W
No. 1407 crosses Marmion Way, c. 1930s
Overview
LocaleLos Angeles
Termini
  • Piedmont and Pasadena (1895–1911)
    Eagle Rock Park (1911–48)
    York and Avenue 50 (1922–55)
    Broadway and Lincoln Park (1955–56)
  • 22nd and Western (1895–1911)
    Washington and Rimpau Boulevards (1911–1956)
Stations62
Service
TypeStreetcar
SystemLos Angeles Railway
Daily ridership19,249 (1940)[1]
History
Opened1895
ClosedNovember 18, 1956 (November 18, 1956)
Technical
Track gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
ElectrificationOverhead line600 V DC
Route map

1955–1956
Lincoln Park and Mission
Broadway and Lincoln Park
Broadway and Thomas
Broadway and Eastlake
Broadway and Griffin
Broadway and Daly
Broadway and Avenue 22
I-5 (1961).svg I-5
Broadway and Avenue 20
Broadway and Avenue 18
Pasadena and Broadway
 5 
Solano Canyon
Little Italy
New Chinatown
Broadway and College
Broadway and Alpine
Broadway and Sunset
Broadway and Arcadia
Broadway and Temple
Broadway and 1st
 P 
Broadway and 2nd
 9 
Broadway and 3rd
Broadway and 4th
Broadway and 5th
Broadway and 6th
Broadway and 7th
 J   R   S 
Broadway and 8th
Broadway and 9th
Broadway Place
 F   5 
Broadway and 11th
 P   9 
11th and Hill
11th and Olive
11th and Grand
 J 
11th and Hope
11th and Flower
Flower and 12th
Flower and Pico
 P 
Flower and Venice
Flower and Washington
Washington and Figueroa
Washington and Bonsallo
Washington and Oak
Washington and Union
Washington and Hoover
Washington and New England
Washington and Vermont
 V 
Washington and Catalina
Washington and Budlong
Washington and Mariposa
Washington and Normandie
Washington and Harvard
Washington and Westmoreland
Washington and Western
Washington and Gramercy
Washington and Cimarron
Washington and Arlington
Washington and 4th Avenue
Washington and 6th Avenue
Washington and 10th Avenue
Washington and Crenshaw
Washington and Wellington
Washington and West
Washington and Vineyard
Washington and Rimpau

other lines

History

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The Washington Line was one of the first to be built by LARy. The Maple Street Line was the first electric railway in Los Angeles, built by the Los Angeles Electric Railway Company — this line was taken over by the Los Angeles Consolidated Railway and in turn acquired by LARy in 1895. A former horsecar route, the Los Angeles Consolidated Railway, was acquired by the Los Angeles Railway and electrified for streetcar service in 1895, dubbed the Kuhrts Street–Easlake Park Line.[2] These were merged in 1902 to form the Maple Avenue and East Lake Park Line. Its northern terminus was at the intersection of Piedmont Street and Pasadena Avenue in Garvanza. This segment of the route closely followed the Arroyo Seco, ATSF main line, Los Angeles Terminal Pasadena branch, and Los Angeles and Pasadena Railway, stopping quite close to Highland Park Station. From there, it entered Downtown Los Angeles by way of Piedmont, Avenue 61, Monte Vista Street, Marmion Way, Dayton Avenue, Avenue 20, Main Street, Tenth Street, Flower Street, Washington Boulevard, La Salle Street, and 22nd Street to a terminus at 22nd and Western Avenue.

In 1911, the route was extended along Washington Boulevard to Rimpau Boulevard. The section of track on 22nd Street and La Salle was kept as a shuttle route until 1921. At the northeast end, an extension was built along Eagle Rock Avenue to Buena Vista Terrace. In 1919, the Tenth Street segment was eliminated and streetcar tracks were built through the Broadway Tunnel, enabling the line to bypass Main Street entirely, and instead run through Downtown Los Angeles by way of Broadway, 11th Street, and Flower Street. In 1921, it was renamed "W."[3][4]

Around 1922,[citation needed] a branch line was built from Pasadena Avenue up York Boulevard to Avenue 50,[5] and was quite popular. In 1948, the Annandale section was abandoned and York Boulevard became the sole northern terminus. In 1955, the entire northeastern segment of the route was abandoned and the W line then ran east via Broadway to Lincoln Park Avenue. The entire route was abandoned a year later on November 18, 1956, with substitute bus service becoming the 12 Line.[2][6]

References

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  1. ^ Breivogel, Milton; Bate, Stuart (1942). "Mass Transit Facilities and Master Plan of Parkways" (PDF). Los Angeles City Planning Commission. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "'W'". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  3. ^ "May 1: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Metro Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved February 16, 2022. 1921: Large letter signs indicating the routes of different lines are placed on top of Los Angeles Railway streetcars.
  4. ^ "Cars To Have Letter Signs" (PDF). Two Bells. Vol. 1, no. 48. Los Angeles Railway. May 2, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  5. ^ H.P. Noordwal (1938). "Route Map Los Angeles Railway Electric Car and Bus Routes" (Map). Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. Los Angeles Railway. "Alternate link" (Map). via Google.
  6. ^ "Buses Will Replace Cars on W Line". The Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1956. p. 15. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
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