S (Los Angeles Railway) Explained

S
Color:	597d73
Type:	Streetcar
System:	Los Angeles Railway, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
Locale:	Los Angeles
Start:	Western Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard
End:	Central Avenue and Firestone Boulevard
Stations:	67
Daily Ridership:	21,230 (1940)^[1]
Open:	1895
Owner:	Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
Stock:	PCC streetcars
Linelength Mi:	12.41

S was a streetcar line in Los Angeles, California. It was operated by the Los Angeles Railway from 1895 to 1958, and by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority from 1958 to 1963. The route was very popular due to its proximity to Hollywood as well as the sizable manufacturing district in South Los Angeles.

History

San Pedro Line (1895–1911)

The original San Pedro line began at an uncertain point in Downtown Los Angeles and reached the South Side of the city by way of Fourth Street, San Pedro Street, Park Avenue (present-day Avalon Boulevard), Gage Avenue, and South Central Avenue to 68th Street.

S Line (1911–1963)

Following the Great Merger of 1911, the tracks on Fourth Street were removed, and the San Pedro line now ran from San Pedro Street to Seventh Street from Downtown to the outskirts of Westlake. Here, the route took advantage of an old LAIU track on Hoover, Wilshire, and Commonwealth to continue northwest via Sixth Street, Vermont Avenue, Third Street, and Western Avenue to Santa Monica Boulevard on the southern edge of Hollywood. In 1921, the route was given the letter designation "S."^{[2] [3]}

During the LARy and LATL eras, further route changes were made. The LAIU shortcut to Sixth Street was eliminated and the route ran straight on 7th between San Pedro and Vermont, while the route's southern terminus was extended further south to the intersection of Avalon and Firestone Boulevard.^[4] When the N line was decommissioned in 1950, S was re-routed to fill in its route along 8th street.^[5]

Operation of the line passed to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1958. Streetcar service ended on March 31, 1963,^[6] by which time the southern terminus had become Central and Manchester Avenue.^[7]

Rolling stock

After 1955, PCC streetcars replaced the old rolling stock on the line.^[8]

External links

• S Line Archives — Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society
• Web site: Los Angeles Railway. Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Breivogel . Milton . Bate . Stuart . Mass Transit Facilities and Master Plan of Parkways . 29 January 2021 . Los Angeles City Planning Commission . 1942.
2. Web site: May 1: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History . Metro Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive . Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority . 16 February 2022 . 1921: Large letter signs indicating the routes of different lines are placed on top of Los Angeles Railway streetcars..
3. Cars To Have Letter Signs . 16 February 2022 . Two Bells . Los Angeles Railway . May 2, 1921 . 1 . 1 . 48.
4. Route Map Los Angeles Railway Electric Car and Bus Routes . 1938 . H.P. Noordwal . Los Angeles Railway . Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.. Alternate link . via Google.
5. Web site: ‘S’. Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. 19 September 2020.
6. Web site: March 31: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History . Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive . Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority . 16 February 2021.
7. Book: Walker, Jim . Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars . 2007 . Arcadia Pub . 9781531629410 . 107.
8. Web site: No.1080 Los Angeles Transit Lines . . 23 January 2021.