A (Los Angeles Railway)

This article is about a historical rail line in Los Angeles. For the modern light rail line, see A Line (Los Angeles Metro).

A
Overview
Locale	Los Angeles
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Los Angeles Railway
Daily ridership	14,775 (1940) [1]
History
Opened	May 9, 1920 (1920-05-09)
Closed	June 30, 1946 (1946-06-30)
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	Overhead line,  600 V DC
Route map Legend 1939–1946 Fountain and Edgemont Fountain and San Bernardino discontinued 1942 Fountain and Vermont Fountain and Virgil Virgil and Santa Monica Virgil and Melrose Melrose and Clinton Clinton and Hoover Hoover and Bellvue Hoover and Plata Hoover and Temple Temple and Robinson Temple and Vendome Temple and Occidental Temple and Rampart Temple and Carondelet Temple and Alvarado Temple and Bonnie Brae Temple and Belmont Temple and Glendale Temple and Douglas Temple and Edgeware Temple and Beaudry Temple and Figueroa Temple and Grand Temple and Hill Hill Street Tunnel Hill and 1st Hill and 3rd Angels Flight Hill and 4th Hill and 5th   D    U    3   Hill and 6th Hill and 7th   J    R    S   Hill and 8th Hill and 9th   N   Hill and 11th   W   Hill and 12th Hill and Pico   P    9   Hill and Venice Venice and Grand   J    9   Venice and Hope Venice and Flower   W   Venice and Figueroa   U   Venice and Burlington Burlington and Washington   W   Hoover and 24th 24th and Vermont   V   24th and Normandie Adams and Harvard Adams and Western Adams and Arlington Adams and Crenshaw Adams and Brea Adams and Alsace Los Angeles Railway lines Pacific Electric lines This diagram: view talk edit

A refers to several streetcar routes in Los Angeles, California. The lines were operated by the Los Angeles Railway and its successor, Los Angeles Transit Lines, from 1920 to 1946.

History

1920–1932

Los Angeles Railway rerouted many lines on May 9, 1920, ^[2] assigning them letter designations the following year. ^{[3] [4]} The A line ran along Adams; Normandie Avenue; 24th; Hoover; Burlington; 16th; Hill; 1st; Spring; North Main; Sunset; North Broadway; Lincoln Park Avenue; looping back via North Main to Plaza; thence to west terminal over above route. ^[5] In 1924, the lines was split in two and was given numeric designations. The 2 West Adams and North Main Street Line operated on those streets as well as a portion of the former C Griffith and Griffin Avenue Line. The 3 West Adams and Lincoln Park Line also ran on Main Street. ^[6] In 1926, the A-2 was rerouted to Griffin Park. The two routes were recombined in 1930 as a single A line. ^[7]

1932–1939

A new A line started service on June 12, 1932. ^{[8] [9] [10]} It was formed by the Adams Avenue segment of the former service and the Angeleno Heights segment of the G Griffith and Angeleno Heights Line. A branch at Edgeware Road opened in 1934, and the main service was rerouted on this line starting in 1938. ^[11]

1939–46

Cars began running through the Hill Street Tunnel in July 1939. ^[12] The final and longest lived routing of the A began service on September 25, 1939. It was predominantly formed from the old A line as well as Temple Street taken from the L West 11th and West Temple Street Line. Tracks on Fountain were removed from service in 1942, and the line ceased to operate on June 30, 1946. ^{[7] [13]}

Sources

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. "Street Car Rerouting". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record . May 5, 1920. p. 10. Retrieved February 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
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. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain :Terrass, John (1922). Study and Plan of Relief of the Street Traffic Congestion in the City of Los Angeles, California (PDF) (Thesis). University of California. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
6. "Car Marks to be Changed". Los Angeles Times. December 1, 1924. p. 27. Retrieved February 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. "'A'". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
8. "Spring Street Extension to be Opened This Week". Los Angeles Times. June 19, 1932. p. 17. Retrieved February 17, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Transit Routes to Change". Los Angeles Times . June 3, 1932. p. 17. Retrieved July 29, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
10. "New Street Car Routes in Effect". Los Angeles Times . June 13, 1932. p. 13. Retrieved July 29, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
11. 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 .
12. "Timepoints The Southern California Traction Review · Volumes 1-7". Southern California Division, Electric Railroaders' Association. 1950. p. 7.
13. "Busses Take Over A Line; Other Changes". The Los Angeles Times. July 1, 1946. p. 13. Retrieved December 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.

External links

• A Line Archives — Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society
• "Los Angeles Railway". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California.