Watts Line

Watts
The quadruple-tracked line south of Downtown Los Angeles
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Los Angeles, California
Termini	Pacific Electric Building Watts
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Pacific Electric (1904–1958) Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (1958–1959)
Daily ridership	37,436 (peak, 1946) 4,325 (close, 1958)
History
Opened	1904
Closed	November 2, 1959 (1959-11-02)
Technical
Line length	7.45 mi (11.99 km)
Number of tracks	2–4
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line,  600 V DC
Route map Legend Northern District Pacific Electric Building   B    F    O   7th & Main   H    J    R    S   San Pedro & 7th   J    R    S   San Pedro & Agatha 8th & Main San Pedro & 8th 9th & Main 9th & Los Angeles 9th & Maple   H   9th & San Pedro Street   S   9th & Stanford 9th & Central Avenue   U   9th & Hooper/Naomi Long Beach Blvd. begin four tracks 14th Street 16th Street Washington Blvd 20th Street 24th Street (Amoco Junction) to Santa Monica Air Line Adams Boulevard Santa Barbara Avenue 41st Street Vernon Avenue   V   48th Place 52nd Street 55th Street Slauson Avenue (Slauson Junction) to Whittier & La Habra–Yorba Linda 60th Street Gage Avenue 68th Street Florence Avenue 76th Street Nadeau 82nd Place Graham Kent (88th) Latin (92nd) 97th Street Watts multiple lines This diagram: view talk edit

The Watts Line was a local line of the Pacific Electric Railway that operated between the Pacific Electric Building in Downtown Los Angeles and the Watts Station at 103rd Street in Watts. It was the primary local service for the Southern District, which also included the Long Beach, San Pedro, Santa Ana and Whittier interurban lines. The route operated along the Southern Division's Four Tracks route, with the Watts Line using the outer tracks and the Long Beach line and other limited stop lines using the inner tracks. ^[1]

History

A Watts Line car at Slauson Junction, c. 1902

The local service operated between 1904^{[ dubious – discuss ][ citation needed ]} and November 2, 1959. ^[2] The line was quadruple-tracked in 1907. ^{[3] [4]} During the 1910s, its service was combined with the South Pasadena Line of the Northern District. From 1938 to 1950, the line was combined with the Sierra Vista Line, ^[5] which was the main local line in the Northern District. Streetcars were removed and replaced with a parallel bus service on November 2, 1959. ^[4]

Tracks north of Washington Boulevard were removed or paved over (except a short spur track) after PE service ended. In the late 1980s, the right of way was rehabilitated with one or two tracks used for freight rail (with electrification removed) and two tracks rebuilt to modern light rail specifications. Service along the line between Washington Boulevard and 103rd Street recommenced in 1990 as the Los Angeles Metro Blue Line (renamed the A Line in 2019), with stations at Washington Boulevard, Vernon Avenue, Slauson Avenue, Florence Avenue, Firestone Boulevard, and 103rd Street.

Stops and stations

The following were stops and stations along the Watts line: ^[6]

• Pacific Electric Building (6th & Main)
• 7th & Main
• 8th & Main
• 9th & Main
• 9th & Los Angeles
• 9th & Maple
• 9th & San Pedro Street
• 9th & Stanford
• 9th & Central Avenue
• 9th & Naomi Street (inbound)
• 9th & Hooper (outbound)
  • (begin Four Tracks)
• Long Beach Avenue
• 14th Street
• 16th Street
• Washington Blvd
• 20th Street
• 24th Street (Amoco Junction) – interchange with Air Line
• Adams Boulevard
• Santa Barbara Avenue
• 41st Street
• Vernon Avenue
• 48th Place
• 52nd Street
• 55th Street
• Slauson Avenue (Slauson Junction) – interchange with Whittier
• 60th Street
• Gage Avenue
• 68th Street
• 68th Street
• Florence Avenue
• 76th Street
• Nadeau
• 82nd Place
• Graham
• Kent (88th)
• 92nd Street
• 97th Street
• Watts (103rd Street)

References

1. "Pacific Electric Watts Line". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California.
2. "November 2: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Metro Primary Resources. Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archives. October 24, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
3. "Two and four tracks". The Los Angeles Times. July 6, 1907. p. 24. Retrieved December 17, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Watts Rail Line Goes to Bus" (PDF). LAMTA. Emblem. December 1959. p. 12. Retrieved April 11, 2021.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
5. Veysey, Laurence R. (June 1958). A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 (PDF). LACMTA (Report). Los Angeles, California: Interurbans. pp. 93–94. ASIN   B0007F8D84. OCLC   6565577.
6. "1944 Pacific Electric Station List". Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society. Pacific Electric. January 1, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved June 20, 2025.

External links

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