P (Los Angeles Railway)

P was a streetcar line in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was operated by the Los Angeles Railway from 1895 to 1958, and by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority from 1958 to 1963.

P
P cars and buses at the Rimpau Loop terminus, 1956
Overview
Owner	Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
Locale	Los Angeles, East Los Angeles
Termini	Pico and Rimpau boulevards Brooklyn Avenue and Rowan Avenue
Stations	34
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Los Angeles Railway, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
History
Opened	May 9, 1920
Closed	March 31, 1963 (1963-03-31)
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	Overhead line, 600 V DC
Route map Legend 1920–1963 Pico and Rimpau Pico and Mullen Pico and Crenshaw Pico and Arlington Pico and Wilton Pico and Western Pico and Harvard Pico and Vermont  V  Pico and Hoover Pico and Alvarado I-110 Pico and Georgia Pico and Figueroa Pico and Flower Pico and Hope Pico and Grand  J  Pico and Hill Pico and Broadway Broadway and 11th Broadway and 9th  5  Broadway and 7th  J  Broadway and 5th Broadway and 1st  5  1st and Spring 1st and Main 1st and Alameda 1st and Vignes Santa Fe RR Los Angeles River Southern Pacific RR 1st and Mission US 101 1st and Boyle 1st and State 1st and Soto 1st and Fresno 1st and Lorena 1st and Indiana 1st and Rowan Rowan and Brooklyn Rowan and Dozier loop added 1936 Los Angeles Railway lines other lines This diagram: view talk edit

History

Pico Street Electric Railway (1887–90)

The first streetcar line on Pico Boulevard was short lived, running from an orange grove at Lorde Street (present-day Harvard Boulevard) to the Plaza de Los Angeles by way of Pico, Maple Avenue, 7th Street, San Julian Street, 3rd Street, and Los Angeles Street. The company began running cars in January 1887 as the first electrified streetcar in the western United States.^[1][2] but went under within a few years.^[3]

The modern route

The Pico and First Street Line was one of the first routes built by the new Los Angeles Railway in 1895. Its route lay between Pico and Van Ness Avenue on the west and Brooklyn and Rowan avenues on the east, via Pico Boulevard, Main Street, Broadway, 1st Street, and Rowan Avenue. In 1919, Broadway was extended south from 11th and Main to Pico Boulevard, removing the line from Main Street entirely.

A trolley crosses Alameda Street at 1st Street in Little Tokyo as it heads for Boyle Heights, c. 1918.

In the 1920 service rerouting, the western end of the West Pico and Santa Fe Station Line was combined with the eastern portion of the Boyle Heights and West 7th Street Line to form the West Pico & East First Street Line.^[4] The new line ran from Brooklyn and Rowan via Rowan, First, Broadway, and Pico to Delaware.^[5] It was assigned the letter designation P in 1921.^[6][7] While the route was unchanged for the rest of its existence, the Rimpau Loop and Dozier loop were added in 1935 and 1936, respectively.^[4]

The line was commuted to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1958. Service was converted to motor coach operation on March 31, 1963.^[8]

Gage Street Shuttle Line

As part of the Los Angeles Railway's expansion, a shuttle line was built north from Rowan and Dozier along Rowan, Hammel and Gage to Blanchard Street,^[9] at the foot of what is now City Terrace. This service was designated as route 34.^[10][11] Ridership was very low and the route was discontinued by LATL.

Rolling stock

In 1947, Los Angeles Railway purchased 40 PCC streetcars to replace the old rolling stock on the line.^[12]

Partial restoration

The Gold Line Eastside Extension was a project by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (successor to LARy services) to establish a light rail line to East Los Angeles. From the previous terminus at Union Station, trains operate primarily via 1st Street to Indiana, though the majority of the line is in a tunnel.

Sources

1. Crise, Steven J.; Patris, Michael A.; The Mount Lowe Preservation Society (2021). Los Angeles Railway. Arcadia Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 9781467105880.
2. "The Electric Road". Los Angeles Times. January 4, 1887. p. 1. Retrieved February 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "The Pico Street Road". Los Angeles Herald. October 8, 1890. p. 4. Retrieved February 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "'P'". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
5. "Street Car Rerouting". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. May 5, 1920. p. 10. Retrieved February 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "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.
7. "Cars To Have Letter Signs" (PDF). Two Bells. Vol. 1, no. 48. Los Angeles Railway. May 2, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
8. "March 31: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
9. "Street Car Rerouting In Effect Here Today". Los Angeles Times. May 9, 1920. p. 14. Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. 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.
11. "'34'-GAGE STREET SHUTTLE (1920-1946)". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
12. "No.1080 Los Angeles Transit Lines". Market Street Railway. Retrieved January 23, 2021.

External links

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