LATL 1423: A Long Life Ahead

By Ralph Cantos

Los Angeles Transit Lines no. 1423 pulls into the Union Station loop in this early 1948 view.

The newly refurbished 1423 looks great for a 25 year old gal.  But soon things will be changing. The well manicured loop, looking somewhat like a putting green, will soon give way to asphalt and streetcars will share the facility with trolley buses of the new 2 line, which would replace the B car line by years end. The loop would provide the 2 line trolley buses with a short turn, rush hour turn back much the same way as the P lines Chicago loop and the V lines, First & Vermont loop.

Within a few years, 1423’s attractive white roof will give way to a “toffee tan” color to minimize the appearance of overhead graphite droppings that usually soiled the roof ends. The 1423 would go on to render dependable transportation until retired at age 35.

Today, the 1423 lives on in a comfortable retirement at the Orange Empire Railway Museum.

Ralph Cantos Collection