Last-Day Charter Northbound at Cota
Saturday, April 8, 1961, was the last full day of service on the Long Beach line and the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association charter running northbound had to pause for a red signal at Cota to await the clearance of an eastbound Union Pacific freight coming from the harbor.
Any time a Long Beach line train got caught by a freight, it could add five or more minutes to the schedule. Not far north of the UP line, the tracks crossed Del Amo and it was then clear sailing past farm land until Dominguez Junction.
This area looks very different today. While the UP route still exists, the Blue Line now occupies this alignment and passes over the freight line on elevated tracks. Immediately to the left, the field is the site of the Blue Line shop and storage tracks. There is just one car showing on the relatively new Long Beach Freeway. And, past the bridge, the fields are now completely occupied by warehouses.
Stephen Dudley Image and Collection
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The field just to the right of the red car is the location of the Metro Blue line shops.
This view is looking north as well as being south of the UP freight line. The Blue Line shops now are west of the tracks and between the tracks and the Long Beach freeway. The vacant field shown in the picture is just the northern “tip” of the land occupied by the shops which include not only the shops, but storage tracks, and track access to the Long Beach line. A good view of the entire complex can be seen on Google Earth. .
You are right, I stand corrected, the absence of the flyover led to my error. Fantastic series of pictures.
I’ve always loved the Red Cars. I remember riding it to my mom’s mother in Burbank. We left the subway on Hill to get there, it and it was a fantastic experience that I’ll always cherish. Thank God for it.