1387 at 7th and Broadway
Dick Whittington Photo, Ralph Cantos Collection
This classic Dick Whittington photo captures the sheer dominance of Los Angeles Railway action in pre-World War II downtown Los Angeles. Here, LARy 1387 passes through the intersection of 7th Street and Broadway, while numerous other LARy cars fill the image. The high-vantage-point image is a true classic of Los Angeles history.
Dick Whittington Photo
Ralph Cantos Collection
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Wonderful shot of 7th & Broadway back in the day. This intersection truly did die on March 31, 1963!
A little known fact about this intersection is that it was also the western end of US Highway 66 for several years in the late 1920’s and early 30’s until the “Mother Road” was extended to Santa Monica. The newest auto in the photo looks like a 1934 or 35 model, and there are no PCC streetcars, which would indicate this to be in 1935-37. Judging from the clothing, it appears to be in the cooler part of the year.
I was working downtown in 1997 while they were repaving Broadway. When they stripped the road down I noticed the rails are still there! They’re just buried in asphalt!
about 80% of the LARY rails are just one or two inches under the pavement all over LA. Many Eastern cities made the trolley co. pull up the rais after trolley service was abandoned.But most of LA streetcar track was of such high quality, with treated ties, that the LARY, PERY, LATL, MCL, and the MTA were allowed to just walk away from the abandonded rails, and the City paved over the excelent track work.
LARY car #1387 made it all the way to the end of service of the H-class cars in September of 1958. It was also unique in one other way. Almost all H class cars had painted interior stantions. The #1387 was just one of about four H class cars to have stainless steel stantions. Those bright stainless stantions really made the interion of those few cars look nice.