876 at City College
Robert T. McVay Photo, Ralph Cantos Collection
Los Angeles Railway V Line streetcar no. 879 rolls down the street at Los Angeles City College in this 1947 image.
Robert T. McVay Photo
Ralph Cantos Collection
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I am writing an article in the Los Angeles City College Collegian about this railway. Construction on Calusen Hall has unearthed rail tracks and I am trying to figure out why. This apperas to be Monroe Street and Vermont Blvd. The building in the back ground is still there and I see indentions all the way down the street that look as though tracks are beneath the asphalt! Any more info available? Please email me at jessicac.brecker@gmail.com
Jessica! the rails under the black top on Monroe St were last used by the LAMTA’s “V” line. It was the northern end of the line. The V line along with 4 other modern streetcar lines and 2 trolley bus lines were abandoned on March 31,1963. The VERY LAST regular streetcar on the streets of Los Angeles departed from Monroe St at about 5:00AM that sad Sunday morning. I was on the special chartered streetcar that followed the regular V car back to the car barn and into history.
Thanks Mr. Cantos! I just found your reply and really appreciate it! 1963? I thought the very last Pacific Electric car ran in 1961! Thank you for responding, I had so many typos in my original post I don’t even know how you could tell what I was talking about, lol! I don’t know about the tracks under Clausen Hall, but you can see outlines of tracks on Monroe, and my article comes out tomorrow, so I will email you a copy if you like. -Jessica Brecker, reporter for LACC Collegian newspaper.
MONROE ST was end of the line and a turn around … When the line changed to PCC Cars it needed more room to turn around .. So Car in, turn and reverse .. ALMOST LIKE an Automobile making a turn … ALL STREETCAR SERVICE ENDES MARCH 31, 1963 …. APRIL FOOL L A APRIL 1, 1963 .. NO STREETCARS OR TROLLEY BUSS SERVICE …. SAD
Jessica, you are confusing L.A.’s two trolley systems. Starting in 1901, Pacific Electric ran what was known as the Red Cars. PE went out of business in 1953, sold out to Metropolitan Coach Lines. Beginning early in the 20th Century, the Los Angeles Railway operated the Yellow Cars – which ran on the V line to end of the line at LACC. LARY sold out to Los Angeles Transit Lines in 1945. Both MCL and LATL were merged into LA’s first government owned transit system, the original MTA in 1958. MTA then operated the Red Cars until 1961 and the Yellow Cars (by then mostly painted green) until March 31, 1963. The V line was one of those last lines to run streetcars before the entire system was converted to buses.