| THIS BIT OF HISTORY comes from photographer Alan Weeks, snapped more than 50 years ago during the waning moments of Red Car rail service at the Subway Terminal Building (now the fancy Metro 417 apartments), 4th and Hill Streets in downtown Los Angeles. Note the sign on the right pointing to boarding lanes for Edendale (now Echo Park, Silver Lake), Atwater (now Atwater Village), Glendale, North Glendale and Burbank. Also note the sign at left announcing the final day, June 19, 1955, of the Los Angeles-Glendale-Burbank Red Car: "Service will be operated with buses. Rail service will be discontinued. Subway Terminal will be discontinued as a passenger station." And the people rejoiced. Thanks to the Metro Transportation Library and Archive Collection for sending another gem. More historic Red Car maps and photos here. |
5 comments:
awesome and tragic pic!
I know. Hardly anyone uses those cool typefaces any more.
What if we went back in time, 50 years, and brought those Eisenhower-era Angelenos some iPods. Would that save the Red Car? Was it all about listening to loud music in their big convertibles?
The whole thing stinks. It's like looking at a crime scene--a sad and tragic crime scene.
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NOTICE: Hollywood Blvd. Rail Lines Discontinued. Please use new replacement diesel-belching, slow-moving, bum-urine-soaked bus service for the next 45 years, until the Red Line subway opens in the year 2000. Of course, most of you will be long dead by then, but maybe your grandchildren will ride it to work at their jobs designing web sites. Yes, I know you have no idea what those are yet. Enjoy the next four decades of lousy bus service, suckers! Or, hey, better yet, don't be a loser, buy a car and get on that freeway! That's what it's there for!
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