V (Los Angeles Railway)

V was a streetcar service in Los Angeles, California. It was operated by the Los Angeles Railway from 1920 to 1958, and by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority from 1958 to 1963.

V
Overview
Owner	Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
Locale	Los Angeles, Vernon
Termini	Vermont Avenue and Monroe Street Pacific Crossing
Stations	50
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Los Angeles Railway Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
History
Opened	1914
Closed	March 31, 1963
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	600 V DC overhead line
Route map 1955–1963 Los Angeles City College Vermont and Melrose Vermont and Clinton US 101 Vermont and Rosewood Vermont and Beverly Vermont and 1st Vermont and 3rd  R   S  Vermont and 4th Vermont and 5th Vermont and 6th Vermont and Wilshire Vermont and 7th  R  Vermont and 8th  S  Vermont and 9th Vermont and Olympic Vermont and 11th Vermont and Pico  P  Vermont and Venice Vermont and Washington Vermont and 24th Vermont and Adams Vermont and 29th Vermont and Jefferson  J  Vermont and 36th Vermont and 37th Vermont and Exposition Vermont and 39th Vermont and Leighton Vermont and Santa Barbara  5  Vermont and 42nd Vermont and Vernon  K   U  Vernon and Hoover Vernon and Figueroa I-110 Vernon and Grand Vernon and Broadway Vernon and Main Vernon and Wall Vernon and San Pedro Vernon and Towne Vermont and Avalon  J   S  Vernon and McKinley Vernon and Central Vernon and Hooper Vernon and Ascot Vernon and Compton Vernon and Morgan Vernon and Long Beach Vernon and Alameda Vernon and St. Charles Vernon and Santa Fe  J  Pacific Crossing

History

The Vermont–Vernon line was the last new route built by the Los Angeles Railway. Although Henry Huntington had been reluctant to build any cross-town (circumferential) lines, exponential growth along the Wilshire Corridor made it necessary. At the time, Los Angeles had no buses. From Vermont and Beverly, the route ran south on Vermont Avenue to Vernon Avenue, thence east on Vernon to Pacific Boulevard, then east again on Leonis Boulevard to Downey Road in Vernon.[1] A branch line also ran from Vernon Avenue south on Santa Fe Avenue to Slauson Avenue. In 1920, the route was designated as line V.[2]

The line was extended both north and south in 1923.[2] In 1925, plans had been drawn up to extend the Vermont line over 2 miles (3.2 km) further north to Los Feliz Boulevard. Instead, the route was extended less than a mile north to Monroe Street and west on Monroe to Heliotrope, on what was then the campus of UCLA (what is now the campus of Los Angeles City College).[3] In 1955, during the Los Angeles Transit Lines era, the Leonis and Santa Fe branches were eliminated; instead the V line ended at a loop called Pacific Crossing, in the center of Vernon.[2]

The V was one of six routes that survived closure and passed into control of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority. It was the only cross-town route in the LAMTA era. Streetcar service over the former Los Angeles Railway lines ended after March 31, 1963, with the final scheduled trip made on the V line.[4][5]

Possible restoration

Vermont Avenue continued its growth, seeded by the robust public transportation provided by the streetcar. By 2020, the bus lines operating on the street had grown to ridership of 45,000 weekday boardings, making it the second busiest corridor in the network.[6][7] As a result, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority intends to rehabilitate the road for to allow for rapid transit. The corridor extends further south than the old V streetcar and may initially operate as bus rapid transit with more limited service than its progenitor.

Rolling stock

After 1955, PCC streetcars replaced the old rolling stock on the line.[8]

Sources

1. Walker, Jim (2007). Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars. Arcadia Pub. p. 84.
2. "'V'". Electric Rail Heritage Association. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
3. H.P. Noordwal (1938). "Route Map Los Angeles Railway Electric Car and Bus Routes" (Map). Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. Los Angeles Railway. "Alternate link" (Map). via Google.
4. "Streetcars Go for Last Ride". Los Angeles Times. March 31, 1963. p. N5.
5. Creason, Glen (29 April 2015). "CityDig: This 1938 Map Captures the Charm of L.A.'s Under-Appreciated Yellow Cars". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
6. Tinoco, Matt (7 May 2018). "A subway on Vermont? Metro is considering it". Curbed LA. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
7. Next stop: a new kind of bus ride on Vermont (PDF). Amazon Naws (Report). Metro. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
8. "No.1080 Los Angeles Transit Lines". Market Street Railway. Retrieved 23 January 2021.

External links

• "Los Angeles Railway". Electric Rail Heritage Association.