Category: L.A. Transit & Transportation History
Vault Disney: How The Magic Kingdom Showcased The Magnificent Future Of Transportation in 1958
A look back through our archives provides no shortage of historic photos, documents and other resources telling the story of transportation planning and operation in Southern California. But sometimes, we come across something very special, though not necessarily related to the Southland. Something so dated that it in fact becomes timeless. Today is the anniversary of [...]
20 Years Ago This Week: Southern California Rapid Transit District Employees’ Heroic Response To The Civil Unrest Of 1992
This weekend, the local news will be filled with stories about the long-awaited opening of the Metro Expo Line Phase I running from downtown to La Cienega Boulevard. But another event this week in Los Angeles history is worth noting as well: the 20th anniversary of the 1992 riots that rocked the city for six consecutive days, and [...]
75 Years Ago This Week: 10,000 Turn Out As Shirley Temple Inaugurates New PCC Streetcar Service In Los Angeles
The third week of March, 1937 had been designated “National Transportation Week” and Los Angeles was ready to roll out its new streetcars. 10,000 cheering spectators celebrated the arrival of two Presidents’ Conference Committee (PCC) streetcars at City Hall. It was an exciting time for California transportation, as the Golden Gate Bridge was set to [...]
40 Years Ago Today: Los Angeles Begins Its Experiment With Steam-Powered Buses…Plus, Its Rare Documentary Film
Today marks the anniversary of an important experiment in the history of local transportation and alternative fuels. On this date in 1972, the Southern California Rapid Transit District took delivery of a prototype steam turbine-powered bus for a year-long demonstration project. SCRTD joined transit agencies in San Francisco, Sacramento and San Diego in testing the [...]
40 Years Ago This Week: Groundbreaking For El Monte Busway — California’s First Multi-Modal System & The World’s First Bus Rapid Transit Station
January 21st marks the anniversary of groundbreaking for the 11-mile long El Monte Busway and planning for what was billed as the “world’s first bus rapid transit station.” U.S. Transportation Secretary John A. Volpe officiated at ceremonies marking commencement of construction for California’s first express busway. They were joined by Southern California Rapid Transit District President [...]
100 Years Ago Today: The California State Highway Commission, Caltrans Predecessor, Is Launched
The year starts off with a look back one full century to the birth of highway planning in the state. On January 2, 1912, the seven division engineers of the California State Highway Commission met for the first time. The Commission set the stage for building a network of roads to connect the far-flung areas of our [...]
100 Years Ago Today: Pacific Electric Railway Reaches Van Nuys, Launching “Wonderful Growth” In The San Fernando Valley
Today marks another auspicious local transportation anniversary – a century ago, the first streetcars rolled into the small outlying town of Van Nuys. On December 16, 1911, Pacific Electric Railway Company launched its service to the San Fernando Valley. Van Nuys had been founded just ten months earlier when lot sales began on February 22. [...]
90 Years Ago Today: Los Angeles Railway Rolls Out “Information Men” Public Service
The December 5, 1921 issue of the Los Angeles Railway employee newsmagazine posed the question: “How would you like to be an information man?” An article titled “Information Men Help L.A., They’ll Tell The World!” appeared in Two Bells. Ninety years ago, Los Angeles Railway launched the “Information Men” who served as early Los Angeles’ public [...]
Our “Grand Concourse”: Historic Images Of Wilshire Boulevard’s Double-Decker Buses & Other Forgotten History
We periodically highlight “Resources To Know” which lead you to important information sources for research, as well as the core collection of classic titles in the study of Los Angeles transit and transportation history. One indisputable work is Kevin Roderick’s Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse Of Los Angeles. His fascinating story of what many people regard as [...]
But Have You Seen This One?: Celebrating The Lesser-Known Historic Transit Photos Of Los Angeles
We are celebrating another achievement today: our Flickr online photo gallery has clocked 1.5 million views after just three years since we began offering up our digital images to the public. It was exactly nine months ago that we celebrated hitting the 1,000,000 mark. On February 3, we marveled that it took just 28 months to reach this milestone. A [...]
