“Every city has had its boom, but the history of Los Angeles…should be regarded as one continuous boom punctuated at intervals with major explosions.” —Carey McWilliams, Southern California: An Island on the Land, 1946 Metro Transportation Library, Archives & Records…
Category: L.A. Transit & Transportation History
L.A. Transit & Transportation History
At L.A.’s Streetcar Inauguration, Who Told 8-Year Old Shirley Temple, “Buy Yourself A New Automobile”?
Remembering Huell Howser: Some Archived Images Of The Region’s Official Rideshare Spokesman
Broadway Bound: Looking Back At Historic Streetcars On Broadway In Los Angeles’ Historic Core
75 Years Ago This Weekend: California Inspires The World With One Of America’s Greatest Infrastructure Projects (And Celebrations) Ever
20 Years Ago This Week: Southern California Rapid Transit District Employees’ Heroic Response To The Civil Unrest Of 1992
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…
How Los Angeles Began 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…
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…
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…