U (Los Angeles Railway)

U
Car 156 on the University Line, shortly after 1910
Overview
Locale	Los Angeles
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Los Angeles Railway
History
Opened	1891 (1891)
Closed	August 3, 1947 (1947-08-03)
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	Overhead line, 600 V DC
Route map 1928–1947 Vermont and Florence  F  Vermont and Slauson Vermont and 54th  8  Vermont and 48th  9  Vermont and Vernon  V  Vermont and Santa Barbara  5  Vermont and 39th Pacific Electric Vermont and Exposition  5  McClintock and Jefferson  J  32nd and Hoover Hoover and Adams Union and 23rd Union and Estrella Washington and Estrella  W  Figueroa and Washington  W  Figueroa and Venice Figueroa and Pico  P  Figueroa and 12th Figueroa and 11th Figueroa and 9th  N  Figueroa and 8th Figueroa and 7th  H   R   S  Figueroa and Wilshire Figueroa and 6th Figueroa and 5th  D   3  5th and Flower 5th and Grand 5th and Olive 5th and Hill 5th and Broadway  P   W   5   9  5th and Spring  N   7   8  5th and Main  O  5th and Los Angeles 5th and Maple 5th and San Pedro Central Station Central and 6th Central and 7th  J   R  Central and 8th Central and Olympic Central and 12th  B  Central and 16th Central and Washington Central and Adams Central and Jefferson Central and 38th Central and Vernon  V  Central and Slauson Los Angeles Railway lines Pacific Electric lines This diagram: view talk edit

U was a streetcar line in Los Angeles, California. Also referred to as the University Line, it provided service to the University of Southern California.

History

The Los Angeles Consolidated Electric Railway University Line dates to November 12, 1891,^[1] when the Los Angeles Consolidated Electric Railway began operating on tracks run down McClintock Avenue.^[2] The route initially terminated at the Los Angeles Santa Fe station. The line came under the ownership of Los Angeles Railway Company in 1895 and was rerouted in Downtown, terminating at Spring and West 2nd Street. In 1910, the route was combined with trackage built by the Los Angeles and Redondo Railway Company along South Central Avenue, creating a U-shaped route between Central Alameda and USC via Downtown. At the university end, tracks split to three branches: west on 39th to Western, east on 39th to the entrance to Agricultural Park (now Exposition Park), and south to Dalton Avenue and West 45th Street. The Agricultural Park segment was removed from the line in February 1915 and the Dalton segment was rerouted to terminate at Vernon Avenue and Arlington Avenue.^[3]

As part of the 1920 rerouting scheme, the line operated as the university and Central Avenue Line which had three branches.^[4] These services were designated as the "U" line in 1921.^[5][6] The remaining 39th Street branch line was abandoned on October 5, 1941, and the service was converted to bus operation on August 3, 1947.^[7][8] Segments of the line were absorbed into other routes, the 3 and F, while tracks on McClintock, 32nd, Hoover, Union, 23rd and Estrella were removed.^[3]

Sources

1. Swett, Ira (1951). Los Angeles Railway; Interurbans Special #11. Los Angeles, CA: Interurban Press.
2. Masters, Nathan (June 19, 2013). "CityDig: When the Trolley Came to U.S.C." Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
3. "'U'". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
4. 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.
5. "May 1: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Metro Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 20, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2022. 1921: Large letter signs indicating the routes of different lines are placed on top of Los Angeles Railway streetcars.
6. "Cars To Have Letter Signs" (PDF). Two Bells. Vol. 1, no. 48. Los Angeles Railway. May 2, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
7. "Old Car Bows Out as New Transit Service Begins". The Los Angeles Times. August 4, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Walker, Jim (2007). Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars. Arcadia Pub. p. 83. ISBN 978-0738547916.

External lists

• U Line Archives — Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society
• "Los Angeles Railway". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California.