Trolley Tuesday 3/23/21 - The Los Angeles Railway's Low-Floor Experimental Cars

The Los Angeles Railway (LARy) always set itself apart from its contemporary street railways by depending on its own shop-designed streetcars.  Prior to 1936, the only "national standard" streetcars purchased by the LARy were 70 Birney Safety Cars between 1920 and 1921 (designated LARy Type "G"). However, as the mid-1920s rolled on, the company came under pressure to show the city that they were on the cutting edge of streetcar technology. Completely against their own standards of streetcar construction, LARy and the St. Louis Car Company created two oddball classes of cars that were the last gasps of originality within the Yellow Car fleet. On today's Trolley Tuesday, hike up your fares and follow us as we talk about the LARy Type "L" and Type "M" streetcars!

  

Lower Your Standards

The motorman of LARy Huntington Standard No. 210 sizes up the climb back up to
his car while laying over at the west end of the "8" Line at 54th and Crenshaw.
(Bill Volkmer)

The exceptionally low first step of the Sowbellies.
(Ira L. Swett)

The LARy had already experimented with low-floor cars before through the Type "C" "Sowbelly" class of streetcars from 1913, meant as modernized rebuilds of their already-venerable Type "B" Huntington Standards. These cars featured two exits and one entrance in the center, with a boarding step just fifteen inches from the railhead to accommodate the then-women's fashion craze of "hobble skirts". In service, though, the hobbled streetcars ended up being more impractical than the LARy wanted, and they ended up reverting back to high floors and end-entrances through the introduction of the Type "H" steel cars. These cars featured large 30-inch wheels and floors three feet from the railhead, often required haggard commuters to stagger up the stairways before crashing tiredly onto the wooden slat seats. In preservation, I've even noticed this among older visitors who struggle with climbing up Type "H" No. 1201's stairways while trying to board. For the LARy in the 1920s, something had to be done to give their passengers more boarding comfort and ease of use.

Dial "L" For "Low Floor"

A 1932 schematic of the Type "L" Car, No. 2501.
(Alan Weeks, PERYHS)

No. 2501's body being assembled at St. Louis Car Co.
(Ira L. Swett)

The answer came in March 1925, when a new streetcar was delivered to the South Park Shops from St. Louis Car Company. On the outside, it looked like the last of the Type "H"s that were delivered just three months prior, but featured an all-enclosed body (no California cars here) with no bulkheads, full double-door entrances on all ends, and most of all: it looked like a "sittin' hen". (Walker, 194). Despite the surprise of the shop crews, LARy's designers were pleased that their collaborative prototype with St. Louis Car Company was finally delivered, as it gave them a chance to show both the top company brass and prospective passengers a new direction of streetcar design for the City of Angels.

This front-end shop photo from St. Louis Car Co.
shows the original folding steps and immense overhang
demonstrated by No. 2501.
(Ira L. Swett)

On paper, it really was just like a Type "H" but lower, as it featured a 48' 0" length, 7' 10" width, and seating capacity for 48 people. However, its departures from the Type "H" were so great that one has to wonder if the LARy designers or St. Louis Car Company draughtsmen were unaware they were just building their own version of a New Orleans Perley A. Thomas Car. The 26" wheels were among the smallest fitted to a streetcar, and to avoid the wide truck frames hitting the stairs (which were fifteen inches off the ground), the wheelbase was an astonishingly short 24' 4" between the truck frames (compared to the Type "H"s 31 feet). This left a 7' 9" overhang from the ends of the outside wheels to the bumpers, which totally did not come to bite the streetcar in the butt later in service.

"The Car That Weighed its Passengers" 

LARy No. 2501 in its "As Delivered" configuration, complete with brown
striping, yellow windows, and black lining.
(Jeffrey J. Moreau, SCRM)

The original, clean, and quite dreary interior of No. 2501.
(Ira L. Swett)

The Type "L" used standard Westinghouse motors, air pumps, and controllers fitted by LARy, who always had the final say of what kind of technology and appliances went into the car. The interior was similar standard fare, featuring wooden slat bench and "changeover" seats, but arranged in an odd half-bench, half-changeover configuration to maximize interior capacity. Standing patrons were also thought of, so No. 2501 featured spring-return handholds above the bench seats. As it was the prototype "L", No. 2501 also allowed LARy to test new machinery that later ended up on its other passenger cars. These included air-operated door motors, double front doors (at a time when all end-door cars ran with one door on either end and a conductor's compartment), and folding steps connected to the doors. These improvements later ended up on the Type "B"s and "H"s during the "One-Man/Two-Man" rebuilds beginning in 1931. The only piece of technology that did not go past the Type "L" was the one-of-a-kind "variable-load brakes".

A closeup of No. 2501's unique St. Louis E.H. N-60 trucks.
(Ira L. Swett)

The "variable-load" system was dreamed up by the St. Louis Car Company as a way to modernize streetcar brake systems and deliver improved passenger comfort by replacing the guesswork out of stopping the car with automation. Instead of a motorman having to eyeball a brake gauge and manually control the airflow to achieve a smooth stop, the No. 2501 achieved its smooth stops by weighing its passengers through its St. Louis E.H. N-60 trucks, which had sensitive suspension that controlled the flow of air through sprung valves. The motorman still had control on the brakestand, but did not have to worry about air suddenly rushing into the pipe and slamming the car to a stop. LA Railway spent two years testing this unique system with the LARy shop crews, both in "light" and "heavy" tests, and the car was put into service on the "V" Line. 

LARy 2501's updated interior in 1927.
(Ira L. Swett)

Immediately after the 2501 went into service, an operating bulletin was issued advising motormen to give the 2501 a "wide berth" on curves due to the severe overhang of the car. (For reference, the Type "H"s were only 8' 6" from the truck centers, so their overhang was only 3 feet.) The variable-load braking system was also found to be mostly useless as motormen continued to be cautious and depend on their eyes and hands more than anything automatic, so the experimental system was disconnected (but not removed) in December, 1926. Further shoppings of the car included: removing the folding steps (by moving them inside) and replacing the wooden seats with faux-leather cloth in 1927, adding an experimental National Pneumatic electric farebox (which was eventually deemed "unsatisfactory) in 1928, embedding a Hunter illuminated route sign into its roof in 1931, and finally one-manning with new door engines and treadles in 1934. 

LARy No. 2501 after one-manning in 1940, running on the Sunset Blvd. stretch of the 7 Line.
(Raymond E. Younghans, SCRM)

 

Low Floors, High Fares

A Los Angeles Railway fare token, showing its
"Mission Bell" design.
(PERYHS)

While the 2501 was working out its teething troubles on the LARy, the company's accountants soon found themselves in hot water. Following the death of company president Henry E. Huntington (who retained control of the LARy after selling his share of the Pacific Electric Railway to Southern Pacific in 1911), the board of directors decided the best way to save their private street railway was to raise fares. From the 1890s up till now (October 21, 1928), the LARy maintained a 5-cent fare across its whole system, with the ridership large enough to at least self-finance the company without much profit. Now, with Huntington gone but his estate still remaining owners, it was decided to raise the fare by just 2 cents. Unfortunately, this raised the ire of Angelenos across the city, who rabbled that LARy had no right to raise their fares without having any improvements to show for it. Eager to save face, the company not only put more effort into maintaining and modernizing its fleet of aging streetcars and rails, but it also put more effort into buying new streetcars to keep up with the times. This is how Type "M"s No. 2601 and 2602 enter the picture.

Dial "M" for... "Peter Witt"?

The LARY's "Type M" drawings, circa 1932. 
(Alan Weeks, PERYHS)

Baltimore Street Railway No. 6146 poses for its works photo
at Brill, Philadelphia, PA, 1930.
(The Trolley Dodger)

Before the advent of the PCC's, the "Peter Witt" streetcar was the second-most popular "national streetcar" type in the United States (after the Birney Safety Car), with fifteen states (including California) finding use for the single-ended car. Traditionally, these cars were built by the Cincinnati Car Company of Ohio (who pioneered the design), G.C. Kuhlmann Car Company (another Ohio firm connected to Cincinnati), and the J.G. Brill Car Company of Philadelphia, PA (who eventually owned both), and were used on railways that featured loop-lines. However, because the LARy had yet to install loops, their "Peter Witts" featured unique double-ended construction. Also unlike most "Peter Witts", theirs were once-again built by St. Louis Car Company as LARy shared a close relationship with the car builder. 

A St. Louis Car Company photo of Peter Witt No. 2601.
(SCRM)

The plush interior of the Type "M"s, featuring Pantasote
faux-leather, spring-loaded handholds, and double-glazed windows.
(SCRM)

LARy hoped that their new "Peter Witts" could share the same kind of limelight as the Hollywood Cars as center-and-end entrance cars, while St. Louis pulled out all the stops in designing the cars, giving them not only unique EIBN-66 low-profile trucks, but also fitting the cars from the factory with leather seats, spring-loaded standee handholds, and hunter illuminated route signs. The cars were 49 feet long but featured a 26' 8" wheelbase between the truck centers, much like the Type "L". This gave hem a severe overhang of 11' 2" from the truck centers, which totally did not come back to bite them in the butt in the end. As per their prototypical nature, No. 2601 was fitted with Westinghouse motors and controllers while No. 2602 received GE motors and controllers. The two were delivered from St. Louis on October 16, 1930, and first entered service on December 31 that same year.

LARy No. 2601 shows off its flash lines at the Division Two carhouse, June 4, 1939
with Type "H" No. 1207 wearing its experimental "brown nose" scheme following
its 1934 "one-man" rebuild. In front is Type "P" PCC No. 3083.
(Jeffrey J. Moreau, SCRM)

  

Lucky Number "7"

LATL No. 2601 at the "J" Line's Palm Place Loop
on a BAERA fantrip, May 4, 1952.
(Walter Abbenseth, SCRM)

The Type "M"s severe overhang was more immediately noticed than when the Type "L" went into service, so Nos. 2601 and 2602 began working exclusively on the "7" line from Spring Street and 2nd Street in the "Plaza Historical District" to Athens Way and 116th Street in South Central Los Angeles. The route was straight as an arrow, only curving at Broadway and 40th Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). The cars were later rebuilt in June 1934 for overhauling, receiving one-man upgrades like floor treadles, improved brake valves, and farebox brackets by the motorman. 1936 saw the addition of the integrated Type "C" safety fenders replacing the old Eclipse "people catcher", and the "Peter Witts" were further eclipsed by the introduction of the PCCs. The advent of these new cars, though sporting higher floors than the Peter Witts, nipped any hope of LA Railway purchasing more than the two prototypes. 

LATL No. 2501 passes Type "H" 1254 where the
"7" and "N" lines meet at Broadway and Olympic, 
showing how much lower No. 2501 actually was.
(Ira L. Swett)

No. 2501 later joined the Type M's on the "7" Line, having been forced off the "V" Line by the PCCs. Due to its common shop parts, the one-of-a-kind car remained a stalwart part of the roster going into World War II, and all three cars remained common fixtures of the "7" Line. The only service interruption came in World War II, when the "Peter Witts" were transferred onto the "P" Line following temporary reestablishment of two-man operations, serving alongside the PCCs that superseded them. After the purchase of the LARy by National City Lines (NCL, who rebranded the LARy as the Los Angeles Transit Lines or LATL) in 1944, the three cars received the customary Salad Bowl scheme with white roofs. This was later changed to a tan roof due to the trolley wire grease drippings staining the clean white roofs. No. 2501 also received new Type "C" safety fenders and skirts, making it look even lower than before. However, progress could not be stopped, and by September 10, 1950, all three cars went into storage at the Division 1 carhouse as a byproduct of LATL's housecleaning of non-standard cars. 

The Excursion Circuit

LATL No. 2501 ventures outside the "7" Line to run a special
Railroad Boosters excursion on the "F" Line on February 16, 1947.
It's seen here at S. Vermont and W. Florence Ave.
(Robert T. McVey, SCRM)

LATL No. 2601 curls through the "J" Line Palm Place Loop
on a BAERA fan trip, May 4, 1952, showing off its wide 
overhang on the tight track meant for PCCs.
(Walter Abbenseth, SCRM)

The next few years were more or less devoted to the excursion circuit, as the Railroad Boosters (now the Pacific Railroad Society, or PRS), the Bay Area Electric Railway Association (BAERA), and the Southern California Electric Railway Association (SC-ERA) all took interest in the unique cars. These railfan excursions of the early 1950s also gave the Type "L" and Type "M"s a chance to venture outside of their home rails, with No. 2601 venturing as far north as Highland Park on the "5" Line on January 20, 1952. As usual, motormen gave these cars a wide berth whenever they came to a curve, and during another excursion in the early 1950s, No. 2602 put Division Five carhouse's clearances to the test as photographed below. The excursion lives for the three cars lasted until 1955, when all three were victim to another round of house cleaning under the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (better known as the LAMTA) and sold to the National Metals and Steel Company of Terminal Island, CA. Thanks to the actions of the SC-ERA, however, two of the three were saved for preservation.

LATL Type "M" No. 2602 about to run into the Division Five carhouse office as it squeals and groans
its way into the yard tracks, early 1950s.
(Ira L. Swett)

The same car is spotted on the "5" line in Eagle Rock, California, running an excursion on January 20, 1952.
(Ira L. Swett)

Ex-LATL No. 2501 sits in front of a pile of redundant Type "H"s at Terminal Island.
When off her trucks, she almost looked like another H Type.
(Bill Whyte, Steve Crise, PERYHS)

Preservation

Ex-LATL No. 2601 is eased out of Barn 3 using a stinger, 
under its own power during the SCRM July 2 "Streetcar Shuffle".
(Myself)

Both Type "L" No. 2501 and Type "M" No. 2601 have been saved at the Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM) in Perris, CA, representing two of the most unique Yellow Cars in the collection (among a collection of other unique cars). Both were plucked off the scrap heap with the body of No. 2501 being the only thing that remained after it was gutted of all interior and mechanical fittings, while No. 2601 was purchased for the scrap price of $200 ($2,944 in 2021) as a mostly complete car. While No. 2501 is, today, still just a body under some plastic covering in the back of the SCRM, the 2601 has operated in preservation around the museum's loop line and has just come back from an almost-decade long restoration in Carhouse 3, first rolling under its own power on July 2, 2020. It still needs a lot of work (such as re-machining its wheels), but for the SCRM, it is another preservation success story as the only double-ended "Peter Witt" is now operational again. Special thanks to George Chapman of Carhouse 3 in getting 2601 back to operation.

LARy No. 2501, the only Type "L", sits on the SCRM property
in 1959, shortly after moving from Traveltown.
(SCRM)

 

Thank you for reading today's Trolley post, and watch your step as you alight on the platform. If you would like to donate to the 2601's fund to get it new wheels, or if you would like to see the 2501 restored into a full car, please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Southern California Railway Museum, earmarked for either No. 2601 or 2501. My resources today included "The Yellow Cars of Los Angeles" by Ira L. Swett and Jim Walker, the archives of the Southern California Railway Museum, and the archives of the Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society. The trolley gifs in our posts are made by myself and can be found under “Motorman Reymond’s Railroad Gif Carhouse”. On Thursday, we look at the last trolley cars to ever run in Los Angeles (until 1991), the PCCs! For now, you can follow myself or my editor on Twitter, buy a shirt or sticker from our Redbubble stand, or purchase my editor's self-developed board game! It's like Ticket to Ride, but cooler! (and you get to support him through it!) Until next time, ride safe!