Trolley Thursday 9/30/21 - The Cars of the LA Metro

Welcome, dear riders, to the last Trolley Thursday of September! Sixty-or-so years ago, the Pacific Electric Railway's massive interurban and streetcar fleet dropped from tens of hundreds of varied models all the way to just... one. Today's LA Metro is clearly the opposite of that. Despite having numerous light-rail models and one subway model over their thirty-year existence, Metro's close work with manufacturers in Japan, Germany, and Italy ensures that their light rail fleet is interchangeable and workable through their long lifespans. On today's Trolley Thursday, let's open up the Division Carhouses on all six lines as we look at what makes Los Angeles' LRVs so unique!

Trolley Tuesday 2/16/21 - The Pacific Electric Hollywood Cars

In the common person's mind and in popular culture, there is no more an evocative image than a red-and-orange streetcar rolling down Hollywood or Sunset Boulevard in mid-century Los Angeles. After all, who can blame them? Everything can be glamourized in Los Angeles, even and especially its public transit vehicles. The one-hundred-and-sixty "Hollywood Cars" of the Pacific Electric (PE) stood and continue to stand as those immaculate pieces of Angelino-stalgia, from the old folks who used to ride them regularly to modern fans that recognize representations of this car in films like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Gangster Squad". But how did such a legendary streetcar come about and last over 30 years in service AND 60 years in preservation? Find out on today's Trolley Tuesday as we ride in style on the poor man's limousine, the Pacific Electric Hollywood Car!

Trolley Tuesday 1-26-21 - The Pacific Electric Western Division

If there was ever a more perfect image that represents the Pacific Electric Railway, or PE, then it would be a steel "Hollywood" streetcar rolling down the boulevard that shares its name. It's an image enshrined in film history, being replicated in films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Gangster Squad as well as serving as a nostalgic look back on the Los Angeles that once was. But the Western Division which housed the Hollywood Blvd line was more than just glitz and glamour, as it also fed into one of the largest continuous suburban developments in Southern California and contained the only subway system in Los Angeles until the opening of the Metro Blue (A) Line in 1991. Return with us now, to the thrilling days of yester-year, as we pull the curtain back on the Pacific Electric Western Division and see just how it shaped the Southland for almost 50 years!

Trolley Thursday 1-21-21 - The Pacific Electric Building and Subway Terminal

Whenever the topic of historical Los Angeles comes up in casual conversation, the first thing that always gets brought up is the historic architecture. After all, it's why the City of Angels can keep playing older versions of itself in movies and tv shows. From the Beaux Arts curves of the Broadway Arcade building, to the wrought iron lines of the Bradbury Building's elevators, in addition to the Eastern Building's gorgeous green Art Deco façade, you'd be hard-pressed to find an ugly historic building in Los Angeles. Two of those historic buildings that have stood the test of time continue to thrive under the Los Angeles Conservancy's patronage and care, despite being so far removed from their original purposes, and they are the Pacific Electric Building on 6th and Main Street, and the Subway Terminal Building at 4th and Hill. These were the transit hubs of the Pacific Electric, and thus today's Trolley Thursday is dedicated to appreciating their importance in the system's history.