K (Los Angeles Railway)

This article is about a historical rail line in Los Angeles. For the modern light rail line, see K Line (Los Angeles Metro).

K
Overview
Owner	Los Angeles Railway
Locale	Los Angeles
Termini	Ascot Avenue and East 38th Street South Vermont Avenue and Florence Avenue
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Los Angeles Railway
History
Opened	February 1, 1913
Closed	October 5, 1941 (October 5, 1941)
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	Overhead line, 600 V DC
Route map 1933–1941 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 Railway Vermont and Exposition  U  Vermont and Jefferson  J   V  Jefferson and McClintock  U  Jefferson and Hoover Jefferson and Figueroa Jefferson and Flower Jefferson and Grand  F   J   5   9  Jefferson and Hill Jefferson and Broadway Jefferson and Main  F   O   5   7   8  Pacific Electric Railway Jefferson and Maple  H  Jefferson and San Pedro  S  Jefferson and Griffith  G  Jefferson and McKinley  G  Jefferson and Central  U  Central and 38th  U  38th and Ascot  B  Los Angeles Railway lines Pacific Electric lines This diagram: view talk edit

K was a streetcar line in Los Angeles, California. It was operated by the Los Angeles Railway from 1913 to 1941.

History

The East Jefferson and 38th Street line opened on February 1, 1913.[1] It ran from Main Street and Jefferson Avenue to East 38th Street and Ascot Avenue via Jefferson, Central Avenue, and East 38th Street. Service was extended to USC in 1918.[2] The route was given the letter designation K in 1921.[3][4]

Between 1932 and 1933, the line saw numerous reroutes. On September 11, 1933 the line began its ultimate routing,[2] running from Ascot Avenue and East 38th Street to South Vermont Avenue and Florence Avenue.[5] (38th Street was renamed to 41st Street in 1937.) The line was discontinued on October 5, 1941 and service from Jefferson and Vermont Avenues to USC was thereafter provided by the U line.[2] The abandoned section became the basis for the company's bus route 18.[6]

Sources

1. "Residents of District Are Made Happy by Fifteen-Minute Service". Los Angeles Evening Express. February 1, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "K". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
3. "May 1: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Metro Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved February 16, 2022. 1921: Large letter signs indicating the routes of different lines are placed on top of Los Angeles Railway streetcars.
4. "Cars To Have Letter Signs" (PDF). Two Bells. Vol. 1, no. 48. Los Angeles Railway. May 2, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
5. 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.
6. Walker, Jim (2007). Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars. Arcadia Pub. p. 62. ISBN 0738547913.

External links

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