W (Los Angeles Railway)

W
Overview
Type	Light rail
System	Los Angeles Railway
Locale	Los Angeles
Termini	Piedmont and Pasadena (1895-1911) Eagle Rock Park (1911-48) York and Avenue 50 (1922-55) Broadway and Lincoln Park (1955-56) 22nd and Western (1895-1911) Washington and Rimpau Boulevards (1911-1956)
Stations	62
Operation
Opened	1895
Closed	1956
Technical
Track gauge	Template:RrailGauge/todo
Electrification	Overhead lines
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W was a line operated by the Los Angeles Railway from 1895 to 1956.

History

The Washington Line was one of the first to be built by LARy. Its northern terminus was at the intersection of Piedmont Street and Pasadena Avenue in Garvanza. This segment of the route closely followed the Arroyo Seco, ATSF main line, Los Angeles Terminal Pasadena branch, and Los Angeles and Pasadena Railway, stopping quite close to Highland Park Station. From there, it entered Downtown Los Angeles by way of Piedmont, Avenue 61, Monte Vista Street, Marmion Way, Dayton Avenue, Avenue 20, Main Street, Tenth Street, Flower Street, Washington Boulevard, La Salle Street, and 22nd Street to a terminus at 22nd and Western Avenue.

In 1911, the route was extended along Washington Boulevard to a loop on Rimpau Boulevard. The section of track on 22nd Street and La Salle was kept as a shuttle route until 1921. At the northeast end, an extension was built along Eagle Rock Avenue to Buena Vista Terrace. In 1919, the Tenth Street segment was eliminated and streetcar tracks were built through the Broadway Tunnel, enabling the W line to bypass Main Street entirely, and instead run through Downtown Los Angeles by way of Broadway, 11th Street, and Flower Street. In 1920, it was renamed "W."

Circa 1922, a branch line was built from Pasadena Avenue up York Boulevard to Avenue 50, and was quite popular. In 1948, the Annandale section was abandoned and York Boulevard became the sole northern terminus. In 1955, the entire northeastern segment of the route was abandoned and the W line now ran east via Broadway to Lincoln Park Avenue. The entire route was abandoned a year later in 1956.

Sources

Electric Rail Heritage Association