Gale Banks' Story of Exploring the Subways of Los Angeles as a Kid

[cjforumadmin]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Gale-Banks-Story-of-Exploring-the-Subways-of-Los-Angeles-as-a-Kid.html

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: Gale Banks' Story of Exploring the Subways of Los Angeles as a Kid

The LA subway history is the real gem of this blog.

[STINEY]

Re: Gale Banks' Story of Exploring the Subways of Los Angeles as a Kid

First a river, now a subway system.

What else are y'all hiding out there?

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: Gale Banks' Story of Exploring the Subways of Los Angeles as a Kid

the comments decrying the lack of collectivist public transportation are annoying
no bigger taxpayer money pit than the mugger - movers

[Scott Liggett]

Re: Gale Banks' Story of Exploring the Subways of Los Angeles as a Kid

It's still there under the Pacific Electric building in downtown. The building was LA's version of Grand Central Station. The tunnel with three tracks ran northeast towards Sunset Bl and Hillhurst where it emerged onto surface streets. The station downtown had beautiful marble columns and floors. The ramps to the track levels were bricked up in the 50's. There were only two staircases leading down to the track levels the last 60 years.

In '67 the tunnel was blocked by the construction of the Bonaventure Hotel's foundations. The Pacific Electric Red Car system was allowed to be sold to GM and Firestone in the early 50's. They started dismantled the system immediately and, somehow, the city and county of LA started passing bond measures to build freeways. What cars could not be sold to foreign countries were taken to the desert and burned. Gee, did some one mention conspiracy?

There's a show on Cities of the Underworld that covered some of the history.

One of the old tracks that was paved over the last 50 years is being resurrected for a new light rail line going from Santa Monica to USC.