F (Los Angeles Railway)

F
Overview
Type	Light rail
System	Los Angeles Railway
Locale	Los Angeles
Termini	Union Station Vermont and Manchester Avenues
Stations	28
Operation
Opened	1920
Closed	1956
Owner	Los Angeles Railway
Technical
Track gauge	narrow gauge
Electrification	Overhead lines
Route map edit Union StationATSF, SP, UP Macy and Alameda Main and Macy Main and Sunset Main and Temple Main and 1stP Main and 2nd8 Main and 3rd9 Main and 4th Main and 5th Main and 6thPacific Electric Railway Main and 7th7 J R S Main and 8th Main and 9th7 8 Broadway Place5 Main and 11th Main and 12th Main and Pico9 Main and Venice Main and Washington Main and 23rd Main and Adams Main and 30th Main and Jefferson Jefferson and Broadway Jefferson and Hill Jefferson and Grand9 J Grand and 37th Grand and 39th Santa Barbara and Figueroa Santa Barbara and Hoover Santa Barbara and Vermont5 V Vermont and 42nd Vermont and VernonV Vermont and 46th Vermont and 48th9 Vermont and 51st Vermont and 54th8 Vermont and 56th Vermont and Slauson Vermont and 59th Vermont and Gage Vermont and 68th Vermont and Florence Vermont and 74th Vermont and 76th Vermont and 79th Vermont and 81st Vermont and 83rd Vermont and Manchester

F was a line operated by the Los Angeles Railway from 1911 to 1956.

History

Fourth Street Line (1898-1911)

The Fourth Street Line was originally built by the Los Angeles Traction Company and opened in 1898. This route ran from a Downtown terminus at 3rd Street and Stephenson Avenue (present-day Traction Avenue) to 1st Street by way of Boyle Heights by way of Stephenson, Merrick Street, 4th Street, and Fresno Street.

In 1910, the LAIU was taken over by the Pacific Electric Railway who ran it as a local line for one year, extending the route to 4th and Hill by way of 3rd and Hill Streets.

Sunnyside Division (1888-1911)

The Sunnyside Division was the second division to be built by the Los Angeles and Redondo Railway, the world's first suburban railway. From the LA&R terminus at 2nd and Spring Streets, the Sunnyside Line ran to Redondo Beach by way of 2nd Street, Broadway, 7th Street, Grand Avenue, Santa Barbara Avenue, Sunnyside Avenue (present-day South Hoover), a private right of way between 69th Street and Florence Avenue, Vermont Avenue, 166th Street, Redondo Beach Boulevard, Ripley Avenue, and Anita Street.

During the Great Merger of 1911, the southern portion of the LA&R was incorporated into the Pacific Electric Railway, while the northern portion became local routes of the Los Angeles Railway. At this point, the Fourth Street and Sunnyside Lines were merged into a single route.

F Line (1911-1956)

LARy streamlined the Fourth Street and Sunnyside Lines, avoiding Stephenson Avenue entirely and running the Downtown segment through Main Street. The new route followed Fresno Street, 4th Street, Main Street, Jefferson Boulevard, Grand Avenue, Hoover Avenue, a private right of way, and Vermont Avenue, terminating at Manchester Avenue, where a less frequent shuttle could be taken to the Pacific Electric's Delta Station. In 1920, the shuttle was eliminated; the main line ran all the way to Delta and was renamed "F."

After Union Station

The opening of Union Station in 1939 resulted in the creation of a loop segment on the building's north side, which served as the new northern terminus for the line. The 4th street track was eliminated, and the new loop connected to the remainder of the route by way of Macy Street and Main Street. The southern terminus was also cut back to the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Manchester Avenue. In 1950, the Hoover section was eliminated, and the F car ran straight from Santa Barbara to Vermont Avenues.

In 1956, the F Line was the last route to be removed by Los Angeles Transit Lines, although it had long been one of the least used routes in the system.

Sources

Electric Rail Heritage Association