I know that it's not the case -- but even the most recently transplanted Angeleno should know that Los Angeles was built around railroads. The first steam train appeared in Los Angeles in 1869, nineteen years after the city was incorporated. The first horsecar showed up in 1874. The first trolley began operation in 1885. … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Historic Los Angeles Transit Rail
There've recently been a couple of articles in the Los Angeles Times about the various state of local mass transit that have got me thinking. Mehmet Baker's "Metro is hemorrhaging riders. It needs to stop studying obvious fixes and start acting" appeared on Sunday, was good but many of the complaints voiced were the sort … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — So Why Are Our Train Stations So Crap?
Los Angeles was made possible by trains. Rate wars between Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railways ignited the first population boom. To this day, the vast, expansive Pacific Electric Railway was the largest interurban electric railway the world has ever known. Its primary purpose was o expand growth in the suburbs -- or as … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Los Angeles Train Map
With bicycles, buses, ferries, planes, rideshares, sidewalks, subways, taxis, and trains at Angelenos’ disposal, why would any sane person choose car-dependency? Nobody Drives in LA celebrates sense and sensibility in transportation. There are numerous model railroading clubs in Southern California, all devoted to various scale standards, and spread throughout a region not especially well-served by actual passenger rail. I recently … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Visiting the Pasadena Model Railroad Club
With bicycles, buses, ferries, planes, sidewalks, subways, taxis, and trains at Angelenos’ disposal, why would any sane person choose car dependency? Nobody Drives in LA celebrates sense and sensibility in transportation. Formosa Cafe interior | Photo: Steve & Michelle Gerdes/Flickr/Creative Commons TRAINS KEPT A-ROLLING Years before the rise of the freeways, the Southland's framework was … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Southern California’s Restaurant Bound Rail Cars
Eric Brightwell 