Nostalgia & History > A Bit Of Traction and Some PE, LAMTA, Key, SF, SEPTA

It was a mostly cloudy day in Ritzville, WA with a high-low of 81-60. Here is a bit of Traction from the Andy Goddard collection.

1. Pacific Electric Hollywood car 5116 and Line Car at night at Watts yard in the 1950's. Any extra info welcomed. Jerry Squier photo.
2. LAMTA PCC's 3075 and 3143 in LA in the 1950's. Looks like 3075 is on a Special run. Need location help. Jerry Squier phorto.
3. LAMTA PCC 3075 on a Special run possibly on the P Line in 1950's. Any extra info welcomed. Jerry Squier photo. 

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4. Key System F train 161 in early 1958. Need location help. Might be a repeat. Jerry Squier photo.
5. San Francisco Muni PCC 1016 and older streetcar 161 at West Portal stop in 1954. Any extra info welcomed. Alan Weeks photo.
6. SEPTA PCC 2118 at Lancaster near 48th in Philly in 1975. Any extra info welcomed. Mitchell Libby photo.

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7. A blast from the past. Military friends in the Imperial Valley(El Centro, CA) showing off the old auto club signage in the 1940's. Unknown photographer, my collection.

That's it for today. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Thanks so much for looking!

Larry
Ritzville, WA

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Superb - These photos you post bring the time of traction to life.
Bob

The LA stuff shows what a wonderfull place the city was and the Imperial Valley picture timeless and almost a time machine .Thanks for the posts .Bill Webb

Ritzville Wrote:

> 4. Key System F train 161 in early 1958. Need location help.

Looking south on Shattuck Ave. at about Francisco St. in Berkeley, CA.  The train would be inbound heading for San Francisco.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cdy9ijWerJSxroGr5

Louisville Section Sundae Special comments:
1 - Very nice night scene. Lights in #716 look inviting. Line car, definitely a liker, adds interest.
2 - Interesting PCC meet in an urban setting; my eye is drawn to the GM "Old Look" in the left background.
3 - Busy city scene featuring #3075; in the distant background is a PCC going away and a GM "Old Look" approaching.
4 - Key #161 is going to have the pleasure of passing a 1958 Ford Station Wagon, first on right.
5 - Scene from yesteryear with a lot to like including the old and the new.
6 - Nice urban scene from "back east"; Mobil sign adds a dimension.
7 - Don't think those two couples were thinking about signs.
Thanks for posting a real super blast from the past.
Always appreciate your time and work.
ALLEN

Yeah, the Shell station in pic 4 must be on the
SW corner of Francisco. The confusing thing
is that big building left of center -- it's gone now.

Thanks Bob and Bill for nice and interesting comments. Thanks Evan for location info and your google picture of Shattuck Ave looking so different these days. Thanks Allen for all your cool reviews and comments. You're probably right about the people with the signs. The signs maybe just a little bit, lol. Thanks "timz" for your interesting comments. Much appreciated to you all!

Larry

Larry I follow your Traction posts religiously and must add that this batch is a great one.  Thank you posting this great history.

stevelv Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Larry I follow your Traction posts religiously and
> must add that this batch is a great one.  Thank
> you posting this great history.

Thanks Steve for your NICE comments. much appreciated!

Larry

timz Wrote:

> Yeah, the Shell station in pic 4 must be on the SW corner of Francisco. The confusing thing
> is that big building left of center -- it's gone now.

Used to walk past it on the way to U.C. Berkeley.  It was torn down around 2010.  Google Streetview from 2009 shows it intact:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nYMyw1BR4KR5SFCL6

No 1 is at Watts carhouse where we see the joint facility of Pacific Electric and Metropolitan Coach Lines.
PE continued to use Watts as a maintenance point following closure of their long time Torrance facility.
Behind "Hollywood" 5116 we see line car 00164 and a PE Baldwin diesel switcher. This photo of 5116
nicely illustrates the 'light shields' on Hollywood cars which dropped from the ceiling to keep the motorman
from being blinded by lighting from within the car. Very handy at night.

No 2 is a poser for me. Best guess is were on W 7th St, looking west. Again guessing here, those rails in 
the cross street might be in Figueroa St. The 3075 is on another of many fan trips following its re-paint
in 1958. Jerry Joseph---are you here?

No 3 remains as much a mystery as it was when I first saw it here over a year ago when I wrote:

"About photo 22 of your 2/5/22 posting: I'm completely flummoxed by that one. Tried finding that 
Safeway store at the far right---no dice. Can you believe they didn't place their addresses or  
phone numbers in the phone book---only warehouse and business office address. What's  
really odd is that the route the 3075 is taking is single track leading from double tracks, something 
they only did at turning loops. Odd. We'll have to table that one---for now."  Still fummoxed.

Charlie


 

cewherry Wrote:

> No 2 is a poser for me. Best guess is were on W
> 7th St, looking west. Again guessing here, those
> rails in  the cross street might be in Figueroa St. The 3075
> is on another of many fan trips following its
> re-paint in 1958.

You said South Broadway at 11th last time, which looks like a match:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5421473,5421482#5421482
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KmURzJh3ARZAw5zG9

All great!  Keep them coming and don't worry about repeats.  #5 shows the old portal at West Portal, now replaced with a less imposing structure.  Note that Muni Jewett-built 161's roller sign says "BRIDGE."  Both ends of the two man cars were supposed to show the destination of the car, as done here.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cewherry Wrote:
>
> > No 2 is a poser for me. Best guess is were on W
> > 7th St, looking west. Again guessing here,
> those
> > rails in  the cross street might be in Figueroa
> St. The 3075
> > is on another of many fan trips following its
> > re-paint in 1958.
>
> You said South Broadway at 11th last time, which
> looks like a match:
>
> https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,
> 5421473,5421482#5421482
> https://maps.app.goo.gl/KmURzJh3ARZAw5zG9

Should'a danced with the girl I brought the first time. Ha!
(Got distracted by that Hallicrafter sign---they were over on Wilshire)
Thanks, Evan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/23 18:51 by cewherry.

Thanks "HT6" for your Nice comments and information. Thanks Charlie for your interesting classroom on photos 1-3. I guess #3 is still sort of a mystery, thanks for the locations. Thanks Evan, I am repeating some nostalgic pictures from the Western discussion so people on the Nostalgia discussion site can also enjoy them. Much appreciated to all!

Larry

Ritzville Wrote:

> Evan, I am repeating some nostalgic pictures from the Western discussion so people on the Nostalgia discussion site can also enjoy them.

No problem with repeats, but it would be gratifying for the people providing help on locations if you somehow associated the information with the slides or the scans so you have it handy for the next time.  I think you can understand that it's a little disheartening to spend time digging up answers only to see the same plea for help go up the next time as though nothing happened. 

Thanks, I'm not to good at looking up old info. I'm not to computer savvy. I should have done better on keeping past info. I'll see if I can do better.

Larry

I really enjoy these posts and everyone's location info. Threads like these are why I keep my subscription up. This is what it's all about to me.