The area around the Metro Gold Line shops was also known as the Midway, as it lie between the Lower End of Taylor "C" yard and the Bullring. The "old SP main" crossed the river where the Pasadena Freeway goes over today, and where Metrolink today crosses the LA River, on a two track bridge. This was the original SP route into LA, bypassed by the East Bank project, in the late 30's.

The great flood of '38 (date ?) washed out the original two main track bridge, and for fifty years this was a single track bridge connecting the yards. Always a kind of malfunction junction of conflicting movements after that, one official reportedly called this decision to replace it with a single track bridge (also functioning as a pretty poor yard lead for the low end jobs), the worst decision of his career. Taylor is now long gone, and Metrolink reused this route, with the old Downey Lead, replaced with today's new two track bridge, as the new route from LOSSAN North/Antelope Valley into LAUPT.

The Downey lead also cut off just south (RR east) of this bridge and cut into the ATSF Second District, which crossed the LA River on a through truss, where the Gold Line Bridge is today, under the North Spring Street Bridge. This route was used by transfer jobs connecting to Santa Fe at 1st Street and later to Hobart for interchange.

The action continued down to Main with the freight houses, the old station (which burned), and the street work down Alameda past Naud Junction. This was all part of the original SP Passenger and freight complex in LA from about 1870 to around 1910, or so when the passenger station moved down Alameda to 4th Street. So yes, Cab forwards, and Daylight 4400's both plied this section of Alameda Street, before LAUPT, on a daily basis. To be replaced in later years with 1100's used on the Rathole and City jobs.