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Re: West LA Train Station - Depot without tracks for 70 years
Author: Clark
Date: 10-17-2009 - 14:01
I lived on Waterford street in the 60's and 70's which borders the VA on the north. During this time I took many bike rides past the station and always pondered how it all worked. Through the years I've gathered that in the begining there was a horse car line, the "Santa Monica and Soldiers Home RR" from the subject station, west on Pershing to an alignment just east of current day Federal down to Santa Monica Blvd, where it turned west and headed to Santa Monica. Currently there is a building that was built later that blocks Pershing on the west, but was not there in the early days
When the "Pasadena and Pacific RR", later the LAP, built a line west from LA down Santa Monica Blvd they took over the tracks on Santa Monica Blvd, but not up to the Home. Several years later they used a portion of the line from Santa Monica Blvd up to San Vicente for the Westgate line through Brentwood.
This is not to be confused with the line that went from Home Jct up Sepulveda to a point west of the current location of the oil well. This line was built by the Southern Pacific, later the LAP, and appeared to be for the warehouses and steam generator plant. The original warehouses have been replaced by newer ones, but old photos seem to show the same steam generator. One source states that this line was used by excursions to the Cemetary which would have been due east of the balloon.
The attached link is a photo from 1928 and the building on the west end of Pershing has already been built, so the line to the west may have already been removed. Not apparent in the photo, or maps, is a steep hill between the station and the tracks that went up Sepulveda Blvd.
[digitallibrary.usc.edu]
The metal shed, build at the end of the branch after the freeway built over it, was about a quarter mile south of Wilshire blvd and saw ony occasional inbound traffic during the late 50's and 60's.
Naturally I never took a shot of the shed, or the station.
As most of this was not first hand knowledge, but recollections of others and internet searchs, corrections/additions are welcomed
When the "Pasadena and Pacific RR", later the LAP, built a line west from LA down Santa Monica Blvd they took over the tracks on Santa Monica Blvd, but not up to the Home. Several years later they used a portion of the line from Santa Monica Blvd up to San Vicente for the Westgate line through Brentwood.
This is not to be confused with the line that went from Home Jct up Sepulveda to a point west of the current location of the oil well. This line was built by the Southern Pacific, later the LAP, and appeared to be for the warehouses and steam generator plant. The original warehouses have been replaced by newer ones, but old photos seem to show the same steam generator. One source states that this line was used by excursions to the Cemetary which would have been due east of the balloon.
The attached link is a photo from 1928 and the building on the west end of Pershing has already been built, so the line to the west may have already been removed. Not apparent in the photo, or maps, is a steep hill between the station and the tracks that went up Sepulveda Blvd.
[digitallibrary.usc.edu]
The metal shed, build at the end of the branch after the freeway built over it, was about a quarter mile south of Wilshire blvd and saw ony occasional inbound traffic during the late 50's and 60's.
Naturally I never took a shot of the shed, or the station.
As most of this was not first hand knowledge, but recollections of others and internet searchs, corrections/additions are welcomed
