Venice Boulevard Line facts for kids

The Venice Boulevard Line was a special streetcar route in Los Angeles. It used to be called the West 16th Street Line. This line helped people travel between Downtown Los Angeles and a place called Vineyard Junction. From Vineyard, riders could switch to bigger trains called interurban cars.

This streetcar line was very important. Most other trains on the Venice Short Line did not pick up local passengers. This meant the Venice Boulevard Line was the main way to travel by streetcar along its route.

Where the Streetcar Ran

The Venice Boulevard Line started at a place called Vineyard Junction. From there, it traveled east along Venice Boulevard. This street used to be known as 16th Street. The streetcar then turned north onto Hill Street. It continued until it reached the Hill Street Station.

In the very beginning, some streetcars went a little further north. They went to 4th Street and ended at Broadway. Later on, the line was made longer. Streetcars then went west of Vineyard all the way to San Vicente and Genesee Street. Near Western Avenue, there were special tracks. These tracks let the faster interurban trains go around the local streetcars.

How the Line Started

Parts of the Venice Boulevard Line were built a long time ago. The Los Angeles Traction Company started building it in 1896. The line was finished the next year by the Pasadena and Pacific Electric Railway Company. It ran between Hill Street Station and Vineyard.

When it was first built, the tracks were a special size, about 42 inches wide. In 1908, the Los Angeles Pacific Railroad added another rail. This made the tracks able to be used by two different types of trains. One type was the original narrow-gauge trains. The other type was the new standard-gauge trains. These tracks were shared with the Los Angeles Railway. A short track was added downtown on Fourth Street. This helped the new standard-gauge cars turn around.

Changes Over Time

In 1911, many railway companies joined together in something called the Great Merger. At that time, most local trips on the Venice Boulevard Line were being made by the bigger interurban trains. Special streetcar trips just for local passengers started in September 1911.

The streetcars stopped going to 4th and Broadway in 1912. Instead, the Venice Boulevard Line was connected with the Echo Park Avenue Line. This meant streetcars could travel directly from one line to the other.

In May 1916, all the interurban trains became "exclusive." This meant they no longer picked up local passengers. So, the Venice Boulevard Local line became very important for people traveling short distances. It was similar to how the Watts Line worked for its area. On October 26, 1916, the line was separated from the Echo Park Line. It was then connected with the Hollywood Line instead. Around 1932, West 16th Street was officially renamed Venice Boulevard.

More changes happened in the 1930s. In 1932, streetcars running at night and on Sundays were connected to the Echo Park Line again. Between 1932 and 1935, streetcars during busy times were also connected to the Western and Franklin Avenue Line. Finally, in 1938, all Venice Boulevard Line streetcars were connected to the Hollywood Line.

The Line's Final Years

Starting in 1939, the interurban trains began taking over evening and Sunday trips. On July 7, 1940, two other lines, the Sawtelle Line and the Westgate Line, stopped running. Because of this, the Venice Boulevard Line was made longer. It used the old route of those lines to reach Genesee Street.

The Venice Short Line started picking up local passengers again in 1941. This continued until 1943, when it only did so at night and on Sundays.

On September 17, 1950, streetcar service on Sundays and evenings changed to buses. Trips between Vineyard and Genesee continued as a small shuttle service. Regular streetcar service ended two weeks later in October. The Venice Short Line's last trip to Vineyard fulfilled the final promise to operate on the route. The very last service ended on December 28, 1950.