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Monday, May 29, 2006

L.A. Street Archaeology



Kim at 1947 Project alerts us to the sudden appearance of long-hidden trolley rails and cobblestone pavement in her Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Kim writes in her blog:

It is more than two weeks now since the graders came and removed the surface layer of the asphalt on Avenue 20, between Albion and Broadway, then went away without finishing their work. For all that time, the NO PARKING signs have hung on the telephone poles, and the regular parade of shortcutting commuters have bounced along on their unhappy shocks, as the street beneath them grew more uneven and dilapidated.

After a week, a flash of red edged by corroded silver was visible on Avenue 20 just before Broadway. A careful peek between passing cars revealed a long-buried light rail track, with a row of handsome, narrow brick placed alongside it.

Kim did her homework, and found that the tracks were a part of the long-abandoned Yellow Trains of the Los Angeles Railway Company.

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