Category Archives: Transportation

May 4-6, 1907: Barney Oldfield’s Green Dragon Blazes Through Los Angeles

Posted on May 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. What is it about Angelenos that as soon as you put them behind the wheel of a car, they want to see how fast it will go? But it’s true. Great-grandpa was, … Continue reading →

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In Which a Ghostly Visitor Returns

Posted on March 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This post and the next were the finales of my crawl through 1907. Keep on reading because we will circle around with posts from 2006. March 15, 2007 Los Angeles “Well, dear boy, I suppose you thought you were … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Late-Night Streetcar Service Captures the Heartbeat of the City

Posted on March 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Feb. 27, 1947: I missed this ad for Los Angeles Transit Lines in my previous pass through the Sentinel and I just had to run it. Militant Angeleno: This is for you!

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Feb. 11, 1907: Woman Fractures Skull Leaping From Streetcar That Passed Her Stop

Posted on February 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 11, 1907 Los Angeles   The Eastside gets a new Baptist Church and 2nd Street and St. Louis. Like Tom and Huck A large pond 7 feet deep at Normandie and … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Black Passenger Sues Greyhound After Driver Has Her Arrested for Not Giving Up Seat

Posted on February 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

  At left, a three-unit property at 3509 5th Ave., listed for sale in 1947 at $17,500. Above, the property sold for $600,000 in 2016, according to Zillow. Feb. 6, 1947: The Sentinel reports on a lawsuit filed by Alpha … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Black, Jewish Protesters Picket Disney’s ‘Song of the South’ at RKO Hillstreet

Posted on February 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Above, the “trackless trolley,” which was powered by overhead cables but used tires rather than running on rails, is coming to Central Avenue. The trackless trolleys solved streetcars’ problems of maneuverability (passengers could board and disembark at the curb rather … Continue reading →

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Centennial Ramblings

Posted on February 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 5, 2007 Sierra Madre Because it’s celebrating its centennial this month, I paid a visit to Sierra Madre and while savoring a cinnamon dolce latte at the local Starbucks, watched the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Donald Wolfe, LAPD, Photography, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged | 2 Comments

Feb. 3, 1907: LAPD Officer Kills Homeless Man Who Shot Partner

Posted on February 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007. Feb. 3, 1907 Los Angeles About 1 a.m. on a dark corner at East Adams and South San Pedro, the hard, shabby life of William Ross ended when he said, “What … Continue reading →

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Jan. 16, 1947: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Driver’s License Revoked!

Posted on January 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. I never cease to be amazed at the placement of this story on Page 1 of The Times. While the major competing newspapers—the Examiner, Herald-Express and Daily News—are … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Floods

Posted on January 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 9-10, 1907 The worst storm in 23 years blew across Southern California with the force of a gale, dumping more than an inch of rain in Pasadena, killing an Orange County … Continue reading →

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Jan. 3, 1947: Actress Helen Walker Hurt in Crash That Kills Soldier, Injures 2 Others

Posted on January 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Yes, this is the Jan. 2, 1947, comics page, which pops up for Jan. 3, 1947. Note: This is a post that I wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. This is one of those days where there’s too much to … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood’s ‘Five-Finger Plan’ Aids Traffic in the 1920s-30s

Posted on July 17, 2017 by lmharnisch

  A postcard of the Cahuenga Pass showing the cross erected in 1923 in memory of Christine Witherill Stevenson, one of the prime movers in establishing the Hollywood Bowl. Listed on EBay for $6.50. Throughout the history of Los Angeles, … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mulholland Skyline Drive – The World’s Most Wonderful Highway

Posted on April 11, 2016 by lmharnisch

A postcard showing Mulholland Drive is listed on EBay with bids starting at 99 cents. Spanning 21 miles from Hollywood to Calabasas, Mulholland Drive provides a dramatic dividing line between Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, providing both residents … Continue reading →

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Rediscovering Los Angeles: Why Are L.A. Streets So Narrow?

Posted on February 11, 2016 by lmharnisch

Nov. 14, 1924: This is the second of two articles I have from the Los Angeles Examiner titled “Rediscovering Los Angeles.” Notice that even in 1924 people were complaining about traffic and congested streets. Reporter W.W. Kane notes:

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L.A.’s Transportation Past Found in Broadway Excavation

Posted on October 5, 2015 by lmharnisch

  This work site at Broadway and 2nd Street is fenced off, but a gate was left open Friday long enough for me to snap a picture. The ongoing excavation  for the Metro station has revealed railroad ties apparently set … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, Downtown, Transportation | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Posted on December 18, 2014 by lmharnisch

So far, most of the retro gift suggestions have been books. But what if your significant other isn’t much of a reader? Well, then, how about this 1964 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible owned by Charles Bronson? It’s listed at $34,500 … Continue reading →

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Helpful Holiday Gift Suggestions From the L.A. Daily Mirror (Updated)

Posted on November 24, 2014 by lmharnisch

Fatty Arbuckle’s 1919 Pierce Arrow, via Hemmings Motor News. As the countdown to the holidays begins, the L.A. Daily Mirror will offer occasional gift suggestions. Here’s an item that is sure to surprise your favorite car buff or vintage film … Continue reading →

Posted in 1919, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

‘Three on a Match’ — Ann Dvorak’s Duesenberg

Posted on September 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

I finally saw “Three on a Match,” which was on TCM yesterday. And I’m crazy about Ann Dvorak’s Duesenberg town car. What a set of wheels. In this shot, Joan Blondell and Bette Davis are drooling over it.

Posted in 1932, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Union Station Opens in Los Angeles, May 1939

Posted on May 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

June 29, 1938: Nuestro Pueblo, by artist Charles Owens and writer Joe Seewerker,  depicts the construction of Union Station. Here are some posts that I wrote years ago, including several when Union Station turned 70. — Grand Design for Los … Continue reading →

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Thank You for Your Patience During Our Technical Unpleasantness (Updated)

Posted on January 16, 2014 by lmharnisch

“System Disk Not Found.” Two Baltimore and Ohio freight trains in a head-on crash, Laurel, Md., July 31, 1922. Via Shorpy. What started out as an annoying but (seemingly) manageable technical problem with the ancient ENIAC in the L.A. Daily … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Tagged , , | 5 Comments