|
| Railroad
Gallery |
Here's some photos for you train fans, including a collection
of railroad radio related shots. The gallery is broken down into
three sections.
Please take a moment to check out our line of "TrainTenna"
Rail Band Radio Antennas. DPD Productions TrainTenna antennas
are designed specifically for the railroad radio band.
|
|
|
Remnants
of the SP "Rat Hole" |
|
What's "The
Rat Hole"? |
On the East side of downtown Los Angles, there once was an
area known to Southern Pacific RR crews as "The Rat Hole".
This area was a maze of tracks that led to dozens of door to
door businesses that the railroad served. To reach those businesses,
many tracks twisted and turned through the streets and alleys
of the area, and even right through some of the buildings themselves.
I've come to know this area very well over the last 20 years,
and in that time, I've watched the last remnants of this vast
railroad maze slowly fade away. Earthquakes and redevelopment
have done away with the majority of tracks and buildings, but
small hints still remain. The attempt to document this area
is probably at best, 10 years too late, but this will at least
give an idea of what the area use to be like in its heyday.
As you drive around and see all the little bits and pieces that
are left, it starts to make you realize how truly massive the
original system must have been. None of the tracks shown below
have had any rail service for a number of years to my knowledge,
and virtually all of them have been severed numerous times.
Unfortunately, not nearly enough documentation exists of what
these places originally looked like. I've referred to this area
as the "Rat Hole" as a whole, but in actuality, what
is now known as the Little Tokyo area, was really the proper
Rat Hole area. Other areas in these photos were also served
by Santa Fe Ry. and had other specific names, such as "Violet
Alley" and "The Patch".
You can see some of these exact same spots in the 80's on Greg
Loskorn's Photo Page.
NOTE... All of the photographs and other
content are ©2010 DPD Productions, and are meant to be
used as a reference only. They are NOT to be transferred to
any other public server, or used in any commercial way.
|
|
| Subject: 2nd Street
@ Alameda Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: Most buildings in this
area were once served by sidings, but virtually
all are gone now... except for one warehouse on
the SE corner. You can still see the siding in
place that came off the street running track down
Alameda St. |
|
|
|
| Subject: 2nd Street
@ Vignes Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This is an alley right-of-way
that ran North-South between numerous buildings,
crossing 2nd and 3rd Streets near Vignes St. |
|
|
|
| Subject: 2nd / 3rd
Street @ Santa Fe Avenue |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This track ran behind
the buildings that are on the West side of Santa
Fe Ave., between 2nd St. and 3rd St. |
|
|
|
| Subject: 4th Street
@ Merrick Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This track followed
along the North side of the 4th Street Bridge,
then continued on past this warehouse to other
businesses. |
|
|
|
| Subject: 7th Place
@ Santa Fe Avenue "Violet Alley" |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This lead ran N-S between
buildings along the East side of Santa Fe Ave.,
and was referred to as "Violet Alley".
There were no spurs, so crews changed out all
the cars for the businesses at the same time from
one end to the other, then swapped out the whole
string again the next time. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Alameda
Street @ 3rd Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This is one of the
many buildings served off the main street running
track that went down the middle of Alameda St. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Alameda
Street @ 4th Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: Just one section of
the long street running track on Alameda St. This
continued on like this for many blocks. This line
use to feed many other leads and track-side businesses. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Alameda
Street @ Bay Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This is a spur that
came off the Alameda St. track at Bay St., and
ran into this business on the NW corner. This
may have also originally been one of the entrance
tracks to the huge Southern Pacific warehouse
buildings. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Banning
Street @ Alameda Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This series of tracks
ran E-W between what use to be large factory complexes
on both sides of Banning St. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Banning
Street @ Center Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: The Banning St. tracks
went down to a single track here, where it crossed
Center St. The track then curves and appears to
have connected with the main lines along the river.
This may have been the entrance for the entire
spur that ran up Banning St. and into downtown. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Banning
Street @ Vignes Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This is the center
section of Banning St. tracks running E-W between
Alameda St. and Center St. There were a few street
switches here. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Bay Street
@ Santa Fe Avenue "Violet Alley" |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: Another section of
the "Violet Alley" lead. Check out the
covered car loading area in this building. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Industrial
Street @ Mill Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This area was once
dense with tracks. This photo shows a track that
ran South across Industrial St., then curved West
between two buildings. Other tracks crossed Mill
St. and ran behind buildings along the North side
of 7th St. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Jesse Street
@ Mateo Street (Old Wye Area) |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This was a complex
collection of plants at one time, including a
wye where numerous leads converged. There were
also numerous spurs. Both this and the above areas
were referred to as "The Patch" in the
old days. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Mateo Street
@ 4th Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This area had leads
that came off the river mains and ran on both
sides of the 4th St. Bridge. The large warehouse
was one of many buildings served. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Mesouit
Street @ Jesse Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: Looking North down
Mesouit St., you can see where it curves to the
right ahead and probably led to the mains along
the river. Going South this track may have lead
to the wye off Jesse Street and other leads. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Palmetto
Street @ Hewitt Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This is looking down
Palmetto St., past the Barker Bros. Warehouse.
There were a couple spurs to the buildings here. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Palmetto
Street @ Mateo Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: The lead on Palmetto
continues East behind the old Starkman Warehouse,
towards the river mains. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Sacramento
Street @ Santa Fe Avenue |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This is looking down
Sacramento St. just West of Santa Fe Ave., which
shows the street running track and a spur to a
business. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Old Southern
Pacific Warehouses @ 7th Street / Alameda Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: These shots show the
old Southern Pacific warehouses, one of which
has been partially painted pink. |
|
|
|
| Subject: Traction
Avenue @ Avery Street |
| Location: Downtown Los Angeles,
CA |
| Date: 6/19/2005 |
Notes: This little section
of track ran across Avery St., just North of Traction
Ave. Behind these buildings is the old Santa Fe
Warehouse, and where this track connected with
the lead that ran along the North side of the
4th Street Bridge. |
|
|
|
