7 (Los Angeles Railway)

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7
Postcard of Spring Street, c. 1904
Overview
Owner	Los Angeles Railway
Locale	Los Angeles
Termini	Spring and 2nd Street Athens Way and 116th Street
Stations	26
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Los Angeles Railway
Daily ridership	18,285 (1940)[1]
History
Opened	June 12, 1932 (1932-06-12)
Closed	May 22, 1955 (1955-05-22)
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	Overhead line, 600 V DC
Route map Legend  8  Spring and 2nd  9  Spring and 3rd Spring and 4th Spring and 5th Spring and 6th Spring and 7th  J   R   S  7th and Main  F  7th and Los Angeles 7th and Maple 7th and San Pedro  S  7th and Towne 7th and Gladys 7th and Central  J   R  Central and 8th Central and Olympic Central and 12th Central and 14th Central and 16th Central and Washington Central and 22nd Central and Adams Central and 28th Central and 32nd Central and Jefferson Central and 41st Central and 42nd Central and 43rd Central and Vernon  V  This diagram: view talk

7 was a streetcar line in Los Angeles, California. The service was operated by the Los Angeles Railway from 1932 to 1955. It ran from Spring and 2nd Streets to Athens and 116th Street, by way of Spring Street, Main Street, Broadway Place, Broadway, and Athens Way. During its Los Angeles Transit Lines days, around 1950 to 1955, Line 7 was rerouted (or detoured) off South Broadway to Central Avenue, at least as far north as 7th Street across Olympic Boulevard to possibly Vernon Avenue, covering trackage that was abandoned rail by line U, when that line was converted to trolley bus August 3, 1947.

7 was formed from the South Broadway branch of the M Grand and Moneta Avenue Line, and the Santa Fe Depot branch of the N West 9th Street and Santa Fe Depot Line. Service began on June 12, 1932. The route of the line was West 116th Street and Athens Avenue, north on Athens, South Broadway, South Broadway Place, Main and Spring Street to West 2nd Street, southeast on 2nd to Traction Avenue to E. 3rd Street, east on 3rd to Santa Fe Avenue, and north on Santa Fe to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway depot at East 2nd Street.^[2]

On November 11, 1934, the line rerouted and renamed the 7 South Broadway and Civic Center Line.^[2] This line ran from 116th Street and Athens Avenue,^[3] north on Athens, South Broadway, South Broadway Place, Main, and Spring Streets to Sunset Boulevard. Tracks to the Santa Fe Depot were transferred to the 9 Line.^[4] On September 12, 1948 terminus cut back to Temple and Spring Streets due to the building of the Hollywood Freeway. On May 5, 1955, the rail service was abandoned.

The public saw the automobile and the newly expanding freeway system in Southern California as the preferred and more convenient method of travel. Streetcar service on the line was discontinued May 22, 1955^[5] and the route was converted to bus operation.

• Walker, Jim (1977). The Yellow Cars of Los Angeles: a Roster of Streetcars of Los Angeles Railway and Successors from the 1890s to 1963. Interurbans. ISBN 9780916374259.
• "Rail Transportation Salutes Los Angeles 200". Pacific Railroad Society. 1981. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
• Swett, Ira L. (1962). "Los Angeles Railway's Pre-Huntington Cars, 1890-1902". Interurbans. ASIN B00162655A. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)

• 7 Line Archives — Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society
• Los Angeles Railway Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California
• Los Angeles Railway via the Southern California Railway Museum