LATL 9350

Built

1907
"Tower Car"
John Smatlak photo

In its heyday, the Los Angeles Railway had over 250 route-miles of track and overhead trolley wire. Special maintenance vehicles,  which did not carry passengers, were built were built to help service the sprawling system. This car was used to work on the overhead trolley wire; the apparatus on the roof is a movable platform, from which workers had easy access to the trolley wire. The platform, or “tower”, is raised and lowered manually by inserting a hand crank in one of the small ratchet wheels on either side of the car.

This long-lived car was built in 1907 in the LA Railway’s own shops and remained in service until the end of streetcar operations in 1963. The beautiful exterior paint job was completed in April 1995 by Museum volunteer Bill Wisneski, while the interior appears pretty much as it did during its final years of service in Los Angeles . The 9350 is used regularly for maintenance of the Museum’s overhead trolley wire.      

 

Additional Photos:

9350 and 3001 Dec08 sm.jpg (134539 bytes) 9350 on Loop sm2.jpg (117333 bytes) 9350 665 072608 sm.jpg (145049 bytes)
9350 on the Museum Railway. John Smatlak photos
LARy 9350 1st Vermont 0414444 JNS44054 001 sm.jpg (81699 bytes) LATL9350at1St+LosAngeles sm.jpg (158328 bytes) LARy 9350 working on line001 sm.jpg (72004 bytes)
9350 at work, 1st & Vermont, April 14, 1944. Jim Spencer photo, ERHA-SC Ray Younghans Collection at OERM. 1st and Los Angeles Streets. Bob McVay photo 9350 at work, ERHA-SC Ray Younghans Collection at OERM.

 

Los Angeles Railway page
 

Page Revised 1/8/09