The Red Car Trolley
Once upon a time, Los Angeles had the best public transportation in the country.
No, that's not a statement from Fantasyland. It was actual reality. Way back in the 1920s, the Southern California light rail system was one of the most extensive in the world, connecting Los Angeles to Orange County and what we today call the Inland Empire. At the heart of it all were the Red Cars, which shuttled folks around and about town.
The Red Cars ceased operation in 1961--victim of LA's emerging car culture, but at Disney California Adventure, they have been immortalized in the form of the Red Car Trolleys--two electric train cars that traverse Buena Vista Street and travel into Hollywood Land, stopping next to the Tower of Terror. The park's two cars, 623 and 717, pay homage to a lost relic of Los Angeles history. They're a fitting reminder of the nostalgic glamor of the L.A. of yesteryear, and certainly worth a hop-on for anyone looking for a slower, more relaxing venture through Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land.
No, that's not a statement from Fantasyland. It was actual reality. Way back in the 1920s, the Southern California light rail system was one of the most extensive in the world, connecting Los Angeles to Orange County and what we today call the Inland Empire. At the heart of it all were the Red Cars, which shuttled folks around and about town.
The Red Cars ceased operation in 1961--victim of LA's emerging car culture, but at Disney California Adventure, they have been immortalized in the form of the Red Car Trolleys--two electric train cars that traverse Buena Vista Street and travel into Hollywood Land, stopping next to the Tower of Terror. The park's two cars, 623 and 717, pay homage to a lost relic of Los Angeles history. They're a fitting reminder of the nostalgic glamor of the L.A. of yesteryear, and certainly worth a hop-on for anyone looking for a slower, more relaxing venture through Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land.
 |
| Red Car 623 at the Carthay Circle stop. |
It's like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, you can ride a genuine restored Red Car today down at the Orange Empire Railway Musem in Perris, CA. But I look forward to getting to DCA and riding Disney's version.
ReplyDelete