South Hollywood–Sherman Line

South Hollywood–Sherman
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Los Angeles
Termini	Hill Street Station West Hollywood
Stations	8
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Pacific Electric
Operator	Pacific Electric
Rolling stock	Steel 600 Class (last used)
Ridership	5,314,149 (last counting)
History
Opened	1896
Closed	May 31, 1953 (1953-05-31)
Technical
Line length	9.84 mi (15.84 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 600 V DC
Route map Venice via Hollywood West Hollywood Westbourne Drive La Cienega Boulevard Croft Avenue-Hacienda Park Kings Road Harper/Sweetzer Crescent Heights/Hayvenhurst Edinburgh/Laurel Hollywood Fairfax Avenue Genesee/Ogden Stanley Avenue Gardner Street Fuller Avenue Poinsettia Place La Brea Avenue Orange Drive Owensmouth / San Fernando Highland Avenue Las Palmas Avenue Seward Street Wilcox Avenue Cahuenga Boulevard Vine Street Gower Street Tamarind Avenue Van Ness Avenue Wilton Place Western and Franklin Western Avenue  S  Hobart Boulevard Normandie Avenue Edgemont Street Vermont Avenue Madison Avenue Melrose Cutoff Virgil Avenue  L  Hoover Street Hollywood Hollywood Junction-Sanborn Avenue Lucille Avenue Edgecliff Drive Maltman Avenue Micheltorena Street Westerly/Descanso Silver Lake Boulevard Benton Way-Lafayette Coronado Street Mohawk/Rosemont Avarado Street Bonnie Brae Street (Sunset Junction) Glendale–Burbank Park Avenue Echo Park Avenue Santa Ynez Street Bellevue Avenue Temple Street  A  Court-Council-La Veta/Colton Beverly & First Toluca Substation and Yard Hollywood Subway Edendale Subway Terminal Venice Short Line

The South Hollywood–Sherman Line was a suburban route of the Pacific Electric Railway. The line ran between Downtown Los Angeles and the suburb of Sherman (present-day West Hollywood). The line was named after Moses Sherman, who built the line and the Sherman street car yard on the line in West LA. The large 5.56-acre (2.25 ha) rail facility was on Santa Monica Boulevard just west of La Cienega Boulevard. The yard had a steam power house, a car barn and a shop building. (Pacific Electric would go on to move the yard works to 7th and Central in Los Angeles.)

History

Construction of the narrow-gauge Pasadena and Pacific Electric Railroad to Santa Monica via Colegrove began on June 11, 1895, with Eli P. Clark serving as contractor, using the roadbed of the old Elysian Park Street Railway and the Los Angeles and Pacific Railway. They negotiated an agreement with Los Angeles Railway to use that company’s track to enter the downtown area. Car shops and a rail yard were built midway between Los Angeles and Santa Monica, in an area they named Sherman. Santa Monica promoters Robert S. Baker and Senator John P. Jones provided 225 acres (91 ha) near the Soldier’s Home, and Sherman and Clark sold it to raise funds for construction. The property became part of Sawtelle. On April 1, 1896, the first car entered into Santa Monica, where its arrival was celebrated.

Pasadena and Pacific became part of the Los Angeles Pacific Railroad. Cars began service through the Hill Street Tunnel on September 15, 1909, providing for a faster trip into downtown.