Directors re-elect Neusom, Richter The RTD Board of Directors has vice-president. A director since voted to re-elect board officers 1976, she has long been active in Thomas Neusom and Ruth Richter civic affairs, especially in the area as president and vice-president, of public transportation. She was a respectively, for the coming year. charter member and first chair- Neusöm, the senior member of man of Mayor Bradley's Valley the District's 11-member gov- Transportation Advisory Commit- erning body, has served as a di- tee. rector since his appointment by In nominating Neusom and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn in 1969. This will Richter for re-election, Director be Neusom's third term as the Marvin Holen described the pair Board's president, having held the as "very well qualified" to direct the Board during the uncertain pe- post in 1974, as well. An attorney who is a member of riod ahead, and he praised their the bar in both Michigan and Cali- efforts at developing good rela- fornia, Neusom has been active in tionships between the Board and many professional, civic and phil- the Board of Supervisors, City Hall anthropic activities. He is a former and legislators in Sacramento and member of the county's Assess- Washington. ement Appeals Board and has par- Following the vote, Neusom tici pated in activities in the said,"We face a challenging year N.A.A.C.P. ahead and we must make every Richter, one of two appointees effort to pursue the programs we of Los Angeles City Mayor Tom have elected to implement. We Bradley, is beginning her third pledge our best efforts to attain Board officers Thomas Neusom and Ruth Richter take the oath. consecutive term as the Board's these goals."
Southern California Rapid Transit District
RTD MIM» lEADIAblän
Volume 8, Number 4 April 1981 • Foreman garners Operator of the Year award Robert L. Foreman, who works being named Operator of the commendations from his passen- Los Angeles home with his wife of out of Division 5 in South Central Month, Bob Foreman has many gers. 14 years, Sandra, and their young Los Angeles, has been selected runs, but no hits and no errors. Foreman credits much of his daughter, Bridgette. as the Operator of the Year for Foreman has never been ab- success at operating a bus to the For relaxation, Robert says he 1980. Acting General Manager sent from work, never been in an fact that he enjoys transporting enjoys tinkering with automobiles Richard Powers made the surprise accident and never even been people and rarely encounters any and, to really get away from it all, announcement at a special Trans- late in all that time. On nurnerous problems with them. likes to go fishing or hunting in the portation Department luncheon an occasions, when there has been When Foreman is not promoting great outdoors. March 31 at the New Otani Hotel. extra work, Foreman readily volun- a warm, family feeling an his Line Another insight into how Fore- To win the honor, Foreman had teers. He adheres to rules, drives 832 run along Manchester Boule- man is able to handle the pres- to overcome some pretty tough safely and has received numerous vard, he can be found at his West sures of the workaday world is competition. offered by his Division Transporta- First of all, he had to be nomi- tion Manager, Ben Lynum. nated and then chosen as an Op- "Bob is always cooperative and erator of the Month, which he was pleasant with his co-workers, and in November, 1980. Then he had he simply maintains this positive to be selected by a special com- and cheerful attitude when operat- mittee from among the 11 other ing his bus," Lynum explains. Operators of the Month, all of Foreman is only the second Dis- whom were candidates for the Op- trict Operator to be so honord. Last erator of the Year recognition. year, Division 15's Marie Thomp- All 12 candidates were feted at son garnered the first Operator of the luncheon along with their divi- the Year award. sion managers, Transportation As Operator of the Year, Fore- Department staff, and RTD and man will receive a special com- union officials. memorative plaque in addition to a According to Senior Staff Assist- unique shoulder patch which pro- ant Pat Coble, the Operator of the claims hirn Operator of the Year Year selection committee for 1980. He also gets a bonus of consisted of Manager of Employ- $250. ee Relations John Wilkens, Trans- As for the 11 runners-up, each portation Superintendents Jack will receive two free tickets to a Greasby and Wesley McCarns, Recreation Department event of Operations Analyst Allan Styffe their choosing. and Coble. Operators of the Month honored In making the selection, Coble at the luncheon included: Lonnie said the committee considered Anders of Division 2 (January), each candidate's record for 1980 Nicholas Tummolo of Division 15 first, and then looked into previous (February), Stanley Paris of Divi- year's records as a tiebreaking sion 6 (March), Manuel Diaz of Di- method. vision 18 (April), Joseph Pistone of "lt was a tough decision," Coble Division 8 (May), and Jack Lyd- confessed. "All of the candidates diard of Division 9 (Jupe). were very deserving." Others were: Early Gentry of Di- Foreman, who came to work for vision 7 (July), Felix Rubio of Divi- the District in October of 1969, has sion 2 (August), Robert Phillips of maintained an unblemished re- Division 12 (September), Leon fp) 2.-44 Harrison of Division 2 (October) cord throughout that time. As they "f \ said in the TV Guide advertise- and Robert Conkling of Division 3 ment which ran at the time of his Robert L. Foreman (December).
Page 2 Headway Part-timer proves to be a lifesaver
The use of part-time bus opera- tors has proven very beneficial for Up in the air the District, but nobody appreci- Whether District fares will go up ates the District's part-timers more or down this July 1 is still up in the than the young mother whose six- air as clear resolution of Proposi- month-old baby is alive today be- tion A's constitutionality remains to cause of the quick thinking and be seen. In the wake of State At- skill of one of the District's newest torney General George Deukme- employees. jian's ruling that the 1/2-cent in- Sheila Ridley, 28, had been crease in the state sales tax in L.A. driving a bus for RTD less than County violated the tenants of four months on that morning in Proposition 13, the state Board of mid-February when a panic- Equalization agreed to set in stricken young woman pushed her motion the machinery to imple- way through the standing room ment collection of the tax begin- only rush-hour crowd aboard the ning July 1. The board's action bus to seek help from the opera- was expected to prompt a lawsuit, tor. which would ultimately test the va- Her baby had stopped breath- ing. • lidity of Deukmejian's ruling. Sheila Ridley The attorney general held that Immediately Ridley pulled the Prop. A, under the guidelines es- Line 105 bus to the curb along La using the CPR techniques she had For the smooth and efficient tablished by Proposition 13, re- Cienega Boulevard in West Holly- learned while studying to be a handling of the emergency, Rid- quired a two-thirds majority of the wood and took the motionless in- nurse prior to joining the District. ley, who is assigned to Division 5 voters to pass, as opposed to the fant from its mother to begin car- "The baby regained conscious- in South Central Los Angeles, was 54 per cent Prop. A received at diopulmonary resuscitation. Be- ness once and was breathing on awarded a special commendation the polls last November. tween life-giving breaths she its own, but then it went under from the RTD Board of Directors. The Los Angeles County Trans- asked one of the passengers to go again and I started CPR once In making the presentation to portation Commission, which to a nearby telephone and call the more," recalled Ridley after the in- Ridley, Board President Thomas sponsored the tax measure and is fire department. cident. She added that the para- Neusom said, "Due to your han- eager to have the legal question For the 10 minutes it took medics were able to restore the dling of this emergency, a young resolved, has maintained that it is paramedics to arrive at the scene, child's breathing before it was baby is still alive today. You are a state-created agency exempt Ridley kept the baby breathing transported to the hospital. truly a credit to this District." from Proposition 13. The commis- sion also has argued that the 1/2-cent transit tax is for new and improved transit services and Collecting tickets, transfers is his hobby does not replace any property tax revenue lost as a result of Proposi- Someone once observed that priceless, irreplaceable facet of Railway, the Los Angeles Railway tion 13. you could make a fortune if you some transit historian's collection. and the Metropolitan Transit Au- could determine the exact mo- It's happened before. There are thority. DPM Blues ... ment when a piece of junk be- dozens of employees with the Dis- In addition, he has an extensive Under the heading "And you comes a collector's item. trict today who have extensive col- collection of photographs, most think we got problems . .," more It's hard to imagine that the lections of the paraphernalia from taken by himself, of the old Red than $111 million which was ear- items we deal with everyday at a bygone era of public transit. Cars at various locales around Southern California. --- marked for the construction of the RTD might someday be worth Mike Jenkins is one of them. 2.9-mile elevated Downtown Peo- hundreds of thousands of dollars Born and raised in the Los An- ple Mover system has been cut or be considered collector's items, An extra board operator at Divi- geles area, Jenkins says he first from the Department of Transpor- but they just might. The tickets, sion 12 in Long Beach, Jenkins became interested in th Pacific tation's original budget in the passes, transfers schedules, time- has a wide-ranging collection of Electric system at the age of 10 wake of President Reagan's belt tables and brochures which the transfers, brochures, passes and and has been crazy about transit tightening measures. District sells or gives away in the timetables from such RTD prede- ever since. In announcing the cuts, Secre- thousands could eventually be a cessors as the Pacific Electric lt might seem a natural move for tary of Transportation Drew Lewis him to have become a streetcar made it clear that the Reagan Ad- operator, but he opted for another ministration has no plans to pro- form of transportation instead. The vide money for the Los Angeles 42-year-old Jenkins drove a truck people mover project. for 20 years before joining the Dis- However, the door has not been trict 18 months ago. entirely closed on the Downtown "As a boy I rode the P.E. lines People Mover Authority, the and became fascinated with all branch of the Community Rede- the different tickets, transfers and velopment Agency coordinating timetables. My parents encour- the DPM project. DOT still has aged me to collect them, saying some $200 millin in discretionary they might be worth something funds that Los Angeles can com- someday," recalls Jenkins, who pete for, and, as a representative refers to the track-and-wheel era of the authority pointed out, the as the "glorious days of Los Ange- budget cuts must still be ap- les rapid transit." proved by Congress, where the To assist him in expanding and real battle will be waged. displaying his collection, Jenkins joined the Orange Empire Railway Passport . . Museum in Perris, California back With Los Angeles celebrating its in 1969. By attending swapmeets 200th bithday, more and more vis- and rail festivals at the museum, itors are coming here to see its he has added to his collection world-famous attractions. More until, today, it represents an evolu- and more of them are taking ad- tion of the agencies which eventu- vantage of the District's $1 per ally evolved into the RTD. day Tourist Pass, too. The photographs he took — his A visitor need only show proof of father taught him to use a camera residence outside the Los Ange- — some of which are now more les area to purchase the pass, than 30 years old, show Southern which provides unlimited use of California scenes that are almost the District's more than 200 bus unrecognizable because they lines to such sites as Disneyland, have changed so much. In addi- Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the tion, he has picked up old lan- beaches. terns, switching lights and car The Tourist Pass program has lamps, some dating back to 1910, proven so successful that the Mar- which once adorned the old street keting Department now reports cars and trolleys. the passes are being sold in Like other collectors who cher- England, Malaysia, Canada and ish the memorabilia they have New Zealand, in addition to being managed to save from a bygone promoted by travel agents and era, Jenkins cannot put a value on tour counselors. Last August his collection. alone, more than 37,000 of the "Most of it is simply irreplacea- passes were sold. Mike Jenkins ble," he says.
Headway Page 3 Out of service Some 150 of the District's 230 Grum- man-Flxible 870 model buses sit idle in a storage yard in Pico Rivera, awaiting a new repair plan being designed by Grum- man officials. Like other transit operators nationwide, RTD pulled all of its 870s out of service when structural defects devel- oped in the A-frame under the bus. The ve- hicles have been sidelined since Decem- ber 13. Initially, repairs to the A-frame cracks were to begin at RTD's Riverside terminal, where the other 80 buses are stored, but were halted after questions were raised concerning the effectiveness of the repair procedure. In addition, a new problem was discovered. Cracks were found in the buses' trunnion, a socket which holds the A-frame and is located slightly forward of the rear axle. Grumman officials determined that the trunnion cracks could cause the bus to drop onto (*the rear axle, making the wheels wobble and causing the Operator to lose control of the vehicle. According to Manager of Operations Sam Black, GFC engineers have devised a repair plan designed to rectify all the problems. Implementation of the plan was to begin in late March at a Grumman plant in Carson. Once up to speed, Black said about four buses a day could be repaired. 2,900 to get pins as award program expands lt you are an avid reader of One major new aspect of the ation Department staff. The new service pin sports the Headway, you may notice some- program this year has been the "We will be presenting more distinctive new RTD service mark thing missing from this issue. April lowering of the eligibility period to than 2,900 service pins to employ- within a triangular border, giving it has traditionally been the time of five years of service. Previously, ees this year," Sconce says, "and the look of a tiny bus stop sign. In year when the Annual Service the presentation of service pins more than 2,400 of those will go to addition, years of service are em- Awards presentation is held and was done at five-year intervals be- employees with less than 10 years bossed at the top. covered, with group photos of the ginning with the employee's tenth of service." award recipients. year of service, Sconce explains. Due to the overwhelming num- If you are eligible to receive one However, this year the Service From now on, the service pins ber of employees scheduled to re- of the awards, you should have re- Award program has been given will be presented beginning with ceive the awards, Sconce says ceived a congratulatory letter in a major overhaul with newly- five years of service and in five- members of her department will the mail. The cutoff date for calcu- designed pins being presented to year increments thereafter. visit the various divisions and work lating years of service is Decem- a greater number of employees Trying to catch up with all those locations to distribute the pins, ber 31. than ever before, according to employees who currently have be- rather than trying to get everyone If you believe you are eligible for 11.1 Betty Sconce, temporary employ- tween five and ten years of service to come to District headquarters. a service pin this year, but have ee activities coordinator. with the District, and thus are eligi- The pins are expected to be re- not received a letter notifying you As a result, the presentations ble for the new five year Service ceived from the manufacturer in of the award, please contact the have been rescheduled for the Award, presented quite a chal- mid-May and distribution is tenta- Recreation Department at month of June. lenge to the three-member Recre- tively slated to begin in June. 972-6580. Rapid Transit learning from the experience of others For the past several months, Angeles Department of Transpor- trict owns and was considering for because, as the funding arm of members of the SCRTD Metro Rail tation. use for the yard and shops should the U.S. Department of Transpor- staff have brought to Los Angeles not be used. They said it was not tation, they find Peer Review some of the top rail transit experts Richard Gallagher, manager !arge enough and would require Boards an excellent method of from other properties throughout and chief engineer for the SCRTD extra train switching movements assuring that a rail rapid transit the nation. Metro Rail Project, said the peer that would have cost the District system will be designed and con- The basic idea is to try and keep review process already has pro- more to operate the system than it structed in the most cost-effective from having to reinvent the wheel, vided the District with valuable in- should have." manner. to learn from the experiences of formation. these other Operators and the Gallagher added that the extra "The Operations Peer Review "These meetings illustrate the process is known as a Peer Re- cost of a !arger site would, over Board inspected the potential the years, be offset by the lower importance of detailed design for view Board. sites for the central train yard and The peer review system was de- operating costs. the safety, comfort, reliability and maintenance shops," he said. efficiency of the rail transit service vised by RTD and the federal gov- "They were quickly able to con- UMTA representatives partici- to be provided the people of Los ernment's Urban Mass Transpor- vince us that a site which the Dis- pate in all of the board sessions Angeles," Gallagher said. tation Administration (UMTA), which is funding 80 per cent of the cost of the 18-mile subway project 0) now in preliminary engineering. 41 To date, five Peer Review Boards have met on a variety of topics and three more are planned, according to Don Gard- ner, senior engineer in Rapid Transit. The meetings are two, all-day sessions, with each board formed to examine a major technical area involved in the proper design of rapid transit system. Peer Review Boards have been or will be formed to assist the District in the areas of power supply systems, rapid transit vehicle selection, communications, safety, security and other areas of vital concern to the District. Representatives of UMTA par- ticipate in the meetings with the Metro Rail Project staff and repre- sentatives of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commis- sion, Caltrans and the City of Los RTD's Russ McFarland (at head of table) conducts review board on power systems.
Page 4 Headway
What is 18 miles long, stretches from L.A. to the sea, needs up to 85 buses, carries more than 65,000 people a day and is the busiest bus line in Southern California?
It's hard to imagine a time when Wilshire Boulevard wasn't a con- crete ribbon with bumper-to- bumper traffic stretching between RTD's Line 83 downtown Los Angeles and the (No longer a mudhole, Wilshire's Ross remained so enthusiastic blue Pacific, running through lot is bordered by today's Park- about his Wilshire Boulevard Cen- some of the most expensive com- view and Benton Way Streets be- ter that he prompted a comment mercial real estate in the world. tween 6th and 7th, just west of from a friend, "From the way you Without a doubt, Wilshire is one MacArthur Park.) By the mid- talk, A.W., one would think this is of the most heavily traveled Boule- 1920's others were beginning to really a miracle mile." A.W.liked vards in the United States. Ap- take notice of Wilshire and his plan the name, and kept it. proximately 800 businesses lining for a grand boulevard in Los An- the boulevard attract tens of thou- Still, why was it Wilshire that got geles. the attention,zinstead of Olympic, sands of customers each day. lts One of those was realtor A. W. highrise office buildings draw in Third or Washington? The answer Ross, founder and developer of to that question is tradition, with a thousands of commuting employ- what is known today as the Mira- ees. little help from forward-thinking cle Mile. real estate moguls like Ross and The last time City traffic engi- As the story goes, Ross took a neers checked, there were more Wilshire. look at a map of Los Angeles The path that Wilshire weaves than 94,000 vehicles flowing County and pondered how far a through the intersection of Wilshire from what is now downtown Los shopper would be likely to travel Angeles west to the Pacific Ocean Boulevard and Veteran Avenue in for his goods and services. Four Westwood in one day, making it has been a pathway for at least miles, Ross decided. Based on 100,000 years. the busiest intersection in Los An- that hunch, he drew a circle four geles. It's a well-known fact that Wil- miles in radius that included prom- shire passes over an enormous So, it's not surprising that the inent communities like Westlake, busiest bus line in Southern Cali- animal trap called the La Brea Tar Wilshire, Hollywood and Beverly Pits. Inside this trap are the skele- fornia is the one which serves Hills. In the middle of the circle he Wilshire Boulevard, RTD's Line 83. tons of bison, prehistoric horses, placed a dot, and dubbed it the sloths, camels, lions, wolves and Approximately 85 buses travel Wilshire Boulevard Center, future the 18-mile route during peak peri- saber-toothed tigers which once site, he hoped, of a great commer- roamed the region in search of ods, offering service every 31/2 mi- cial center. nutes. The buses operate out of water. They found it all right, in the lt was a fine idea, with one ex- asphalt lake that eventually cap- three divisions — 2, 6 and 7 — ception. All of Wilshire Boulevard and it requires 130 separate oper- tured them in its sticky, bottomless at the time was zoned for resi- pit and held them captive for other ator assignments to cover the line. dences. Ross fought the battle for The daily passenger load on prey. rezoning, as did other prominent Later, when Indians populated Line 83 averages more than businessmen of the time. The 65,000, more than transit proper- the plain with villages, the future president of the Wilshire Boule- Wilshire was a footpath for intervil- ties such as Tucson, Arizona or vard Association argued in a Los Syracuse, New York carry on their lage trade. When Don Gaspar de Angeles Times commentary of Portola and Father Junipero Ser- entire system in a day. In fact, Line April 26, 1926: 83 carries just under half the peo- ra made their historic journey ple on its 18-mile route that San "Wilshire Boulevard is destined through California to set up a Francisco's BART system carries to be the Fifth Avenue of the chain of missions, they spent at on its entire 74-mile system each West; it is already a famous least two nights camping and day. street and is known wherever walking along what is today Wil- By the end of this year, 22 mil- Los Angeles is known . . . if shire Boulevard. lion people will have ridden Line zoned for business, property on In the early 1800's ranchos were 83 buses. Unfortunately, during Wilshire Boulevard will eventual- the economy of the day. What is ly be the most valuable property now UCLA and Westwood was rush hours, many of them will be in the whole United States." standing. District officials have Rancho San Jose de Buenos added high capacity articulated He was arguing for passage of Aires; Beverly Hills was Rancho buses, which carry 80 seated pas- Proposition 3 allowing commercial Rodeo de las Aguas, and the Mir- sengers and another 20 to 30 zoning on the street. The argu- acle Mile was Rancho La Brea. standing. But even these bend-in- ment failed before the voters, Besides driving their cattle along the-middle vehicles can't meet the failed in the California courts, and the future boulevard, brea, the demand on Wilshire, according to failed its appeal to the Supreme Spanish word for tar, was hauled RTD planners. Court. from the brea pits to Pueblo de District engineers are in prelimi- But Ross was undaunted, and Los Angeles (now downtown Los nary engineering for a subway that pioneered the notion of "spot Angeles) for roofing the adobe will someday travel under Wilshire zoning" in which an individual par- huts of the time. from downtown to Fairfax Avenue. cel is brought before the city A severe drought in the late But, even if you go back, back planning commission for approv- 1800's doomed the barley farming before the bumper-to-bumper al. Since he owned all the frontage and sheep and cattle ranches. cars and crush-loaded buses along the Miracle Mile, he was Lots along the future Wilshire Bou- inching their way to the sea,you'li able to pick and choose his busi- levard were sold for $2.50 each to find Wilshire Boulevard was des- nesses, and got them all ap- pay for taxes; years later they tined to be both a transit planner's proved. would be sold for millions. dream and his dilemma. In 1924, Gaylord Wilshire, the man who gave Wilshire Boulevard his name, published this ad for his real estate business: "I laid out the first 1,200 feet of the present boulevard running west from Westlake Park and named it Wilshire after my- self ... That it was destined to be the best part of Los Angeles was just as obvious to me then (1896) as it is to everybody now in 1924."
By the mid-1920's, Los Angeles was in the midst of its second real estate/population boom, and Wilshire Boulevard was part of it. The first boom hit in the 1880's and prompted socialist-millionaire Wilshire to spend $52,000 on a 35-acre mudhole with 1,200 feet fronting on Wilshire Boulevard.
Headway Page 5
Transit Lines, the agency that suc- ceeded the Los Angeles Railway. Pacific Electric kept Line 82 to op- erate the route, but in a business agreement with Los Angeles Rail- way, agreed not to pick up any local traffic east of Fairfax Avenue. In 1954 this route was linked with Sunset Boulevard and called Line 83. In 1959 the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) recom- bined all service along Wilshire, By the early 1900's, Wilshire ish rewards for those who sold was the favorite pathway for Sunset and Temple St. Then, in subscriptions to his magazine. 1964, the MTA split the route into motoring or taking public transit The rewards were out of propor- Line 83 serving just Wilshire Bou- from Los Angeles to Santa Monica tion to the price of a subscription levard. Everything else became for a day at the beach. The first which was 50 cents. Wilshire gave Line 42. gas station along Wilshire was away trips around the world, cars, Today's Line 83 has a route that probably the tank that Earl B. bicycles, pianos, and even a 10- spurs off into Brentwood. This Gilmore hauled out on a farm acre peach ranch in Ontario to spur dates back to 1908, when it wagon to the intersection of Wil- someone who sold 300 subscrip- shire and La Brea in 1901 to seil tions. was built by the Los Angeles Pa- five-gallon bucketfuls of gasoline cific, then converted to standard At any rate, people knew who guage in 1908. lt was a branch of for 50 cents each. Today, more Wilshire was, and they soon heard a rail line until 1940, when rail was than 100 gas stations dot the about his boulevard. Land began abandoned. Los Angeles Motor 16-mile stretch between the city to seil, and by 1929, headlines and the sea. Coach Co. adopted it as part of its in the Los Angeles Times pro- Line 82 in 1941. In 1943 it was At the turn of the century, Los claimed "Wilshire Paces Growth of transferred back to Pacific Electric Angeles was absorbing newcom- City; Boulevard Enters an Year of and became a part of their Santa ers at the rate of 100,000 a year. Promising Expansion." The good news of California's sun- Monica via Beverly Hills line. In Statistics an building starts teil 1957 it was switched back to the shine, is speculative land values their own story. In 1919, building Wilshire Line for the last time. and its juicy citrus crop made it starts along Wilshire were valued Interestingly enough, service seem like heaven an earth. at $28 million. They leaped to $60 levels an Wilshire have been very million in 1920, $121 million in The Santa Fe and Southern Pa- consistent, dating back to the 1922 and $200 million in 1923. In cific both had routes to Los Ange- oldest available schedule of 1931, 1929 the value of the boulvard les. To compete for passengers, when the Los Angeles Motor Southern Pacific dropped its fares from Westlake to the sea was set Coach offered service every ten at $270 million. from Kansas City to Los Angeles minutes to Beverly Hills and every from $100 to $95, $75, $45, $25 Keeping pace with commercial 20 minutes to UCLA. In 1936, development along Wilshire, the and, an one day, to $1. Chilled service levels improved to every Los Angeles Railway established midwesterners poured into the city seven minutes to Beverly Hills, but the first public transportation an in search of sunshine and quick dropped to every 22 minutes to the street in 1923. Service be- fortune. UCLA and Santa Monica. By tween downtown Los Angeles and 1970, service levels to Wilshire La Brea Avenue was provided by lt was about this time that Gay- and Westwood were every six mi- buses, called motor coaches. In lord Wilshire struck an his notion of nutes, and every 12 minutes to 1925 the line was extended to turning the disconnected pathway UCLA and Santa Monica. of Wilshire into a grand boulevard Fairfax Avenue. Meanwhile, the Pacific Electric The capacity of the vehicles linking the city and the sea. serving Wilshire Boulevard also Railway, famous for its P.E. Red Wilshire also published a maga- changed. The 1925 Fageol Coach Cars, also operated a bus line an zine called Wilshire's Magazine. owned and operated by the Los Because of his own personal for- Wilshire from Fairfax Avenue out angeles Railway and costing Wilshire Boulevard to Canon tune, he was able to offer outland- $8,000 carried only 29 passen- Drive, north through Beverly Hills gers. to Sunset, then east to Gardner Street. The Los Angeles Motor Coach In 1928 the Los Angeles Rail- Company used yellow Double way and the Pacific Electric Rail- Deck coaches an Wilshire Boule- way formed a joint agency to pro- vard. They were purchased in vide connections between their 1926 for $11,200, and carried 63 service areas. The Los Angeles passengers. Railway was operating from down- Today's 40-foot buses carry 50 town, to west Los Angeles while passengers and cost more than the Pacific Electric Railway was $100,000 each. The articulated providing service from Los Ange- bus carries more than 80 pas- les to Hollywood. sengers and costs more than The new agency, called the Los $250,000 per bus. The RTD oper- Angeles Motor Coach Company, ates 30 of them. Together, these took over the entire Wilshire route coaches provide 3 1/2 minute serv- and extended it to Santa Monica ice along the 18-mile route. The Boulevard. The line was extended line carries 22 million people a into the City of Santa Monica in year, costs 32 cents a mile to op- 1932, and was finally given a num- erate, and nets 20 cents per mile ber in 1934. But it wasn't Line 83, it in revenue, requiring a 12-cent- was Line 82. per-mile subsidy. According to a December 16, If a subway is in Wilshire's fu- 1935 report from the Railroad ture, it wouldn't surprise its found- Commission of the State of Califor- er, Gaylord Wilshire. He was prob- nia: ably in an the 1907 discussions lt begins at the Maple Avenue Lot near when the Los Angeles Pacific Rail- the RTD bus terminal in downtown Los An- "lt will be noted that the Wilshire road, a predecessor to the Pacific geles (top) and wends its way 18 miles to Boulevard line is the outstanding Electric, suggested a subway end under the benevolent gaze of a statue line in all respects, considering route from downtown to the Wil- of Santa Monica on the shore of the Pacific gross revenue, mileage operated, shire District following a route Ocean. lt travels the length of world- net income and gross revenue about two blocks north of the fu- famous Wilshire Boulevard, from the con- and operating income per coach ture boulevard. crete canyons of the financial district, mile." A financial panic killed the plan through the busfest intersection in Los An- At the time, the line was then, but it has resurfaced decade geles (Wilshire at Veteran Avenue in after decade until today, when the Westwood, far left) to the hustle and bustle bringing in 31.8 cents of revenue of booming Santa Monica. Because of its per coach mile operated, and RTD has finally obtained funding size and complexity, line 83 has been se- costing 21.3 cents per mile to run. to begin engineering the subway lected for such unique District programs as With depreciation and taxes fig- that is projected to serve Wilshire the Automatic Vehicle Monitoring pilot pro- ured in, the Los Angeles Motor Boulevard in the 1990's. ject and the use of high-capacity, articula- Coach Company was still making lt may just be the ticket to keep- ted buses. Since the line now operates at 7.5 cents per mile an the Wilshire ing Wilshire the vital boulevard virtually maximum capacity, District offi- route.The line carried about 5.5 Gaylord Wilshire envisioned one cials are hard at work designing a subway million passengers that year. hundred years ago. system to serve the Wilshire corridor, one In 1949, the Los Angeles Motor of the most densely populated areas in Coach Co. was dissolved. Local Southern California. As one operator put it This article was compiled and prior to pulling out of the Maple Avenue service along Wilshire east of Lot, "There's never a dull moment on Line Fairfax Avenue into downtown was written by RTD News Bureau Rep- 83. operated by the Los Angeles resentative Kathleen McCoy.
Page 6 Headway Board honors trio for quality service to patrons The RTD Board of Directors has never had an avoidable acci- honored three more District em- dent since joining the District in ployees who heip to provide quali- June, 1971, and his attendance ty service to patrons or work be- and missout record are flawless. hind the scenes to keep Opera- Maintenance Employee Cleves- tions running smoothly. ter Young, also of Division 1, Recognized as Information Op- joined the company in 1945 as a erator of the Month was Betty mechanic's helper and today is a Langley, an employee since June, Mechanic-A leadman. his dedica- 1979, who has maintained a supe- tion and loyalty are evident in the rior attendance record in addition length of time he has been with the to receiving numerous commen- District. He says he feels he has dations. She has a thorough grown up with the RTD and would knowledge of all RTD fares, be willing to work anywhere in the schedules and routes. The mother system. of two, Betty is also an active In commending the Employees member of the community whose of the Month, Board President hobbies include reading and trav- Thomas Neusom said, "As RTD eling. ridership continues to grow, it is John Downes garnered Opera- essential that we continue to pro- tor of the Month honors. The Divi- vide the public with efficient sion 1 driver has enjoyed consid- and courteous service. We are erable success in recent years in pleased to honor these three indi- the annual RTD Roadeo. In fact, in viduals who have done more than the five years the District has held their fair share in helping to create HONORED — Director Carl Meseck (left) presents Employee of the Month certificates to a Roadeo, Downes has finished (from left) Betty Langley, John Downes and Clevester Young. Taking part in ceremony a favorable public opinion toward were (back row from left) Bob Williams, Tommy Walker and Bill Boyett. first two times and third twice. He the RTD."
Marvin E. Wardell, Line 91-S: I of elderly and handicapped men am what is euphemistically called and women who are unable to a senior citizen (85 years old) and walk long distances, who need to enjoy the independence riding attend to errands and seek recre- your buses gives me. I want to ation, and who wish to maintain commend this driver. His courtesy their independence, your buses and consideration for his passen- are a blessing. Donna Higgins, Line 88: As a task, but for the past several gers, many of whom are elderly recent visitor to Los Angeles, I felt weeks he ride has been very and walk with canes, is outstand- M. Villagran, Line 760: He is I had to write and congratulate you pleasant. The driver has been ing. He is attentive to their ques- the most gracious, courteous driv- on the standard of service you helpful and 1 think she is one of the tions, explicit in giving directions, er I have met in seven years of rid- offer, particularly the excelient safest RTD drivers I have ever and urges them to stay in their ing your buses. I have been quite value of the Tourist Pass. The pub- seen. She never has to step on the seats until the bus comes to a full impressed with the unfailing cour- lic transit system in L.A. is often brakes hard and she always stop. In each case, he drives up to tesy he has for every passenger. criticized and, although I had smiles. When the bus is crowded, the curb as close as possible, On occasion he has had to cope some fairly long waits (not to men- she always makes sure everyone which makes getting on and off with passengers who have forgot- tion long rides), I thought that you moves to the rear. I have asthma easy and safe. To the thousands ten their manners. do a very good job considering and smoke of any kind bothers me the long distances involved and a great deal. Once, a man sitting the complexity of the road system. next to me lit up a cigarette and What really prompted me to write, Anita was what I call very prompt People can heip people however, was the really exception- and efficient in getting him to put it The first campaign conducted on RTD property since the mer- al experience of seeing one of out. 1 thanked her when 1 got off ger of United Way and AID will kick off on April 13, spearheaded your lady drivers, who obviously the bus, but she said she was just by efforts of a joint management-union planning committee. enjoys the job. To be greeted with doing her job. I think she is so According to Acting General Manager and District Campaign a friendly smile and given polite, good she could probably fill a bus Chairman Richard Powers, contributions to the United Way-AID helpful directions was such a if the fare was $5. campaign will help support services that many of us already change from the attitude which David E. Woods, Line 88: The use, or may someday have to use. These services include pro- seems to prevail in most other cit- bus driver was extremely patient, grams which help fight against cancer, heart disease, gang vio- ies of the world that 1 could not let giving information in a polite and lence and alcoholism; aid disaster victims; offer personal devel- it go without comment. courteous manner. I was most im- opment services and provide training for the physically and Gene A. Ward, Division 8: We pressed when the driver waited for mentally handicapped, in addition to many other human care are from Germany, here on a brief an elderly lady at UCLA medical programs. vacation, and felt a little lost. There center. Our program (the Fair Working with Powers in this fundraising drive will be Earl was much we wanted to do. After Housing Council) is to heip minori- Clark, general chairman of UTU; Jerome Long, president of ATU we saw Universal Studios, we ask ty persons find jobs and housing and Clint Mobley, vice-general chairman of BRAC. The three Gene if we could take a taxi to Dis- in the San Fernando Valley. Line union leaders will serve as Associate Campaign Chairmen for neyland. He wrote down for us di- 88 is important to us because it the drive. rections for taking a bus when he connects via freeway large por- had time. He suggested also we tions of Los Angeles with the sub- UNITED WAY FOLLOWS AN OLD see Knott's while we are here. Our urbs. lt is an advantage to us to vacation was very much more en- have not only such a bus line, but AMERICAN CUSTOM WHEN IT joyable because of his kindness. to have pleasant, courteous bus We notied he was kind and happy drivers on that route. COMES TO DISTRIBUTING FUNDS: with everyone. My husband does- C.D. Williams, Line 75: n't speak much English. When Through several years of riding 1 Gene tried to speak our language have seen him control unruly my husband feels right away bet- youngsters, stop smokers and ter and laughs. prevent radio playing. But the Ed Townsend, Line 5: He thing that impresses me most was knows every one of his early morn- when he very quietly ordered a ing riders and where they get on teenager, who had started a fight and off. If someone falls asleep, wth another youth, off the bus. he does not let them ride to the Kids obey him, yet he never raises end of the line, he wakes them up his voice. for their stop. If someone is not at Charlie W. Kenan, Line 33: their regular stop, he waits a few These days people are very quick moments just in case they are run- to criticize the RTD, but rarely give ning like mad to catch up. He is al- credit for good service. I would ways on time, yet the ride is like to take this opportunity to give smooth. He is exceptionally cour- recognition to an exceptionally LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE. teous and very cheerful. This latter outstanding employee of yours. If people are good enough to volunteer their time and money each trait is especially commendable in He is extremely courteous and has year and make United Way a success, they're also good light of the miserable things going a smile and good word for every- enough to decide how the funds are used. on constantly on the buses these A lot of ordinary people with extraordinary one. He is very responsible in car- 19" days. rying out his job and always drives dedication devote long hours looking at budgets Anita Stephens, Line 9: 1 ride very safely. I know my fellow pas- and community needs to determine how the money you give can be used to your community's United Way the bus everyday as I have no sengers would join me in saying Trianks to you lt works. best advantage. For all of" us. other source of transportation. Not that he is a very good driver and a And that's how United Way works. And why. many people look forwrd to that fine man.
Headway Page 7
Eugene Lee, from special agent Moving Up to transit police sgt. Samir Aboulhosn, from mechan- Tyrone Lee, from mechanic C to ic C to mechanic B. mechanic B. Elnora Adams, from ticket clerk to Alvin Levy, from senior enginee service director. to supv. engineer (W&S). Shamseddin Azbi, from mopper/ Larry Mansker, from eq. maint. waxer to cash clerk. supv. II to Maintenance Manager John W. Barber, from mechanic at Division 9 A to mechanic A leadman. Leifus Mayfield, from mechanic C John V. Barnes, from junior stock to mechanic B. clerk to stock clerk. Marie T. Moore, from secretary III Robert Blackwood, from me - to chief clerk. hanic B to mechanic A. Steve Mullaly, from mechanic C Wophie E. Bryant, from secretary to mechanic B. Retiree recognition Gene McRiley, III to Chief Clerk. from special agent Director George Takei (left) presented congratulations and commemorative Michael L. Burke, from mechanic to transit police sgt. plaques to retiring District employees at last month's Retiree Recognition Ceremony C to mechanic B. Donna L. Ness, from staff assist- at District Headquarters. Among those able to attend — many of whom were Douglas R. Cale, from opr/ex. div. ant I to office supervisor. accompanied by their wives — were (in alphabetical order) Clinton Baden, 20 years; disp. to division dispatcher. William D. Ott, from appl. ctl. Russel J. Cannon, 25 years; Richard Alfred Creer, 21 years; Roscoe Dawkins, 26 Roy Dixon, from mechanic C to anal. to capital assets coor. years; James Edison Dixon, 34 years; Elton Ford, 33 years, and Douglas George mechanic B. Marie F. Pratt, from opr./ex. div. Mayes, 28 years. Unable to attend the ceremony were Julius Adams, 28 years, and Miguel Enriquez, from mechanic disp. to div. dispatcher. J. B. Anderson, 22 years. C to mechanic B. Ronald E. Price, from stock clerk Dennis Ervin, from mechanic B to to rel. st . shop clk/stkpr/ers. years of service in June, 1971. mechanic A. Albert Richter, from mechanic C Paul Davis, Glen Ferguson, from mechanic A to mechanic B. Shifting Gears a former utility-A at Division 7, passed away January to mechanic A leadman. Carlos Rojas, from mechanic B to Donaciano Flores, from mechan- eq. maint. supv. I. Julius Adams, a mail carrier 18. Mr. Davis joined the company in February, 1945, and retired ic A to mechanic A leadman. Larry Schlegel, with Building Services at Head- from safety spe- after 18 years of service in April, Marc Fourner, from mechanic C cialist to act. sr quarters, is retiring after 28 years. . staff asst. 1963. to mechanic B. Ronald Tannehill Sr., from me- J. B. Anderson, an Operator at Herman Goldberg, Warren H. Fu, from civil engineer chanic A to eq. maint. supv. I. Division 9, is retiring after 22 years a former operator at Division 2, passed to acting senior engineer. Charles R. Todd, of service. from ticket clerk away December 31. Mr. Goldberg David Gates, from mechanic A to to temp. svc. director. Roscoe Dawkins, an Operator joined the company in February, mechanic A leadman. Oscar Tostado, from mechanic C at Division 7, is retiring after 26 Kenneth Hollenbeck, from prop. to mechanic B. years. 1944, and retired after 22 years of service in June, 1966. maint. A to prop. maint. A lead- Garry W. Varga, from Operator to Lavelle J. Dunlap, an operator mechanic C. at Division 18, is retiring after 15 Wilfrid Martineau, former man. mechanic-A in Depatment 75, Rosendo Jauregui, from me- John K. Wheatley, from mechan- years. chanic C to mechanic B. ic C to mechanic B. Louis Luke Furlano, an opera- passed away January 11. Mr. akTerry Kamakura, from mechanic Eddie L. Wilkins, from tr. dr. tor at Division 8, is retiring after six Martineau joined the company in leadman to eq. maint. supv. I. clk/rel to stk shop clerk. years. September, 1944, and retired after 13 years of service in June, 1957. Lourdes Kangarlou, from janitor Phillip Williams, from mechanic to cash clerk. C to mechanic B. Thomas B. Neal, an Operator at In Memoriam Division 7, passed away January 28. Mr. Neal joined the District in Carl A. Bjorklund, a former Op- June, 1967. erator with the Los Angeles Metro- John Setusic, an operator at politan Transit Authority, passed Division 9, passed away February away February 3. Mr. Bjorklund 9. Mr. Setusic joined the company joined the company in June, 1920, in August, 1960. and retired after 38 years of serv- James E. Simmons, a for- ice in February, 1958. mer mechanic-A at location 20, George J. Brancato, a former passed away February 2. Mr. operator at Division 12, passed Simmons joined the company in away February 6. Mr. Brancato November, 1924, and retired after joined the company in March, 36 years of service in June, 1960. 1941, and retired after 40 years of Casper J. Sutter, a former Op- service on February 1, 1981. erator at Ocean Park, passed Alfred J. Carlson, former Oper- away November 26, 1980. Mr. ator at Division 1, passed away Sutter joined the company in No- November 13, 1980. Mr. Carlson vember, 1935, and retired after 30 joined the company in September, years of service in October, 1964. 1945, and retired after 18 years of Lyle G. Wilson, former Operator service in June, 1963. at Division 9, passed away Febru- Alvin L. Cox, former radio dis- ary 9. Mr. Wilson joined the com- patcher, passed away February 2. pany in July, 1946, and retired Mr. Cox joined the company in after 30 years of service in April, May, 1936, and retired after 35 1976. r Best bargain in town!
St. Bernard puppies in need of a good home? A 1965 Chevrolet being replaced by a newer model? A four-poster bed tucked away in the garage? Whatever you want to seil, trade or give away, let fellow RTD employees have the first chance and advertise it in Headway at no cost. Just fill out the coupon below and return it to Headway, RTD, 6th Floor, 425 So. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. (Please include home telephone numbers only.)
Name« Work location: Promoting the police De'scription of item: With Acting General Manager Richard Powers looking on, Transit Police Chief Jim Bur- gess pins a Sergeant's badge on newly-promoted Elston Burnley. In all, six members of Price: Hours to call: the District's growing Transit Police Department were promoted to the rank of Sergeant. In Area code: Telephone no.: addition to Burnley there was Richard Isaacs, Eugene Lee, Gene McRiley, Floyd Shaw and Raymond Thomas. The ceremony took place at District headquarters. L
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The congestion hasn't eased much on Broadway since this photo was There's very little left in the present day photo to relate with the earlier one. taken in the early thirties. The view is looking north from between 2nd and Now The Victor Clothing Company (at right) has a new sign but is still in business, 3rd streets towards Fort Moore Hill, where the Board of Education is now lo- and the Times clock tower (center) has been replaced by the modern Times- cated. Wending their way through heavy traffic are old H-4 model streetcars, Mirror Square. Major transit service on Broadway today is provided by Lines which the Los Angeles Railway (LARY) operated on its M-Line and W-Line & then 5, 6, 12 and 26. along Broadway. Baseball, faire top Recreation's spring flings lf this is April then it must be available for only $3 to both And, whether you attend Dodg- ($7) all sporting the RTD service baseball season and the Recrea- games. er games or the Pleasure Faire mark. tion Depatment won't keep you you can go decked out in the lat- * * * waiting for tickets to Los Angeles est RTD fashions. The Rec Depart- For information about these or Dodger home games. Another springtime tradition — ment still has a good supply of any recreation activities you see The season opener is April 9 or fast becoming one — is the T-shirts ($3), golf shirts ($6), caps posted on your work location's and you can get tickets to the Sun- Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Now ($3), visors ($2.50) and neckties Recreation Board, call 972-6580. day, April 12, contest between the in its 19th year, the faire will be Dodgers and Houston Astros. held on weekends beginning April Gametime is 1 p.m. 25 and closing May 31. The medi- Then, on April 28, a Tuesday, eval action takes place at the Par- You can own an RTS, too you can see an evening matchup amount Ranch in Agoura, just 35 How would you like to own your Now, an additional 25 buses between the Dodgers and their minutes from Hollywood on the very own General Motors RTS- have been ordered and District • upstate rivals, the San Francico Ventura Freeway. 11-04. Everyone by now is probably employees and retirees can buy Giants. That contest gets under- The Rec Department is offering aware that the 940 advance de- them for only $28 apiece which way at 7:30 p.m. discounted tickets, which go for sign buses ordered by the District is considerably less than the Once again the department is $2.50 for kids 3 to 11 years old, $5 from GM was the largest single $140,000 RTD paid for each of the offering discount tickets to Dodger for students or senior citizens and bus order placed by a single buses. games. The $4 reserved seats are $6 for adults. agency in transit history. Of course, the buses available for purchase by employees are only scale models, but you had probably figured that out by now. Through a special arrangement with Jet Air, the subcontractor who produces the model buses for General Motors, the RTD Recrea- tion Department has purchased 25 of the miniature buses and will make them available to employ- ees and retirees on a first come, first served Basis. This is not a toy, but a collector's item. Each model is decorated with the RTD service mark and red, orange and yellow stripes just like the ones in revenue service. The models are approximately 12 inches long, four inches high and attractively mounted on a wooden base and covered with a clear plastic top. These models are available no- where else so if you want one, don't delay. Contact the Recrea- tion Department at 972-6580 to Scale models of the RTS are on sale in Recreation Department. place your order today!
H WAy • Southern California Rapid Transit District 425 So. Main St., 6th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE Published monthly for the employees and retirees of the Southern California PAID Rapid Transit District. Los Angeles, Ca Permit No. 32705 Editorial input and suggestions welcome. Deadline for receipt of editorial copy is the 14th of each month. Send black-and-white photographs on- 4y, please. Requests for photographic coverage of District events must be preceded by 72 hours notice. Mailing address: Headway, 6th Floor, 425 South Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Telephone: 213-972-6680. David Himmel, Editor