3 was the number assigned to two distinct

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

lines operated by the

Los Angeles Railway The Los Angeles Railway (also known as Yellow Cars, LARy and later Los Angeles Transit Lines) was a system of streetcars that operated in Central Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods between 1895 and 1963. The system provided frequent local ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Combined, they operated from 1924 to 1947.

1924 alignment

The first version of 3 was introduced in 1924, and was coterminous with the original A line. From a terminus at Adams Boulevard and Alsace Avenue, it ran via Adams Boulevard, Normandie Avenue, 24th Street, Hoover Street, Burlington Avenue,

Venice Boulevard Venice Boulevard is a major east–west thoroughfare in Los Angeles, running from the ocean in the Venice district, past the I-10 intersection, into downtown Los Angeles. It was originally known as West 16th Street under the Los Angeles numbered ...

, Hill Street, First Street,

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, and Lincoln Park Avenue to Eastlake Park. This route was discontinued in 1930.

1931 alignment

Following much of the original route of the R Line, the new route 3 was drastically different. It is notable for its close parallels to

Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles. One of the principal ...

, which never had a transit line of its own because auto traffic was too heavy. The new 3 ran from the intersection of Larchmont Boulevard and

Melrose Avenue Melrose Avenue is a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard, at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. It ends at Lucile Avenue in Silver Lake. Melrose runs north of Bev ...

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

, by way of Larchmont Boulevard (forming the backbone of the

Larchmont Larchmont is a village located within the Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York, approximately northeast of Midtown Manhattan. The population of the village was 5,864 at the 2010 census. In February 2019, Bloomberg ranked Lar ...

neighborhood), 3rd Street, a private

right of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

running between Gramercy Place and Wilton Place, 6th Street, and 5th Street. From the start of this routing until 1935,

short turn In public transport, a short turn, short working or turn-back is an earlier terminus on a bus or rail line that is used on some scheduled trips that do not operate along the full length of the route. Short turns are practical in scheduling when t ...

s were made from 5th to 3rd and were designated as the 4 Line (distinct from that number's 1939 incarnation). The route was converted to

trolley bus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

operation in 1947, eight years after Central Station closed.

Trolley coach and bus conversion

The service was maintained and transferred to

Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (sometimes referred to as LAMTA or MTA I) was a public agency formed in 1951. Originally tasked with planning for rapid transit in Los Angeles, California, the agency would come to operate the vestig ...

in 1958. The agency replaced trolley buses with SilverLiner coaches after March 31, 1963; the new service retained the number 3.

Sources

External links

3 Line Archives
— Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society * Los Angeles Railway routes Railway lines opened in 1924 Railway lines closed in 1947 1924 establishments in California 1947 disestablishments in California {{California-transport-stub