Watts Line

Watts
Watts
	The quadruple-tracked line south of Downtown Los Angeles
Overview
Owner	Southern Pacific Railroad
Locale	Los Angeles, California
Termini	Pacific Electric Building; Watts;
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Pacific Electric
Operator(s)	Pacific Electric (1904–1958)Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (1958–1959)
Daily ridership	37,436 (peak, 1946) ; 4,325 (close, 1958)
History
Opened	c. 1906
Closed	November 2, 1959
Technical
Line length	7.45 mi (11.99 km)
Number of tracks	2–4
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 600 V DC
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	begin four
	tracks
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The Watts Line was a local line of the Pacific Electric Railway that operated between the Pacific Electric Building in Downtown Los Angeles and the Watts Station at 103rd Street in Watts. It was the primary local service for the Southern District, which also included the Long Beach, San Pedro, Santa Ana and Whittier interurban lines. The route operated along the Southern Division's Four Tracks route, with the Watts Line using the outer tracks and the Long Beach line and other limited stop lines using the inner tracks.^[1]

History

Pacific Electric undertook a program to quadruple-track the Long Beach Line between Los Angeles and Watts starting in 1906.^[2] Local service was separated from the Long Beach Line in April 1907 when the four tracks were completed to Slauson Junction.^[3]^[4] Completion of the line south Watts was delayed due to lack of materials, caused by sudden call to double track the new Covina Line.^[5] The full four-track system opened that October.^[6] Local trains ran on the inside set of tracks while Watts Locals ran on the outside set.

During the 1910s, its service was combined with the South Pasadena Line of the Northern District. From 1938 to 1950, the line was combined with the Sierra Vista Line,^[7] which was the main local line in the Northern District. Streetcars were removed and replaced with a parallel bus service on November 2, 1959.^[4]^[8]

Tracks north of Washington Boulevard were removed or paved over (except a short spur track) after PE service ended. In the late 1980s, the right of way was rehabilitated with one or two tracks used for freight rail (with electrification removed) and two tracks rebuilt to modern light rail specifications. Service along the line between Washington Boulevard and 103rd Street recommenced in 1990 as the Los Angeles Metro Blue Line (renamed the A Line in 2019), with stations at Washington Boulevard, Vernon Avenue, Slauson Avenue, Florence Avenue, Firestone Boulevard, and 103rd Street.

Stops and stations

The following were stops and stations along the Watts line:^[9]

Pacific Electric Building (6th & Main)
7th & Main
8th & Main
9th & Main
9th & Los Angeles
9th & Maple
9th & San Pedro Street
9th & Stanford
9th & Central Avenue
9th & Naomi Street (inbound)
9th & Hooper (outbound)
- (begin Four Tracks)
Long Beach Avenue
14th Street
16th Street
Washington Blvd
20th Street
24th Street (Amoco Junction) – interchange with Air Line
Adams Boulevard
Santa Barbara Avenue
41st Street
Vernon Avenue
48th Place
52nd Street
55th Street
Slauson Avenue (Slauson Junction) – interchange with Whittier
60th Street
Gage Avenue
68th Street
68th Street
Florence Avenue
76th Street
Nadeau
82nd Place
Graham
Kent (88th)
92nd Street
97th Street
Watts (103rd Street)

References

^ "Pacific Electric Watts Line". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California.
^ "A Four Track Line on the Pacific Coast" (PDF). Street Railway Journal. Vol. XXVII, no. 23. McGraw Publishing Company. June 9, 1906. p. 926. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
^ "Four-Track System on P.E. Line". Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles Express. April 29, 1907. p. 3. Retrieved August 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Watts Rail Line Goes to Bus" (PDF). Emblem. LAMTA. December 1959. p. 12. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
^ "Two and four tracks". The Los Angeles Times. July 6, 1907. p. 24. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Four Tracks to Watts Relieves Congestion". Los Angeles Express. Los Angeles, California. October 14, 1907. p. 9. Retrieved August 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Veysey, Laurence R. (June 1958). A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 (PDF). LACMTA (Report). Los Angeles, California: Interurbans. pp. 93–94. ASIN B0007F8D84. OCLC 6565577.
^ "November 2: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Metro Primary Resources. Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archives. October 24, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
^ "1944 Pacific Electric Station List". Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society. Pacific Electric. January 1, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved June 20, 2025.

External links

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[1] "Pacific Electric Watts Line". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California.

[2] "A Four Track Line on the Pacific Coast" (PDF). Street Railway Journal. Vol. XXVII, no. 23. McGraw Publishing Company. June 9, 1906. p. 926. Retrieved August 19, 2025.

[3] "Four-Track System on P.E. Line". Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles Express. April 29, 1907. p. 3. Retrieved August 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[Emblem1959-4] "Watts Rail Line Goes to Bus" (PDF). Emblem. LAMTA. December 1959. p. 12. Retrieved April 11, 2021.

[5] "Two and four tracks". The Los Angeles Times. July 6, 1907. p. 24. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Four Tracks to Watts Relieves Congestion". Los Angeles Express. Los Angeles, California. October 14, 1907. p. 9. Retrieved August 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[1958History-7] Veysey, Laurence R. (June 1958). A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 (PDF). LACMTA (Report). Los Angeles, California: Interurbans. pp. 93–94. ASIN B0007F8D84. OCLC 6565577.

[Nov2-8] "November 2: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Metro Primary Resources. Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archives. October 24, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2021.

[9] "1944 Pacific Electric Station List". Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society. Pacific Electric. January 1, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved June 20, 2025.

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