We've discussed the history of street cars in Los Angeles before on this site vis a vis historical maps, usually posted (as this one was) by the great 59 King of the Big Map Blog. At the time of this map, automobile traffic was on the rise and the fate of the Red Cars (Pacific Electric Railway) was uncertain. Four years later, the service would start to be contracted and by 1941 many of the routes visible on this map were gone.
This map also shows the beginning of the rise of buses, which are now the primary mode of public transport in the city. By the late 1940's, most of the Los Angeles Railway lines (yellow cars) would be replaced with busses. Click the map for the super large version.
