Southern Pacific Railroad in Van Nuys


van_nuys2

van_nuys3

van_nuys4

A recent photograph of an old railroad ticket and freight building in Van Nuys, once operated by the Southern Pacific, was recently posted on San Fernando Valley Relics Facebook page.

That old photo, of a humble, yet sturdy, pitched roof building standing in bleached noir sunlight, got me looking.

I found additional images on the Southern Pacific Railroad Structures page.

Where was this located? My guess is where the current Busway is, along either Bessemer or Aetna Streets, between Kester and Van Nuys Boulevard.

This building, had it survived, might have become the new home of MacLeod Brewing, a craft beer maker who is hoping to open near this location in 2014.

1981: Burbank Boulevard at Fulton Ave – SP 2658


Terry Guy has an excellent collection of photos on his Flickr page chronicling North Hollywood and the old Southern Pacific line which ran along today’s Metro Orange Line Busway.

Photo above (near Valley College) is the intersection now converted into a landscaped bike/bus transit line.

Life has improved (sporadically and unevenly) in parts of Los Angeles, due in large part to investment in public transportation, which has lead to greater vitality and revitalization in formerly neglected parts of the city. One can see evidence of that in Mr. Guy’s historic North Hollywood images.