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| Switching The Patch in Downtown Los Angeles |
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| This area at Industrial and Mill Streets had the most amazing trackage in Los Angeles. It was called the Patch and you' re invited to read a first hand account of what it was like to spot cars here in 1964, by switchman Rich Paseman (click here). Unfortunately it is mostly gone, a truck terminal now sitting smack in the middle of those elaborate triple crossings, though this brick building with the tracks though it still stands. On early maps it was called a Santa Fe Stores Building. Most of these photos were taken in the late 1970's. If you want to see what it looks like now, someone took a 360 degree "Street View" on Google maps at this exact intersection. But it does live on -- Keith Jordan is modeling it as it was in its glory days. for a peek see http://web.mac.com/ckjordan/The_Patch/Patch_Home.html |
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| August, 1978 |
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| The tracks passed the A&M Seeds building, crossed Mateo St., curved around the A-l Novelty building (above), then dove through the old Stores, a literal brick canyon. Sidings spun off in every direction, with triple switches and triple crossovers. |
| Standing on Mateo, A-1 Noveltry on left |