Mid-corridor construction photo gallery
See historic photo at bottom.
7/24/10 — The ballast curb and station foundation are being extended west to Farmdale as CPUC approval is imminent. West of Farmdale has been cleared in preparation for track construction.
7/15/10 — The Crenshaw station looks nice with West Angeles Cathedral.
7/7/10 — The lower ("contact") wire was being hung on the third OCS span, from Arlington to Buckingham. Below the end is being secured to the end pole just east of Buckingham.
7/2/10 — Fencing is installed at the Crenshaw station platforms (above), as the Expo Line becomes more finished by the West Angeles Cathedral (below).
6/23/10 — The upper (messenger) and lower (contact) wires are mostly complete on the first two OCS spans (Trousdale to Arlington), and the first tensioning weight is now hanging at Halldale.
6/10/10 — The first OCS (overhead catenary system, aka catenary) wires were hung this week! The upper ("messenger") wires of the span from Trousdale to Halldale were up on 6/7; the second span from Halldale to Arlington is up today. The crews below were attaching the hangers for the contact wire.
6/4/10 — This is one of the traction power substations (TPSSs) installed overnight during the week before this, at the corner of Halldale (between Western and Normandie).
5/19/10 — Catenary cross-arms
are on all the poles from Buckingham to Vermont. Black poles (not yet
with arms) are in from the Vermont to Trousdale stations (but none yet
along Flower Street). This pole includes a pulley wheel for tensioner
weights at the end of a catenary span.
4/22/10 — Grade crossing panels are in place for the Gramercy crossing. Many OCS (Overhead Contact System aka catenary) poles have been placed all the way from Vermont to Buckingham.
3/17/10 — Another milestone!
Here are five of the first seven catenary poles standing, on both sides
of the Denker crossing.
2/5/10 — Looking west from the current end of track at Gramercy, as construction continues in the rain.
1/29/10 — The first "weaving" station canopy was installed on the eastbound Western Ave. platform early this month. This detail at eastbound Crenshaw Blvd. shows the UV-absorbent transparent layers on the canopy, which shine in colors under the sun. West Angeles Cathedral is in the background.
12/18/09 — Track is under construction between Normandie and Vermont (above). Steel is installed on Crenshaw Blvd. (below) and Western Ave. station platforms.
11/20/09 — Rails are continuous from Crenshaw Blvd. (above) to 7th Avenue. Imagine a train heading west here, going on all the way to Santa Monica!
11/13/09 — West of Normandie the K-rails are gone and median curbs are finished, showing the future landscape strip below the temporary fencing. Ties are stacked for the grade crossing soon to be built across Normandie.
11/4/09 — Tracks were laid across
7th Street, with workers manually lifting the ties to the rails to be
attached.
11/2/09 — The grade crossing at Degnan-11th Avenue (one block east of Crenshaw) was installed about 10/21/09. The first layer of ballast has been spread from Crenshaw to Arlington, wood ties for crossovers east of Crenshaw are being assembled, and the next grade crossing at 7th Avenue is under construction.
9/18/09 — Ties are being delivered to the right-of-way west of Farmdale.
8/4/09 — Workers were spraying the soundwall east of Farmdale with anti-graffiti coating.
7/3/09 — This nearly-finished median east of Normandie shows the ballast curbs, graded sub-ballast, and finished curbs and gutters on both sides of the median (above). This Expo Authority simulation of the Western station (below) shows typical landscaping that will be added in the planter medians between the tracks and street.
6/25/09 — The median of Exposition at Virginia Road (west of Crenshaw) shows the newly-painted steel posts for the sound panels, green drain pipe outside the ballast curb, a catenary pole footing, and piles of fine sub-ballast before being spread and rolled.
5/12/09 — These are forms for the eastbound Crenshaw station foundation. The apartment building is on the southwest corner of Exposition and Victoria, one block west of Crenshaw. The concrete in the foreground is the curb to contain the ballast.
Compare with this Expo Authority simulation of this platform, showing standard station design and typical landscaping. Art work and landscaping will distinguish each station within a common design theme.
4/7/09 — Tracks are coming soon! Standard rails are being welded together into long lengths on the right-of-way east of La Brea.
3/20/09 — Curbs to retain the ballast, catenary pole footings, and buried utilities are in place east of Crenshaw.
11/18/08 — Here are the forms for the first catenary pole footings, west of Vermont.
10/26/08 — These track sections and panels will soon become the Western Avenue grade crossing.
7/20/08 – The K-rails are in place nearly to La Brea, and soil is being excavated for the new trackbed. This is the view looking east from Farmdale, also showing the sycamore trees being kept along the north side of the median.
6/30/08 — The first Expo Line rails were laid in this Exposition Boulevard grade crossing at Denker Ave. (see below for “before”).
5/20/08 — K-rails and fencing are up along much of the route. Here the median of Exposition Blvd. is being cleared to begin construction west of Vermont.
4/10/08 — These palm trees from the median of Exposition Blvd. have been trimmed and temporarily moved, to be used in the Expo Line's landscaping.
2/28/08 — Track removal (here between La Brea and La Cienega) and right-of-way clearing was completed in March 2008.
1/12/07 — “Before” photos looking east from Denker Ave. at the Exposition Blvd. median track (above) and looking west from 2nd Ave. (one block west of Arlington Ave.) at the track on the south side of Exposition (below).
C. 1953 — A Pacific Electric Red Car passes what is now Foshay Learning Center on the left. (Ralph Melching collection photo, the Pacific Railroad Museum, Pacific Railroad Society)