UNION STATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LOS ANGELES RAILROAD HERITAGE FOUNDATION TO HOST TRAIN TALK, A HISTORY OF PASSENGER SERVICE IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES
On Thursday, April 14 from 6: 30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Traxx Bar & Restaurant in historic Union Station, respected train historian Harvey Laner will speak on the history of passenger service in Los Angeles from the Pacific Electric and LARy to the modern Los Angeles transit lines, while detailing his personal story of riding the passenger trains through three major transitions.
Admission for Train Talk is $5. Tickets available on Eventbrite CLICK HERE. Space is limited.
The event includes a wine & cheese reception on the Traxx North Patio from 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. followed by a presentation from 7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Traxx menu of new American cuisine will also be available for purchase.
Laner’s love of trains spans decades, since his family moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1953. He currently works in Operations and Archives at the Southern California Railway Museum and in Programs and Archives with the Pacific Railroad Society. He has appeared on episodes on “Jay Leno’s Garage”, in ABC7’s “Local Lore” series featuring Red Car History and in KCET’s Lost LA series “Who Killed the Red Car”. Laner is also a published author of the Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society Monograph, Remembrances of the Pacific Electric Railway.
Train Talk compliments Riding LA, a pop-up installation in one of the Station’s Art Deco kiosks curated by the Los Angeles Railroad Heritage Foundation. The installation, located in the Waiting Room, features information on Los Angeles passenger trains including model trains and a stunning collection of historic images from respected rail photographers Donald Duke, Ralph Melching and Roger Titus.
Riding LA can be viewed during the station’s regular operating hours from 4:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. daily through April.
About Los Angeles Railroad Heritage Foundation: Founded in 1999 by Josef Lesser and Ron Gustafson, the Los Angeles Railroad Heritage Foundation (LARHF) preserves, shares and celebrates the history of railroading throughout Los Angeles and Southern California. For additional information, visit larhf.org.
Go Metro by taking the B Line (Red), D Line (Purple), J Line (Silver) and L Line (Gold) directly to Union Station L.A.
Photo Credit: Donald Duke Collection