Los Angeles Transit Lines “Candy Cane Cars & Buses”
Starting in November of 1948, The Downtown Business Men’s Association sponsored 2 Los Angeles Transit Lines Candy Cane streetcars, PCC no. 3010 and H-4 no. 1257 to stimulate shopping in Downtown Los Angeles. — the only proviso being that both cars would pass through Downtown along either Broadway or 7th Street no matter what lines they operated on.
The “Candy Cane Car” promotion proved to be an unexpected success. The telephone switch board at LATL headquarters located at 1060 South Broadway was besieged with 50 to 100 phone calls daily from children wanting to know what lines the Candy Cane Cars were operating on, so they could ride them.
So popular was the Candy Cane Car promotion, that 1949 saw five candy cane vehicles on the streets of LA, four streetcars and one diesel bus.. The Candy Cane Bus was driven over to the Paramount lot in East Hollywood where Bing Crosby sang White Christmas on the front steps of the coach.
Christmas 1950 would prove to be the high point of the Candy Cane fleet with an assortment of 15 cars and buses being painted as Candy Cane vehicles. After Christmas in 1950, the number of Candy Cane vehicles diminished until the practice ended at Christmas 1954. It was fun while it lasted.
Ralph Cantos Collection[/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”20″][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/latl-3010-at-so.-park-paint-shop.jpg” lightbox=”true” title=”South Park Paint Shop” desc=”Los Angeles Transit Lines no. 3010 at South Park Paint Shop.” hover_image_overlay=”false” margin_bottom=”20″][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/latl-1257-candy-cane-s-line.jpg” lightbox=”true” title=”LATL 1257 on the S Line” desc=”LATL no. 1257 Candy Cane Car rolls along San Pedro Street working the S Line. Notice Pacific Electric catenary and dual-gauge tracks.” hover_image_overlay=”false” margin_bottom=”20″][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/latl-3010-p-line.jpg” lightbox=”true” title=”At Rowen Loop, 1948″ desc=”LATL Candy Cane PCC no. 3010 is photographed resting at the P Line’s Rowen Loop in 1948.” hover_image_overlay=”false” margin_bottom=”20″][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/latl-3010-ready-to-go.jpg” lightbox=”true” title=”Ready To Go” desc=”LATL Candy Cane PCC no. 3010 is photographed at South Park Shops, ready to go, 1948.” hover_image_overlay=”false” margin_bottom=”20″][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/candy-cane-cars-at-civic-center.jpg” lightbox=”true” title=”Candy Cane Car Roll-Out, 1948.” desc=”LATL’s Candy Cane fleet roll-out at Los Angeles Civic Center 1949: two streetcars and one diesel bus.” hover_image_overlay=”false” margin_bottom=”20″][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/latl-1318_48th-western-2.jpg” lightbox=”true” title=”LATL 1318 at 48th and Western” desc=”LATL Candy Cane car no. 1318 rolls along West 48th Street at Western working the 9 Line, December 1950.” hover_image_overlay=”false” margin_bottom=”20″][mk_image src=”https://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/latl_candy_cane_pcc.jpg” lightbox=”true” title=”Candy Cane PCC 1953″ desc=”Notice that this is not an LATL P-3. It’s a Philadelphia Transportation Co. (PTC) all electric. Notice different windshield configuration and two running lights above the head sign, both features unique to PTC PCCs. For unknown reasons, no LATL P-3 was ever painted as a Candy Cane car. This might be art work for an LATL Weekly Pass.” hover_image_overlay=”false” margin_bottom=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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As a child I recal Santa Monica bus lines doing something similar with a few of their buses. They dubbed them ‘ The Candycain Express.” I do’t know how many were painted like this. But there was more than one and the paint jobs were permanint because they were beautyful. Fine graphics airbrushed detail just first rate work. I think these buses were kept in storage most of the time and only brought out during the holliday season.
What types of cars have been painted after 1948?
Anyway few decades ago a naples peter witt was painted with a christmas livery, (you can see it here http://www.clamfer.it/10_Tram/TramNatale/TramNatale.htm)