455 at the Compton Crossover

MTA no. 455 taking a crossover just north of Compton Station – reversing direction to head south to Long Beach. We may have come this far north of Dominguez to let a southbound San Pedro train clear before taking the southbound track.

From photographer Stephen Dudley:

On 6-30-1957 I was on a charter with 5 blimps that went from LA to San Pedro, Catalina Terminal and Long Beach. I’ve described the pictures as they attached to this email – obviously their sequence follows the order of the trip. All passengers were in the lead car. This was the first 5 car train in a long time and perhaps the last. Running through downtown Long Beach was an unusual sight.

In seeing these pictures for the first time in years I am reminded how no one, including LAMTA, in those days seemed to worry about just stopping a train on the line and letting the passengers hop off to take a picture, crossing over the tracks, etc.

Stephen Dudley Photo, Stephen Dudley Collection