Submitted by Julian, who says:

Although Los Angeles’ Pacific Electric interurban system fell victim to the postwar wave of urban railway closures, systems in other cities were preserved on account of their grade-separated infrastructure. In San Francisco in particular, the only streetcar lines that were preserved were the 5 that were segregated from traffic for part of their length. Since certain segments of the Pacific Electric system were not only segregated from traffic but 4-tracked and underground, it isn’t hard to imagine much the same happening in Los Angeles after the MTA takeover.

This alternate history scenario diverges from reality around 1940 and imagines the rehabilitation of the surviving Pacific Electric interurban lines to rapid-transit standards, paired with a project started in the 1960s to build new rapid transit lines around a cross-shaped ‘starter system.’ The result is something like the New York subway system, with the system organized around 4-track trunk lines, but distinctive in its own right- an iconic American rapid transit system that count have been.

Transit Maps says:

What I love most about this “alternate reality” transit map for Los Angeles is that Julian has created an entirely plausible backstory for it, one that he has explained in great detail in a series of accompanying timeline maps, which I have included in full underneath the main map. Basically, Julian asks “What if the old Pacific Electric tracks weren’t ripped up, but instead maintained and upgraded over the years?” It’s an interesting proposition, and he’s explored the concept well. Of course, there’s no small amount of irony here as the current real-world LA Metro looks at reclaiming some of these old rights-of-way to build new rapid transit lines: the West Santa Ana branch stands out particularly in that regard.

As for the map, it gets the job done in showing an increasingly complex system in a consistent and low-fuss manner. There’s a few problems with the spacing of labels – some are much further away from their station markers than others – and some random capitalisation of words. “1 st” looks more like it’s saying “first” than “First Street”, for example. And “3 st” and “4 st” just look like badly written ordinal numbers. “Three-irst”?

There is one clanging mistake in the map where routes 10 and 12 swap their northern outer ends. If you follow the route lines, it looks like the 10 should go to Eagle Rock and the 12 should go to Burbank Airport. Easy enough to correct, though! 

Our rating: The map by itself is fairly workmanlike, but the thought that Julian has put into its development elevates it beyond its simple look. A fascinating hypothetical series of maps, worthy of some detailed perusal.