#1      Al's "F" Streetcar Line Recollection

I guess our family wouldn't have bought on Berendo if it hadn't been for the
F line on the streetcar. My fathers family used to rent a house every summer
on 12th street in downtown in the early 20's. My Grandmother wanted to buy 
in L.A., but she wanted a big lot so she could garden.  She took the 
streetcar out to the suburbs and looked around. She liked Berendo because it 
was near the streecar and she could easily go back and visit her friends. 
The family also used to take the streetcar to go to the Grand Central Market 
on Broadway near 5th.

I remember riding taking the streetcar to junior high school at Bret Harte. 
We would get off on 92nd St.  As the car would gather speed it would rock 
back and forth. Their were conrols on both ends of the cars. At the end of 
the line the conductor would move his contol sticks to the other end of the 
car. Then he would lower the electrical pickup from the line, and raise the 
pickup in the back. as he walked through the car, he would pivot all the 
seatbacks so they faced the other way. He then changed the destination sign 
on the front and was ready to go. The older kids always rode in the back, 
and sometimes messed with the controls. There was a pedal to let sand fall 
on the tracks for icy conditions, and a hole going down to the bell. I 
remember that a new pencil was long enough to reach down the hole to ring 
the bell. This did not make the conductor to happy. One day a kid brought a 
stick on board and applied it to the throttle. This brought us to a 
screeching halt as the two ends of the car  tried to go in opposit 
directions.

I remember that I would often ride my bike instead of taking the streetcar. I 
used to race it. It would come flying past me to the next stop. When it was 
picking up passengers I would go flying past it, and so it would go all the 
way to 92nd. I also remember us kids tossing water ballons at the other 
streetcars as they came past ours. They were close enough that the splash 
could come back and hit our car. And of course, we also put pennies nickles 
and rolls of caps on the tracks.
- Alex Magdaleno