Don't look down at the answer yet...
The Pacific Electric is standard gauge and the yellow and green City Lines is narrow gauge. Note the tree rails. Don
Attachments
Images (1)
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
My first guess was that the cop had stopped the street car operator and was discussing a traffic violation. The three rail arrangement is very interesting.
What's especially interesting is that three different forms of electric mass transit are depicted: Pacific Electric standard gauge interurban cars, Los Angeles Railways narrow gauge cars and LARys trolleybuses (or trackless trolleys, for us Philly expats)! 
The filename on the photo (PE_606_sb_6th__Main_St_08221950KLD.jpg} says it was taken on August 22, 1950, which sounds about right.
Nice pic!
Mitch
@Martin Dougherty posted:My first guess was that the cop had stopped the street car operator and was discussing a traffic violation. The three rail arrangement is very interesting.
Actually, come to think of it, the traffic cop is probably discussing a track blockage off camera to the left of the PE "Hollywood" car. Note the LAPD traffic Harley trike to image right... 
Mitch
As a young kid we took the red cars all over. Went to the beach on the Venice Line in the summer. I was maybe six when my mother took me downtown for the first time. The PE had a short subway into town at the time. It scared the bejesus out of me. I had never been underground before. There was a small substation a few blocks from our house. I was fascinated by the freight electric motors there. They were Westinghouse electrics. Maybe that's why I like over head operation so much. The last picture was our station, the Palms station. It was moved and saved after we moved to the Bay Area. I loved the streetcars. It seemed like you could go anywhere on them and for a little kid you could. Don
Attachments
Images (3)
