Fourth Street Line (1898–1911) The Fourth Street Line was originally built by the
Los Angeles Traction Company. The first car operated over the line on November 30, 1898 (barely meeting the franchise's terms for operating date), with regular service starting on January 4, 1899. This route ran from a Downtown terminus at
3rd Street and Stephenson Avenue (present-day Traction Avenue) to
1st Street by way of
Boyle Heights in the roadways of Stephenson, Merrick Street, 4th Street, and Fresno Street. In 1910, the LAIU was taken over by the
Pacific Electric Railway who ran it as a local line for one year, extending the route to
4th and Hill by way of 3rd and
Hill Streets. At this point, the Fourth Street and Sunnyside Lines were merged into a single route. The route was given the letter designation "F" the following year. Rebuilding of the Fourth Street Viaduct over the
Los Angeles River between 1930 and 1931 required substantial rerouting and shuttle services to facilitate continued service. In 1947 the Hoover section was eliminated, and the F car ran straight from Santa Barbara to Vermont Avenues. Streetcar service ceased on May 22, 1955 and the line was converted to bus operations. ==Partial restoration==