By kiki
One early summer afternoon (C.1960), I rode the trolley to the Teamsters Gym; I was riding the trolley because my driver's license had been suspended, and I had some outstanding warrants for driving with said suspended license, so I didn't want to drive and take a chance of getting pulled over and having my ass hauled off to jail, which happened later on, but that's a story for another day.
I got on the trolley at its East Los Angeles turn-around station by the camposanto, AKA Cavalry Cemetery, on Whittier Blvd. We stopped to pick up passengers as we were heading west on Whittier Blvd. One guy that got on was wearing the streetcar company's uniform; as he got in, he told the operator that he was his relief man; the operator said okay, he got off, and the new guy took over.
As we were heading west with the new guy behind the controls, we started gaining speed, and he was not stopping to pick up or disembark passengers. As we got to Boyle Street, where the trolleys used to make a sharp left turn, we were going so fast that the trolley couldn't make the turn, it jumped the tracks, and we landed in some bushes by the 6th St. bridge. Some people got hurt; I didn't. As I said, I had some outstanding warrants, so I didn't wait for the cops to come around; I rabbited and disappeared.
The next day I read in the papers that the guy that hijacked the trolley was a disgruntled ex-employee who had gotten fired early that morning.
Mr. Baltazar, I have been on an air plane that was struck by lightning and had to make an emergency landing, no one was injured. But never on a hijacked trolley....Kind of makes you want to walk more often...Also was on a Public bus out in Tucson one time, when two guys got into a serious fight, bus pulled over and cops showed up to arrest at least one or both guys. But NEVER on a hijacked trolley....GOD Bless! Rob
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rob...Lol!!!!
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