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A List of HO Scale Los Angeles Railway (LARy) Models

By Fred Gurzeler and Eric Bracher

15 December 2002

After many, many hours of searching the Internet, we were unable to find one site that listed all the Los Angeles Railway models that have been produced over the years in HO scale. This article hopes to fill that glaring void!

Source material include a S. Soho and Company catalog circa 1974 as well as the invaluable Brown Book of Brass by John Glaab. The Yellow Cars of Los Angeles by Jim Walker (Interurbans Special 43) is also an invaluable reference book. Additional information has been provided by the authors. We invite modelers to submit better photos, corrections or addendums.

Photos of the actual cars are taken from Interurbans Special 43 except where noted. The black and white photos of the models are from a Soho catalog and were taken by A. Wenzel. The color photos are from the Eric Bracher collection unless otherwise noted.

Type B-1

Type B at OERM

The type B-1 model represents LARy type B, B-1, B-2 and B-9 cars. Known as the “Los Angeles Railway Standards,” they were usually assigned to all lines except the “I” line. In 1955 the last of the Type B cars were removed from service, although many were scrapped when the Los Angeles Transit Lines (LATL) took over in 1945.

Type B-1 (Photo by Eric Bracher)

The list price of the model when it was imported in 1970 was $40 and $45 with seats and eclipse fenders. The model was equipped with the “low floor drive RTR” (see figure 1), which as been almost universally assailed as the worst drive mechanism ever put on a model. They are noisy and unreliable runners with riveted plastic gears. To date, no replacement drive is available and LARy models with these drive mechanisms are generally easy to find at a reasonable price.

Figure 1 (Photo by Fred Gurzeler)

Note: the Suydam #1544 Electra Switcher was also imported with a motor and gears similar to the Soho drive mechanism. North West Shore Line (NWSL) makes a replacement drive for the 1544 although the authors do not know if this replacement will also work on the Soho models.

Type B-8

The type B-8 model was rebuilt from a California style LARy Standard and was the only enclosed standard. This model represented car 271 and was usually assigned to the “V” line. The car served from November 1924 to January 1938.

Type B-8 (Soho Catalog)

The list price for this model was $40 and $43 with eclipse fenders (no seats). The model was imported in 1970.

Type C

The famous “Sowbelly” with “paneled open sections sides.” This car was assigned to all lines except the “I” line. The Type C saw service from 1913 to 1947.

Type C (Photo by Eric Bracher)

With a list price in 1972 of $40 ($45 with seats and eclipse fenders), the model came with the low floor drive in kit form, that is, the trucks and motor were put in their own little plastic bags!

Type CE

The same as Type C, this model has “wood slat open sections sides.” The original list price is the same as Type C and the low floor drive came in kit form. The model was imported in 1972.

Type CE (Soho Catalog)

Type F

The usual assignments for this car were the “H,” “S” and “5” lines. These cars served from 1922 to 1950. Imported in 1972, this model did not come with seats and was therefore $40 list and $43 with eclipse fenders. The low floor drive also came in kit

form.

Type F (Soho Catalog)

Type F-4

This model may more accurately be described as a Los Angeles Transit Lines (LATL) model because it represents the LARy Type F car as rebuilt by the LATL with “air operated doors, folding steps and lifeguard fenders.” This car was usually assigned to the “V” and “5” lines. The drive mechanism came in kit form and the list price was $43. Type F-4 was imported in 1972.

Type F-4 (Photo by Eric Bracher)

The Los Angeles Transit Lines operated from 1945 to 1958.

Type G

(Photo from Soho Catalog)

Soho imported two versions of this LARy Birney in 1969, one with HO scale trucks and one with Hon3 scale trucks, the latter, of course, being more prototypically accurate. These were the only HOn3 models for LARy Soho imported and are therefore highly sought after by collectors. The original list price was $22. This model was one of the first LARy models imported by Soho (in 1969 according to the Brown book). It must have sold out quickly because is not represented in one of the last Soho catalogs. The drive mechanism was a direct gear drive.

Type G (photo from an eBay auction)

Interestingly, all other LARy models imported by Soho have HO scale trucks that, along with the previously mentioned poor excuse for a power train, help contribute to the models’ lack of popularity (as opposed to other traction models). It is likely that the HOn3 market in the late 1960s was very small compared to the HO market and Soho did all the other LARy models in that scale to enhance sales.

The Birneys operated from 1920 until 1946 and were not very popular with passengers.

Type H-1

These models have “Hunter” route signs, which are box roller signs at each roof end. The usual assignment for the prototype was the “H,” “J,” “M,” “P,” “R” and “S” lines. By the end of 1936 all H-1 and H-2 cars were rebuilt into one man-two man Type H-4 cars. List was $40, $45 with seats and eclipse fenders. The model came with the low floor drive in kit form and was imported in 1971.

Type H-1 (Soho Catalog)

Type H-2

Type H-2 has the same pricing and import date as Type H-1, same low floor drive in kit form. These models have the standard LARy card route sign and were used in MU (multiple unit) configurations, although no more than two cars “with the trolley pole of the second car down to avoid fouling electric track switch contacts.” MU service was dropped in May 1930 except for the occasional fan trip. Their usual assignments were the “H,” “J,” “M,” “P,” “R” and “S” lines. The prototype had a different length wheelbase than the H-1 or H-3, but all three Type H models share the same HO scale trucks.

Type H-2 (Soho Catalog)

Note how the trucks are set much further back on the model than on the prototype! This was done to compensate for the trucks being HO scale instead of the correct HOn3. Virtually all of Soho’s LARy models suffer from this compromise.

Type H-3

The type H-3 cars were rebuilt from type H cars with enclosed open sections, completely enclosed rear door, additional roof vents and Hunter route signs (see type H-1). Type H-3 served until 1958 and were generally assigned to the “5” line. The model was imported in 1971 had a $40 list price, $45 with seats and eclipse fenders. The drive mechanism was provided in kit form.

Type H-3 (Photo by Eric Bracher)

Figure 2

Figure 2 shows a typical box for Soho’s LARy models. Note the Walthers sticker.

Type K

The type K cars were wooden copies of the type H cars and had different roof vents, paneled sides and truss rods. Pricing and import year is the same as Type H, same drive kit. Variations of the Type K served until 1955. Their usual assignments were the “E” (which later became the “5” line) and “W” lines.

Type K (Soho Catalog)

Type L

The type L cars represent the prototype after being rebuilt with full length folding doors and Hunter route signs. A one-of-a-kind car (number 2501), the car served from 1925 until 1950 and was usually assigned to the “7” line. The model carried a $40 list price, $43 with eclipse fenders (no seats) when it was imported in 1971. Same drive kit as above.

Type L (Photo by Eric Bracher)

One Man Conversion Kit

(Soho Catalog)

For a 1974 list price of $5 one could buy a one man conversion kit of four assembled folding door and step sets. This kit allowed the modeler to convert some LARy models for one man operation and some LARy models into LATL models.

Type M

One of the last (along with the type P models) LARy models imported by Soho (1974), these models have the “standard spring belt drive RTR.” These models run much better and are accordingly more sought after by collectors. $40 list price, $43 with eclipse fenders (no seats). The Type M car served mainly on the “7” line until 1950.

Type M (Soho Catalog)

Type M-1

With a list price of $43, this is a LATL conversion of the Type M car with lifeguard fenders and extended side skirting. It was generally seen on the “7” line. It did not come with eclipse fenders and has the same spring belt drive mechanism as type M. The model was imported in 1974.

Type M-1 (Photo by Eric Bracher)

Type P-1

This model represents the pre-war (1937), air-electric PCC cars as rebuilt by the LATL with the sealed sash windshield. Its usual assignments were the “J,” “P,” “R,” “S,” “V” and “3” lines. Imported in 1974 with a list price of $43 and the standard belt drive RTR, the model is a decent runner (or can be made into a decent runner). Interestingly, the front and rear of this model is not prototypically correct, the cars being described by one modeler as “terrible models where the bottom flares out instead of curving in.” Even so, the model is not easy to come by.

Type P-1 (Soho Catalog)

An excellent Type P-1 LARy PCC model was imported in extremely limited quantities (about 12) by MTS Imports in the late 1990s. These models are painted and almost impossible to come by. List price was $375.

Type P-2

This model is the mid-war (1943) PCC model and represents the LATL P-2 cars that were rebuilt with the sealed sash windshield. It served the same lines as the Type P-1. The major differences between the type P-1 and P-2 cars is that the type P-2 cars had wrap around anticlimbers and the center door was moved one window to the rear. Pricing, import year and drive information is the same as Type P-1.

Type P-2 (Soho Catalog)

In 1958, all remaining lines (lines “R,” “S,” “V,” “P” and “J”) of the old LARy system were converted to PCC cars by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (LAMTA). The PCC cars served until the end of trolley service on March 31, 1963.

There was also a Type P-3 PCC car, but there was no Soho model of that type. A reasonable representation can be made from a Bachmann PCC shell.

Type P-3

Birney Streetcar

The Brown Book notes an LARy “Birney Streetcar.” Imported the same year as the Type G model (1969), this may be a more generic Birney model and not necessarily specific to LARy. One version was standard gauge and one was HOn3.

LARy Box Car

(Photos by Fred Gurzeler)

The Los Angeles Railway apparently didn’t have any box cars (at least none are mentioned in Interurban Special #12, “Los Angeles Railway All-Time Roster of Cars” by Ira Swett), but there is a “Custom Designed Car Kit” for S. Soho & Co. by Ye Olde Huff -n- Puff of a yellow LARy box car. The exact release date is unknown, perhaps early 1970s. This kit is mentioned here for completeness.

In Conclusion

The LARy was a 3'6 gauge system. The Soho models were built on standard gauge trucks that had to be positioned closer to the center of the car than the prototype to clear the V platform steps. This resulted in excessive overhang of the ends of the models. All in all, Soho imported a version of almost every type of LARy/LATL car that graced the streets of Los Angeles. Of course, not every variation is represented such as the Type A “Maggie” and Type D and E Funeral Cars, but for the most part every major type is represented in one form or another.

Interestingly, S. Soho and Company was the sole importer of LARy models from the late 1960s to the early 1970s (1969 to 1974 according to the Brown Book of Brass). One of the chief distributors of these models was Walthers Hobby Shop and models can still be bought today (usually on eBay) still bearing a Walthers sticker. No doubt LARy models was a niche market, but we’re glad to have these models as opposed to nothing at all.

About the Authors

Fred is a relative newcomer to modeling having started his collection only three years ago. His main interest is PE’s Western District. Eric has been collecting models for many years. Both still need a Suydam model 1446 Express Box Motor to complete their Pacific Electric collection and a Type P-1 and P-2 to complete their LARy collection.

For those with comments or additions to this article, please contact the Trolleyville Schoolhouse at schoolhouse@ customtraxx.com.