Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Los Angeles was built on movement, and every curve has a story.
In this episode of Lost LA, Nathan explores a neighborhood lost to a major infrastructure project. Walk through Surfridge, a coastal community erased by LAX expansion, where empty streets still trace the outline of a vanished neighborhood. Visit the Tehachapi Loop, one of the most important railroad engineering feats in California, where freight trains still navigate steep mountain terrain using a design developed in the 19th century.
Nathan also visits the Thomas Guide collection at the Los Angeles Public Library, the detailed street atlas created by the Thomas Brothers that helped generations of Southern Californians navigate a rapidly expanding city. Its grid system didn’t just offer directions; it shaped how people understood Los Angeles itself.
Together, these stories reveal how planes, trains, and autos didn’t just connect the region, they transformed its landscape, reshaped communities, and defined the modern city.
This program was made possible in part by:
Anne Ray Foundation
Roy + Patricia Disney Family Foundation.
00:00 - Intro: Movement Within Southern California
00:57 - Southern California Railroad History
05:22 - The Tehachapi Loop
09:37 - Thomas Guides Show Changing Metropolitan Eras
14:01 - Why Thomas Guides Are So Beloved
18:35 - A Growing LAX Condemned a Whole Neighborhood
22:10 - The Cost of the Jet Age
Learn more at bit.ly/3NNzJ4T
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Donate today: bit.ly/you-tube-donation
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#LosAngelesHistory #Surfridge #LAXHistory #TehachapiLoop #ThomasGuide #LosAngelesInfrastructure #TransportationInfrastructure #UrbanDevelopmentLosAngeles
Los Angeles was built on movement, and every curve has a story.
In this episode of Lost LA, Nathan explores a neighborhood lost to a major infrastructure project. Walk through Surfridge, a coastal community erased by LAX expansion, where empty streets still trace the outline of a vanished neighborhood. Visit the Tehachapi Loop, one of the most important railroad engineering feats in California, where freight trains still navigate steep mountain terrain using a design developed in the 19th century.
Nathan also visits the Thomas Guide collection at the Los Angeles Public Library, the detailed street atlas created by the Thomas Brothers that helped generations of Southern Californians navigate a rapidly expanding city. Its grid system didn’t just offer directions; it shaped how people understood Los Angeles itself.
Together, these stories reveal how planes, trains, and autos didn’t just connect the region, they transformed its landscape, reshaped communities, and defined the modern city.
This program was made possible in part by:
Anne Ray Foundation
Roy + Patricia Disney Family Foundation.
00:00 - Intro: Movement Within Southern California
00:57 - Southern California Railroad History
05:22 - The Tehachapi Loop
09:37 - Thomas Guides Show Changing Metropolitan Eras
14:01 - Why Thomas Guides Are So Beloved
18:35 - A Growing LAX Condemned a Whole Neighborhood
22:10 - The Cost of the Jet Age
Learn more at bit.ly/3NNzJ4T
Love PBS SoCal? Your support keeps the programs you love alive.
Donate today: bit.ly/you-tube-donation
~~~~~~
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: bit.ly/3wiFfZ2
Follow us:
Instagram: instagram.com/pbssocal
TikTok: tiktok.com/@pbssocal
Facebook: facebook.com/pbssocal
Sign-up for our Newsletter: pbssocal.org/newsletter
#LosAngelesHistory #Surfridge #LAXHistory #TehachapiLoop #ThomasGuide #LosAngelesInfrastructure #TransportationInfrastructure #UrbanDevelopmentLosAngeles
