Los Angeles Junction Railway

Los Angeles Junction Railway (LAJ Railway)

Los Angeles Central Manufacturing District map with rail lines (1923)
Overview
Headquarters	Vernon, California
Reporting mark	LAJ
Locale	Los Angeles, California
Dates of operation	May 26, 1923–present
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Other
Website	www.lajrailway.com

The Los Angeles Junction Railway (reporting mark LAJ) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BNSF Railway and provides rail switching service on 64 miles of track in Los Angeles County, California.

Its tracks are in the small industrial city of Vernon and adjacent industrial areas, southeast of Downtown Los Angeles.

History

The LAJ was planned in the early 1920s as the switching railroad for the Central Manufacturing District in the cities of Vernon, Maywood, Bell and Commerce.

Today, the LAJ Railway is a neutral switching railroad and receives interchange from two Class I Railroads, the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad.

References

• Stindt, Fred A. (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide - 5th Ed. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Co. ISBN 0-89024-290-9.
• Walker, Mike (1997). Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America - California and Nevada - Post Merger Ed. Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom: Steam Powered Publishing. ISBN 1-874745-08-0.
• "LAJ Railway".