diff --git a/src/plot_api/subroutines.js b/src/plot_api/subroutines.js
index 2df2985554d..0a3c2e8a7c5 100644
--- a/src/plot_api/subroutines.js
+++ b/src/plot_api/subroutines.js
@@ -272,6 +272,7 @@ exports.lsInner = function(gd) {
          *    -----
          *     x2
          */
+        var xPath = 'M0,0';
         if(shouldShowLinesOrTicks(xa, subplot)) {
             leftYLineWidth = findCounterAxisLineWidth(xa, 'left', ya, axList);
             xLinesXLeft = xa._offset - (leftYLineWidth ? (pad + leftYLineWidth) : 0);
@@ -288,17 +289,17 @@ exports.lsInner = function(gd) {
                 xa._linepositions[subplot] = [xLinesYBottom, xLinesYTop];
             }
 
-            var xPath = mainPath(xa, xLinePath, xLinePathFree);
+            xPath = mainPath(xa, xLinePath, xLinePathFree);
             if(extraSubplot && xa.showline && (xa.mirror === 'all' || xa.mirror === 'allticks')) {
                 xPath += xLinePath(xLinesYBottom) + xLinePath(xLinesYTop);
             }
 
             plotinfo.xlines
-                .attr('d', xPath || 'M0,0')
                 .style('stroke-width', xa._lw + 'px')
                 .call(Color.stroke, xa.showline ?
                     xa.linecolor : 'rgba(0,0,0,0)');
         }
+        plotinfo.xlines.attr('d', xPath);
 
         /*
          * y lines that meet x axes get longer only by margin.pad, because
@@ -311,6 +312,7 @@ exports.lsInner = function(gd) {
          *       |
          *       +-----
          */
+        var yPath = 'M0,0';
         if(shouldShowLinesOrTicks(ya, subplot)) {
             connectYBottom = findCounterAxisLineWidth(ya, 'bottom', xa, axList);
             yLinesYBottom = ya._offset + ya._length + (connectYBottom ? pad : 0);
@@ -324,17 +326,17 @@ exports.lsInner = function(gd) {
                 ya._linepositions[subplot] = [yLinesXLeft, yLinesXRight];
             }
 
-            var yPath = mainPath(ya, yLinePath, yLinePathFree);
+            yPath = mainPath(ya, yLinePath, yLinePathFree);
             if(extraSubplot && ya.showline && (ya.mirror === 'all' || ya.mirror === 'allticks')) {
                 yPath += yLinePath(yLinesXLeft) + yLinePath(yLinesXRight);
             }
 
             plotinfo.ylines
-                .attr('d', yPath || 'M0,0')
                 .style('stroke-width', ya._lw + 'px')
                 .call(Color.stroke, ya.showline ?
                     ya.linecolor : 'rgba(0,0,0,0)');
         }
+        plotinfo.ylines.attr('d', yPath);
     });
 
     Plotly.Axes.makeClipPaths(gd);
diff --git a/src/plots/cartesian/index.js b/src/plots/cartesian/index.js
index 5b1fcf4dd6a..e4c0cfbdff3 100644
--- a/src/plots/cartesian/index.js
+++ b/src/plots/cartesian/index.js
@@ -306,6 +306,17 @@ exports.clean = function(newFullData, newFullLayout, oldFullData, oldFullLayout)
         purgeSubplotLayers(oldFullLayout._cartesianlayer.selectAll('.subplot'), oldFullLayout);
         oldFullLayout._defs.selectAll('.axesclip').remove();
     }
+    // otherwise look for subplots we need to remove
+    else if(oldSubplotList.cartesian) {
+        for(i = 0; i < oldSubplotList.cartesian.length; i++) {
+            var oldSubplotId = oldSubplotList.cartesian[i];
+            if(newSubplotList.cartesian.indexOf(oldSubplotId) === -1) {
+                var selector = '.' + oldSubplotId + ',.' + oldSubplotId + '-x,.' + oldSubplotId + '-y';
+                oldFullLayout._cartesianlayer.selectAll(selector).remove();
+                removeSubplotExtras(oldSubplotId, oldFullLayout);
+            }
+        }
+    }
 };
 
 exports.drawFramework = function(gd) {
@@ -484,11 +495,9 @@ function purgeSubplotLayers(layers, fullLayout) {
 
     layers.each(function(subplotId) {
         var plotgroup = d3.select(this);
-        var clipId = 'clip' + fullLayout._uid + subplotId + 'plot';
 
         plotgroup.remove();
-        fullLayout._draggers.selectAll('g.' + subplotId).remove();
-        fullLayout._defs.select('#' + clipId).remove();
+        removeSubplotExtras(subplotId, fullLayout);
 
         overlayIdsToRemove[subplotId] = true;
 
@@ -515,6 +524,11 @@ function purgeSubplotLayers(layers, fullLayout) {
     }
 }
 
+function removeSubplotExtras(subplotId, fullLayout) {
+    fullLayout._draggers.selectAll('g.' + subplotId).remove();
+    fullLayout._defs.select('#clip' + fullLayout._uid + subplotId + 'plot').remove();
+}
+
 function joinLayer(parent, nodeType, className, dataVal) {
     var layer = parent.selectAll('.' + className)
         .data([dataVal || 0]);
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/cartesian_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/cartesian_test.js
index 6ebf32f3ef5..6de808302f8 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/cartesian_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/cartesian_test.js
@@ -268,6 +268,37 @@ describe('relayout', function() {
 
     });
 
+    describe('axis line visibility', function() {
+        var gd;
+
+        beforeEach(function() {
+            gd = createGraphDiv();
+        });
+
+        afterEach(destroyGraphDiv);
+
+        it('can show and hide axis lines', function(done) {
+            Plotly.newPlot(gd, [{y: [1, 2]}], {width: 400, height: 400})
+            .then(function() {
+                expect(gd.querySelector('.xlines-above').attributes.d.value).toBe('M0,0');
+                expect(gd.querySelector('.ylines-above').attributes.d.value).toBe('M0,0');
+
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, {'xaxis.showline': true, 'yaxis.showline': true});
+            })
+            .then(function() {
+                expect(gd.querySelector('.xlines-above').attributes.d.value).not.toBe('M0,0');
+                expect(gd.querySelector('.ylines-above').attributes.d.value).not.toBe('M0,0');
+
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, {'xaxis.showline': false, 'yaxis.showline': false});
+            })
+            .then(function() {
+                expect(gd.querySelector('.xlines-above').attributes.d.value).toBe('M0,0');
+                expect(gd.querySelector('.ylines-above').attributes.d.value).toBe('M0,0');
+            })
+            .catch(failTest)
+            .then(done);
+        });
+    });
 });
 
 describe('subplot creation / deletion:', function() {
@@ -314,6 +345,29 @@ describe('subplot creation / deletion:', function() {
         .then(done);
     });
 
+    it('should remove unused axes when deleting traces', function(done) {
+        Plotly.newPlot(gd,
+            [{y: [1, 2, 3]}, {y: [10, 30, 20], yaxis: 'y2'}],
+            {yaxis2: {side: 'right', overlaying: 'y', title: 'Hi!'}}
+        )
+        .then(function() {
+            expect(gd.querySelectorAll('.xy2,.xy2-x,.xy2-y').length).not.toBe(0);
+            expect(gd.querySelectorAll('.y2title').length).toBe(1);
+            expect(gd._fullLayout._subplots.cartesian).toEqual(['xy', 'xy2']);
+            expect(gd._fullLayout._subplots.yaxis).toEqual(['y', 'y2']);
+
+            return Plotly.deleteTraces(gd, [1]);
+        })
+        .then(function() {
+            expect(gd.querySelectorAll('.xy2,.xy2-x,.xy2-y').length).toBe(0);
+            expect(gd.querySelectorAll('.y2title').length).toBe(0);
+            expect(gd._fullLayout._subplots.cartesian).toEqual(['xy']);
+            expect(gd._fullLayout._subplots.yaxis).toEqual(['y']);
+        })
+        .catch(failTest)
+        .then(done);
+    });
+
     it('puts plot backgrounds behind everything except if they overlap', function(done) {
         function checkBGLayers(behindCount, x2y2Count) {
             expect(gd.querySelectorAll('.bglayer rect.bg').length).toBe(behindCount);