Editing Angels Flight

{{Short description|Funicular railway in Los Angeles, California}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{For-multi|the funicular on Santa Catalina Island|Island Mountain Railway|the Michael Connelly novel|Angels Flight (novel)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
 | name = Angels Flight Railway
 | image = Angels Flight after reopening in September 2017.jpg
 | caption = Angels Flight in 2017
 | location = Hill Street, [[Los Angeles, California]]
 | coordinates = {{coord|34|3|4.82|N|118|15|0.76|W|region:US-CA_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
 | locmapin = USA Los Angeles Metropolitan Area#California#USA
 | built = 1901
 | architect = Merceau Bridge & Construction Co.<br>[[Train & Williams]]
 | architecture = [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]]
 | added = October 13, 2000<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a|dateform=mdy}}</ref>
 | designated_other1 = Los Angeles
 | designated_other1_date = August 6, 1962<ref name="LAHCM-1962">{{cite web |url = http://www.preservation.lacity.org/commission/history |title = History of the Cultural Heritage Commission |access-date = June 8, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100916060240/http://preservation.lacity.org/commission/history |archive-date = September 16, 2010 }}</ref>
 | designated_other1_number = 4
 | refnum = 00001168<ref>{{cite web|title=California SP Angels Flight Railway|publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]] – [[National Park Service]]|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858921|date=August 30, 2000}}</ref>
 | website = {{URL|angelsflight.org}}
}}

'''Angels Flight''' is a landmark and historic {{track gauge|2ft6in|lk=on}} [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow-gauge]] [[funicular]] railway in the [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California|Bunker Hill]] district of [[Downtown Los Angeles|Downtown Los Angeles, California]]. It has two funicular cars, named ''Olivet'' and ''Sinai'', that run in opposite directions on a shared cable. The tracks cover a distance of {{convert| 298 | ft |m}} over a vertical gain of {{convert| 96 | ft |m}}.<ref name=Nelson>{{cite news |first1 = Laura J. |last1 = Nelson |first2 = Hailey |last2 = Branson-Potts |name-list-style=amp|date = July 23, 2015 |newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]] |url = https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-angels-flight-20150724-story.html |title = L.A. Business and Cultural Leaders Want to See an Angels Flight Plan}}</ref>

The funicular has operated on two different sites, using the same cars and station elements. The original location, with trackage along the side of [[Third Street (Los Angeles)|Third Street]] Tunnel and connecting [[Hill Street (Los Angeles)|Hill Street]] and Olive Street, operated from 1901 until 1969, when its site was cleared for redevelopment.

The current location opened half a block south of the original location in 1996, mid-block between 3rd and 4th Streets, with tracks connecting Hill Street and [[California Plaza]].<ref name=Nelson /> It was shut down in 2001 following a fatal accident and reopened in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Angels Flight Rides Again |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-angels-flight16-2010mar16,0,814117.story |access-date=March 18, 2010 |date=March 15, 2010 |last=DiMassa |first=Cara Mia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322191030/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-angels-flight16-2010mar16%2C0%2C814117.story |archive-date=March 22, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was closed again during June and July 2011, and then again after a [[#2013 accident|minor derailment incident]] in September 2013. The investigation of this latter incident led to the discovery of potentially serious safety problems in both the design and the operation of the funicular.<ref name="Schaefer">{{cite news |first = Samantha |last = Schaefer |title = Angels Flight Car Comes off Track, Stranding Australian Tourist |date = September 5, 2013 |url = https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-angels-flight-20130906,0,3692857.story |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |access-date = September 6, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="NTSB2013" />

Before the 2013 service suspension, the cost of a one-way ride was 50 cents (25 cents for [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|Metro]] pass holders). Although it was marketed primarily as a tourist novelty, it was frequently used by local workers to travel between the Downtown Historic Core and Bunker Hill. In 2015, the executive director of the nearby [[REDCAT]] arts center described the railroad as an important "economic link," and there was pressure for the city to fund and re-open the railroad.<ref name=Nelson /> After safety enhancements were completed, Angels Flight reopened for public service in August 2017, charging $1 for a one-way ride (50 cents for [[Transit Access Pass|TAP]] card users).<ref name="LAT-2017-08-25" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Angels Flight Railway |url=https://angelsflight.org/ |publisher=Angels Flight Railway Company |access-date=May 30, 2018}}</ref>

==History==
===Original location===
Angels Flight [[funicular]] was built as the "Los Angeles Incline Railway" in 1901, with financing from [[J. W. Eddy]].  It began at the west corner of Hill Street at Third, and ran for two blocks uphill (northwestward) to its Olive Street terminus. The service consisted of two vermillion "boarding stations" and two cars, named ''Sinai'' and ''Olivet'', alternately pulled up the steep incline by metal cables powered by engines at the upper Olive Street station. The downhill car descended by gravity alone.<ref name=lat-2011jan07>{{cite news |url = http://framework.latimes.com/2011/01/07/angels-flights-first-opening/#/0 |title = Angels Flight's First Opening |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = January 7, 2011 |first = Scott |last = Harrison }}</ref><ref name=lat-1902jan01>{{cite news |title = Mayor Snyder's Ascent of the 'Angels' Flight' |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = January 1, 1902 |page = 12 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/164050049 |url-access=subscription |id={{ProQuest|164050049}}}}</ref><ref name=lat-1901nov21>{{cite news |title = Up Again, Down Again: It Will Take Two Minutes, Perhaps Three, for the Round Trip on the Angels' Flight |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = November 21, 1901 |page = 11 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/164065668 |url-access=subscription |id={{ProQuest|164065668}}}}</ref><ref name=lah-1902jan01>{{cite news |url = http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19020101.2.179 |title = Angels' Flight Publicly Opened: Novel Enterprise Is Visited by City Officials Mayor Snyder Makes a Speech Congratulating Colonel Eddy Upon His Scheme to Afford Transportation for Residents of the Hill Section |newspaper = [[Los Angeles Herald]] |date = January 1, 1902 |volume = 29 |number = 92 |page = 9 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |via = [[California Digital Newspaper Collection]] }}</ref> An archway labeled "Angels Flight" greeted passengers on the Hill Street entrance, which became the official name of the railway in 1912 when the Funding Company of California purchased it from its founders.<ref name="Angels Flight 1961. p. 16">{{cite book |title = Angels Flight: A California Heritage |first = Walt |last = Wheelock |publisher = La Siesta Press |location = Glendale, CA |year = 1961 |page = 16 }}</ref>

The original Angels Flight was a conventional funicular, with both cars connected to the same haulage cable and no [[track brake]]s in case of cable failure; a separate safety cable would be activated in a break. It operated for 68 years with a good safety record,<ref name=ntsbrep>{{cite web |author = National Transportation Safety Board |url = https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2003/RAR0303.pdf |title = Uncontrolled Movement, Collision, and Passenger Fatality on the Angels Flight Railway in Los Angeles, California |date = February 1, 2001 |publisher = National Transportation Safety Board |access-date = January 22, 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111022062451/https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2003/RAR0303.pdf |archive-date = October 22, 2011 }}</ref> with three notable incidents: a derailment with a single female passenger in 1913, a sleeping salesman being dragged several yards by a car in 1937, and a sailor walking up the tracks being killed in 1943.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.onbunkerhill.org/angelsflight/|title=Angels Flight/|date=March 29, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="Angels Flight 1961. p. 16" />

A total of seven companies operated the railroad at its original location. In 1912 Colonel Eddy sold it to the Funding Company of Los Angeles, which sold it to Continental Securities Company in 1914. Robert W. Moore, an engineer for Continental Securities, and the railway's general manager since 1914, purchased the line in 1946. In 1952, Moore retired, and sold Angels Flight to Lester B. Moreland, an electrical engineer with the [[Los Angeles Department of Water and Power]], and Byron Linville, a prominent banker at Security First National Bank. Moore had gotten to know Moreland and Linville over his many years and believed the pair were earnest about preserving the history of the railway and capably maintaining its operation. The following year Moreland's family bought out Linville's interest and became sole stockholder.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Angels Flight® |url=https://www.angelsflight.org/history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240328071443/https://www.angelsflight.org/history/ |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |access-date=March 28, 2024 |website=Angels Flight® Railway}}</ref> In 1962 condemnation proceedings instigated by Los Angeles forced Moreland to sell to the city, whose redevelopment agency hired Oliver & Williams Elevator Company to run the line until it was shut down on May 18, 1969. Dismantling began the following day, and the cars were hauled off to a warehouse. The railroad's arch, station house, drinking fountain, and other artifacts were taken to an outdoor storage yard in [[Gardena, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.angelsflight.org/history/|title=History of Angels Flight®}}</ref>

In November 1952, the Beverly Hills Parlor of the [[Native Daughters of the Golden West]] erected a plaque to commemorate fifty years of service by the railway. The plaque reads:<ref>{{cite book |title = Angels Flight: A California Heritage |first = Walt |last = Wheelock |publisher = La Siesta Press |location = Glendale, CA |year = 1961 |page = 20 }}</ref>

{{blockquote|text=Built in 1901 by Colonel J. W. Eddy, lawyer, engineer, and friend of President [[Abraham Lincoln]], Angels Flight is said to be the world's shortest incorporated railway. The counterbalanced cars, controlled by cables, travel a 33 percent grade for 315 feet. It is estimated that Angels Flight has carried more passengers per mile than any other railway in the world, over a hundred million in its first fifty years. This incline railway is a public utility operating under a franchise granted by the City of Los Angeles.}}

In 1962, the city's new Cultural Heritage Board (today its Cultural Heritage Commission) designated five sites it regarded as "threatened" as [[Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument]]s, with Angel's Flight listed as [[List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Downtown Los Angeles#Current and former Historic-Cultural Monuments|No. 4]].<ref name="LAHCM-1962" />

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
Angelsflight1903.jpg|Low end view of the original Angels Flight with [[3rd Street, Los Angeles|the 3rd Street Tunnel]] and an observation tower, {{circa|1905}}.
AngelsFlight.jpg|Low end view of the original Angels Flight with the 3rd Street Tunnel, 1960.
Joseph M. Cooper operates Angels Flight in Los Angeles, Calif., 1960.jpg|Joseph M. Cooper operating an Angels Flight car, 1960.
SidKastnerAngelsFlight.jpg|Sid Kastner standing on ''Sinai'' in front of "The Bandstand," where the two funicular cars were stored, 1969.
</gallery>

===Dismantling===
[[File:Angel's Flight sign May 1969.jpg|thumb|left|A sign posted before the railway was closed, 1969.]]
The railway was closed on May 17<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ramsey |first=Gordon S. |title=Angel's Flight |date=July 1969 |magazine=[[Pacific RailNews|Pacific News]] |issue=93 |page=14 |url=http://magazine.trainlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/pne_196907.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724074700/http://magazine.trainlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/pne_196907.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2022 |url-status=dead |issn=0030-879X}}</ref> or May 18, 1969,<ref name=lat-1969may12>{{cite news |title = Angels Flight Now Running Out Its Last Few Journeys: Angels Flight Making Last Runs This Week |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = May 12, 1969 |page = OC_A1 |last = Hebert |first = Ray |url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/156260696 |url-access=subscription |id={{ProQuest|156260696}}}}</ref><ref name=lat-1969may13>{{cite news |title = Angels Flight: End of an Era |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = May 13, 1969 |page = A8 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/156212447 |url-access=subscription |id={{ProQuest|156212447}}}}</ref> when the Bunker Hill area underwent a [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles#Bunker Hill Redevelopment Project|controversial total redevelopment]], which destroyed and displaced a community of almost 22,000 working-class families who were renting rooms in architecturally significant but run-down buildings; the demolished residences were replaced with a contemporary mixed-use district of high-rise commercial buildings and modern apartment and condominium complexes. Both of the Angels Flight cars, ''Sinai'' and ''Olivet'', were then placed in storage at 1200 S. Olive Street, Los Angeles. This was the location of Sid and Linda Kastner's United Business Interiors. At this location, the Kastners maintained "The Bandstand," a private museum. The Bandstand featured antique, coin-operated musical instruments where one of the cars (''Sinai'') was on display in the museum. ''Olivet'' was stored in the garage of the building. They were stored at this location for 27 years at no charge in anticipation of the railway's restoration and reopening, which according to the city's Redevelopment Agency, was originally slated to take place within two years.

===Reconstruction===
After being stored for 27 years, the funicular was rebuilt and reopened by the newly formed Angels Flight Railway Foundation on February 24, 1996, half a block south of the original site.<ref name=lat-1996feb25>{{cite news |url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-02-25-me-39843-story.html |title = Maiden Voyage: Historic Angels Flight Railway Reopens to Public With Plenty of Revelry and a Wisp of Nostalgia |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = February 25, 1996 |last = Gordon |first = Larry }}</ref> Although the original cars, ''Sinai'' and ''Olivet'', were used, a new track and haulage system was designed and built—a redesign which had unfortunate consequences five years later. As rebuilt, the funicular retained its general {{convert|300|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} length and approximately 33% [[Grade (slope)|grade]].

As with the original line, car movement was controlled by an operator inside the upper station house, who was responsible for visually determining that the track and vehicles were clear for movement, closing the platform gates, starting the cars moving, monitoring the operation of the funicular cars, observing car stops at both stations, and collecting fares from passengers. The cars themselves did not carry any staff members.<ref name="ntsbrep" /> Angels Flight was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on October 13, 2000.

===2001 accident===
[[File:Angels Flight.jpg|thumb|Low end view of Angels Flight during closure period while cars were placed in storage after an accident, 2004.]]
On February 1, 2001, Angels Flight had a serious accident when car ''Sinai'', approaching the upper station, instead rolled downhill uncontrollably, and collided into ''Olivet'' near the lower station. The accident killed an 83-year-old man, injured his wife and seven others, and caused serious damage to the funicular.

The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) conducted an investigation into the accident, and determined that the probable cause was the improper design and construction of the [[funicular]] drive, and the failure of the various regulatory bodies to ensure that the railway system conformed to initial safety design specifications and known funicular safety standards. The NTSB further remarked that the company that designed and built the drive, control, braking, and haul systems, [[Lift Engineering]]/Yantrak, was no longer in business, and that the whereabouts of the company's principal was unknown.<ref name="ntsbrep" />

Unlike the original design, which had a safety cable, track brakes, and the cars connected to one-another to counter-balance their loads, the new arrangement used a separate haulage system for each car, with its drive motor connected to its [[service brake]] by a [[gear train]]. When ''Sinai's'' gear train failed it had no service brake or balancing load, either of which would have prevented the accident.  Compounding this, [[Emergency brake (train)|emergency brakes]] that acted on the rim of each haulage drum were inoperative on both cars due to inadequate maintenance. The NTSB was unable to identify another funicular worldwide that operated without either a safety cable or track brakes.<ref name="ntsbrep" />

Records indicate that the emergency brake had been inoperative for 17 to 26 months following the mis-installation of a normally closed [[hydraulic]] [[solenoid valve]] in place of a normally open one, which had burned out.

During the period that the emergency braking system was not operating, the braking system was tested daily – using a faulty methodology which engaged the service brake and emergency brake simultaneously, leaving no way to tell if the emergency brake was functioning without looking at the [[brake pad]]s or hydraulic [[pressure gauge]]s during the test. It was always performed with the ''Sinai'' car traveling uphill, which meant that when the power was cut and the brakes applied (as part of the test), ''Sinai''{{'}}s momentum caused the car to continue moving uphill a short distance (slackening the cable) and then to roll back from gravity, jerking the cable tight.

If the emergency brakes had been functional, they would have caught the car when the cable snapped tight, but without them the force of the daily jerk caused by the test was directed through the gear train's [[Spline (mechanical)|spline]] (that ultimately failed) and then to the service brake. In addition, it was found that the original design called for the spline to be made of [[American Iron and Steel Institute|AISI]] 1018 steel on one drawing and of AISI 8822 steel on a different one, but it is unlikely that this ambiguity in the design contributed to the accident.<ref name=consultantsbureau>{{cite web |url = http://www.consultantsbureau.com/angel_flight_accident.htm |title = Angels Flight Accident |website = Consultants' Bureau |publisher = Kashar Technical Services |access-date = December 26, 2008 |date = May 3, 2007 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> }}</ref> However, regular analysis of gear box oil-samples was discontinued in May 1998, despite the company contracted to perform the tests advising that the rising particulate level in the samples warranted more frequent testing.<ref name="ntsbrep" />

Besides the design failures in the haulage system, the Angels Flight setup was also criticized by the NTSB for the lack of gates on the cars and the absence of a parallel walkway for emergency evacuation.

====Evaluation====
The death and injuries could have been avoided if any one of the following had taken place:<ref name="consultantsbureau" />{{dead link|date=July 2023}}
{{Flowlist|
*  The 1996 renovation had included installing track brakes or safety cables.
*  The biennial oil analysis tests had not been discontinued in May 1998 (which would have shown rising levels of particulate material in the oil, and may have caused a full inspection of the system to take place).
*  A single haulage system, similar to the first Angels Flight, had been used, rather than the system that had separate cables for each car.
*  The emergency brake hydraulic solenoid valve had been installed according to the design (as normally open). But if the brake fluid had been changed as instructed in the maintenance manual, this would not have happened.
*  The technician installing the solenoid had obtained a properly fitting part once he discovered the solenoid did not properly fit the valve, instead of forcing it in with a tool (the installed valve was a newer design, for which the older solenoid was dimensionally incompatible, and tool marks on the solenoid show that it was forced in).
*  The daily brake test had included testing the service brake and emergency brake separately, instead of testing them simultaneously (which made it impossible to confirm that they were both working).
*  The daily brake test procedure had included looking at the brake pads and the hydraulic pressure in the emergency brake system to confirm it was operating.
*  The pressure gauges for the hydraulic brake systems had been placed on the operator's control panel instead of in the equipment cabinet.
*  The daily brake test had involved applying the brakes more gradually, so that the up-hill-bound car would not have the momentum to produce slack in the cable and roll backwards, jerking the cable tight.
*  The splines (the part that failed) had been designed to be extraordinarily strong to withstand the excessive force that occurred when the brake test was performed while the emergency brake was inoperative (which resulted in the force of the cable being pulled tight to be directed to the service brake through the splines, rather than to the emergency brake, which was before the splines).}}

===Repair===
[[File:Angels flight los angeles.jpg|thumb|left|An Angels Flight car, 2008]]

On November 1, 2008, both of the repaired and restored Angels Flight cars, ''Sinai'' and ''Olivet'', were put back on their tracks, and on January 16, 2009, testing began on the railway.<ref>{{cite web |last = Alossi |first = Rich |title = History in Motion: Angels Flight Takes Off! |publisher = angelinic |date = January 16, 2009 |url = http://www.angelenic.com/6656/history-in-motion-angels-flight-takes-off/ |access-date = January 17, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090122201436/http://www.angelenic.com/6656/history-in-motion-angels-flight-takes-off/ |archive-date = January 22, 2009 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref name=GSS>{{cite web |url = http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/3622.php |title = Angels Flight |publisher = Glass Steel and Stone |access-date = November 14, 2008 |url-status = usurped |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100115115657/http://glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/3622.php |archive-date = January 15, 2010 }}</ref> On November 20, 2009, another step in the approval process was achieved.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://la.curbed.com/tags/angels-flight |title=Angels Flight |work=Curbed Los Angeles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724092340/http://la.curbed.com/tags/angels-flight |archive-date=July 24, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2015|ambiguous as this is just a list of posts.What is the step anyway?}} Finally, on March 10, 2010, the [[California Public Utilities Commission]] (CPUC) approved the safety certificate for the railroad to begin operating again.<ref>{{cite news |last = DiMassa |first = Cara Mia |title = Nine Years After Fatal Accident, Angels Flight Rail Line Receives Safety Certificate |date = March 10, 2010 |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/nine-years-after-fatal-accident-angels-flight-rail-lines-receives-safety-certificate.html |access-date = March 14, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100415015622/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/nine-years-after-fatal-accident-angels-flight-rail-lines-receives-safety-certificate.html |archive-date = April 15, 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Angels Flight Railway Gets PUC Safety OK |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-angels-flight11-2010mar11,0,4881940.story |access-date=March 14, 2010 |date=March 11, 2010 |last=DiMassa |first=Cara Mia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415024323/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-angels-flight11-2010mar11%2C0%2C4881940.story |archive-date=April 15, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The new drive and safety system completely replaced the faulty system that was the cause of the fatal 2001 accident. Like the original Angels Flight design and most traditional funicular systems, the new drive system incorporates a single main haulage cable, with one car attached to each end. Also like the original design, a second safety cable is utilized. To further enhance safety, unlike the original design, each car now has a rail brake system, as a backup to the main backup emergency brakes on each bull-wheel. Another added safety feature is an independent evacuation motor to move the cars should the main motor fail for any reason.<ref>{{cite press release |publisher = Angels Flight Railway Foundation |date = March 15, 2010 |title = Historic Angels Flight Railway Reopens |url = http://www.lunaglushon.com/files/Docs/press_release.pdf |access-date = June 21, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120304125743/http://www.lunaglushon.com/files/Docs/press_release.pdf |archive-date = March 4, 2012 }}</ref>

===Reopening and temporary closing===
[[File:AngelsFlightInterior.jpg|thumb|The interior of a renovated Angels Flight car, 2010]]

Angels Flight reopened to the public for riding on March 15, 2010, and local media covered the event with interest.<ref>{{cite news |title = Angels Flight to Reopen Monday |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/angels-flight-to-reopen-monday.html |access-date = March 14, 2010 |date = March 14, 2010 |last = Cart |first = Julie }}</ref> Only a month after re-opening, Angels Flight had had over 59,000 riders.<ref>{{cite web |title = Angels Flight Hits Nearly 60,000 Riders |newspaper = [[Los Angeles Downtown News]] |url = http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2010/04/27/news/doc4bc8d62b3347a848880279.txt |access-date = April 27, 2010 |date = April 16, 2010 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> }}</ref> It connected the [[Historic Core, Los Angeles|Historic Core and Broadway commercial district]] with the hilltop [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles|Bunker Hill California Plaza]] urban park and the [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles|Museum of Contemporary Art – MOCA]]. The cost of a one-way ride at that time was 50 cents (25 cents with TAP card).

On June 10, 2011, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered Angels Flight to immediately cease operations due to wear on its cars' fifteen-year-old wheels. Inspectors determined they needed replacing.<ref>{{cite news |title = Angels Flight, Halted, Awaits New Wheels |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |url = https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-angels-flight-20110611,0,6815724.story?track=rss |access-date = June 11, 2011 |date = June 11, 2011 |last = Knoll |first = Corina }}</ref> The railway reopened on July 5, 2011, after eight new custom-made wheels were installed.<ref>{{cite news |title = Angels Flight Railway Reopens After Safety Shutdown |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/angels-flight-railway-reopened.html |access-date = July 5, 2011 |date = July 5, 2011 |last = Barboza |first = Tony }}</ref>

===2013 accident===
On September 5, 2013, one car derailed near the middle of the guideway. One passenger was on board the derailed car, and five passengers were on board the other car. Although there were no injuries, passengers had to be rescued from the cars by firefighters. The brake safety system had been "intentionally" bypassed using a small tree branch.<ref name=Nelson /><ref name="NTSB2013">{{cite web |author = National Transportation Safety Board |url = https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RAB1402.pdf |title = Railroad Accident Brief: Angels Flight Railway Derailment |id = Accident No. DCA13FR011 |publisher = National Transportation Safety Board |date = June 23, 2014 |author-link = National Transportation Safety Board }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Schaefer |first1 = Samantha |last2 = Mather |first2 = Kate |last3 = Gold |first3 = Scott |name-list-style=amp|url = https://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/11/local/la-me-1012-angels-flight-20131012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131110200141/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/11/local/la-me-1012-angels-flight-20131012 |url-status = dead |archive-date = November 10, 2013 |title = Angels Flight Has Had a Long, Bumpy Track Record |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = October 11, 2013 |access-date = July 31, 2014 }}</ref> A 2014 brief by the NTSB said that the "probable cause of the September 5, 2013, accident was the intentional bypass of the funicular safety system with Angels Flight management knowledge; and Angels Flight management continuation of revenue operations despite prolonged, and repeated, unidentified system safety shutdowns." The NTSB also noted a problem with the basic design: "The car body and the wheel-axle assembly are not articulated." The passing section of the track involves a short turning section, which allows the cars to pass each other. The axles did not turn to follow the track, resulting in the wheel flanges grinding against the rail, causing excessive wheel wear. This problem, combined with safety system problems which caused unwanted track brake deployment, resulted in a derailment.<ref name="NTSB2013" />

===2017 reopening===
Plans to bring the railway back into service began in January 2017.<ref>{{cite news |first = Laura J. |last = Nelson |url = https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-angels-flight-20170301-story.html |title = Angels Flight Expected to Reopen by Labor Day, Officials Say |work = Los Angeles Times |date = March 1, 2017 |access-date = March 1, 2017 }}</ref> Safety upgrades were made to the doors of the cars, and an evacuation walkway was added adjacent to the track. These enhancements were made by ACS Infrastructure Development and SENER through an agreement with Angels Flight Railway Foundation, in exchange for a share of the funicular's revenue over the next three decades. Angels Flight reopened for public service on August 31, 2017.<ref name="LAT-2017-08-25">{{cite web |first=Laura J.|last=Nelson |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-angels-flight-20170825-story.html |title=Angels Flight, closed since 2013, will reopen Thursday |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 25, 2017 |access-date=August 31, 2017}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
===Film, television, and video===
Angels Flight has appeared in more than 100 films.<ref name=discoverla>{{cite web|url=https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/visit/angels-flight-the-story-of-an-la-icon|title=Angels Flight: The story of an L.A. icon|date=May 18, 2023|publisher=Discover Los Angeles|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref> Angels Flight's earliest appearance on film is believed to be ''Their Ups and Downs'' (1914), starring [[Eddie Lyons]], [[Victoria Forde]], and [[Lee Moran]]. Other early appearances include: ''Good Night, Nurse!'' (1916), ''[[All Jazzed Up]]'' (1920), ''[[The Impatient Maiden]]'' (1932), ''[[The Unfaithful (1947 film)|The Unfaithful]]'' (1940), ''[[Hollow Triumph]]'' (1948), ''[[M (1951 film)|M]]'' (1951), ''[[The Turning Point (1952 film)|The Turning Point]]'' (1952), ''[[Cry of the Hunted]]'' (1953), ''Bunker Hill: A Tale of Urban Renewal'' (1956), ''[[The Exiles (1961 film)|The Exiles]]'' (1961), ''[[The Money Trap]]'' (1965),<ref name=jimdawsonbook>{{cite web|url=http://www.electricearl.com/af/|title=Angels Flight goes to the movies|publisher=Electric Earl|last=Dawson|first=Jim|year=2008|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref> ''Angel's Flight'' (1965),<ref>{{cite web |title=Angel's Flight (1965) |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/55923 |website=AFI CATALOG OF FEATURE FILMS |access-date=August 8, 2021}}</ref> and ''[[They Came to Rob Las Vegas]]'' (1968).{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} It appeared as a landmark rather than an active filming location in the ''[[Night Has a Thousand Eyes]]'' (1948), ''[[Criss Cross (film)|Criss Cross]]'' (1949),<ref name=jimdawsonbook/> ''[[The Glenn Miller Story]]'' (1954), ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]'' (1955), ''[[Indestructible Man]]'' (1956), and ''[[The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies]]'' (1963).<ref name=jimdawsonbook/> ''Angels Flight Railway'' (1969)<ref>{{cite web |url = https://angelsflight.org/portfolio/edpenneydocumentary/ |title = Angels Flight |publisher = Angels Flight Railway Foundation (copy of original video) |access-date = January 8, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170108190340/https://angelsflight.org/portfolio/edpenneydocumentary/ |archive-date = January 8, 2017 |url-status = dead }}</ref> and ''The Last Day of Angels Flight'' (1969) both center on the railway's closure in 1969.<ref name=jimdawsonbook/> It closed again in 2013, but reopened for a single day to serve as a filming location for ''[[La La Land (film)|La La Land]]'' (2016), after which safety officials barred it from use as a filming location.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/angels-flight-cameo-is-a-no-no/article_54745b3c-b016-11e6-a4e1-2f30aa74eea5.html|title=Angels Flight Cameo Is a No-No|last=Kim|first=Eddie|date=November 22, 2016|publisher=Downtown Los Angeles|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/movies/la-la-land-stars-ryan-gosling-emma-stone-and-los-angeles.html|title=L.A. Transcendental: How 'La La Land' Chases the Sublime|last=Murphy|first=Mekado|date=November 6, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref> It was reopened for public use in 2017, and can be seen in ''[[The Saint (2017 film)|The Saint]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.netflix.com/title/80160346|title=The Saint|via=Netflix|access-date=March 22, 2020|archive-date=March 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322022254/https://www.netflix.com/title/80160346|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2569088/|title=The Saint|publisher=IMDb}}</ref>

The railway is present in a 1953 episode of ''[[Boston Blackie]],''{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} and in the only color episode<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.looper.com/235843/the-untold-truth-of-perry-mason/|title=The Untold Truth Of Perry Mason|date=September 30, 2022|last=Boone|first=Brian|publisher=Looper|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref> of the original ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'', "[[List of Perry Mason episodes#ep262|The Case of the Twice-Told Twist]]" in 1966.<ref name=architecturaldigest>{{cite web|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/perry-mason-television-lawyer-hbo-set-design-interview|title=Perry Mason Reimagines the World of the Legendary Television Lawyer|last=Whitlock|first=Cathy|date=June 22, 2020|publisher=Architectural Digest|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref><ref name=jimdawsonbook/> It also appears in the [[Amazon Studios]] show ''[[Bosch (TV series)|Bosch]]'' (2018), which is based on [[Michael Connelly|Michael Connelly's]] book ''[[Angels Flight (novel)|Angels Flight]]''.<ref name="deadline">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/02/bosch-renewed-season-5-eric-overmyer-back-co-showrunner-amazon-season-4-premiere-date-trailer-1202287042/|title='Bosch' Renewed For Season 5 By Amazon; Eric Overmyer Back As Co-Showrunner; Season 4 Gets Premiere Date & Trailer|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=February 13, 2018|access-date=February 14, 2018}}</ref><ref name=discoverla/>

Other television show appearances include: in the 1969 episode "[[Dragnet (1967 series) (season 3)#ep61|Narcotics DR-21]]"{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} of ''[[Dragnet (franchise)|Dragnet]]'',<ref name=discoverla/> ''[[The Biggest Loser (American TV series)|The Biggest Loser]]'' (2010),<ref name=discoverla/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/news/2010/11/23/biggest-loser-season-10/17927339007/|title="The Biggest Loser" Season 10 Week 10 recap: New clothes, new hair...same story|date=November 22, 2010|last=Wielgus|first=Jen|publisher=PhillyBurbs.com|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref> ''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'' (2010), and in the ''[[Runaways (TV series)|Runaways]]'' episode "Old School" (2018).{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} The original Angels Flight is featured in the [[Perry Mason (2020 TV series)|''Perry Mason'']] remake (2020).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Victoria|date=June 24, 2020|title=The landmark Angels Flight railway is a pivotal set in Perry Mason|url=http://www.angelsflight.org/the-landmark-angels-flight-railway-is-a-pivotal-set-in-perry-mason/|access-date=July 5, 2020|website=Angels Flight® Railway|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=architecturaldigest/>

Angels Flight appears as an interactive component of the video games ''[[Tony Hawk's American Wasteland]]'' (2005){{citation needed|date=May 2023}} and ''[[L.A. Noire]]'' (2011).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/la-noire-landmark-locations-star-maps-4764|title=LA Noire Landmark locations: Where to find all 30 places of interest and unlock the Star Maps Trophy|last=Hall|first=Mat|date=October 19, 2020|publisher=Eurogamer|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref>

===Literature, visual arts, and music===
The first{{citation needed|date=October 2019}} book to be named ''Angel's Flight'' in reference to the railway was [[Don Ryan (author)|Don Ryan's]] 1927 novel. It is used by characters in [[Raymond Chandler]]'s<ref name=latimes>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-cl-16013-story.html|title='Outsiders' at Heart of L.A. Literature|last=Kirsch|first=Jonathna|date=September 6, 2000|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref> ''[[The King in Yellow#Literature|The King in Yellow]]'' (1938) and ''[[The High Window]]'' (1942); in [[Michael Connelly]]'s 1999 ''[[Angels Flight (novel)|Angels Flight]]''; and in  [[Nick Carter-Killmaster|Nick Carter]]'s 1967 ''[[The Red Guard (novel)|The Red Guard]]''. The railway is illustrated and at the center of events in ''Piccolo's Prank'' by [[Leo Politi]]. [[Millard Sheets]]' 1931 oil painting ''Angel's Flight'', which shows two young women on the looking down from the upper platform, is in the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]]'s permanent collection.

[[David Woodard]] composed "An Elegy for Two Angels" (2001) in honor of Leon Praport, the sole person killed in the 2001 accident. Praport's wife, who survived the derailing, received an autographed [[Sheet music|score]].<ref>{{cite news |last = Reich |first = Kenneth |url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-mar-16-me-38541-story.html |title = Family to Sue City, Firms Over Angels Flight Death |work = Los Angeles Times |date = March 16, 2001 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author-link = Jim Dawson |last = Dawson |first = Jim |title = Los Angeles's Angeles Flight |page = 125 |date = 2008 |publisher = [[Arcadia Publishing]] |location = Mt. Pleasant, SC |isbn = 978-0-7385-5812-7 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=atjZV-x4D4YC&pg=PA125 |via = [[Google Books]] }}</ref> The funicular is referenced in "L.A. (My Town)" by [[Four Tops]] (1970),<ref>{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Aaron |title=Genius Lyric Annotation: "L.A. (My Town)" by the Four Tops |url=https://genius.com/14319560 |website=Genius}}</ref> "Strange Season" by [[Michael Penn]] (1992), and "Aquatic Mouth Dance" by the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] (2022). The music video for "[[Icy (Itzy song)|Icy]]" (2019) by [[ITZY]] contains dance scenes inside the Angels Flight. Michael Penn's album ''[[Free-for-All (Michael Penn album)|Free-for-All]]'' (2019) shows Angels Flight on the cover.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

==See also==
* [[Angels Landing (Los Angeles)]] (adjacent)
* [[List of funicular railways]]
* [[List of heritage railroads in the United States]]
* [[List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Downtown Los Angeles]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Angels Flight}}
* {{Oweb|//www.angelsflight.org/}}
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/index.html memory.loc.gov. Official L.o.C. HABS/HAER/HALS website]

{{Downtown Los Angeles}}
{{Greater Los Angeles Area Public Transit}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1901 establishments in California]]
[[Category:2 ft 6 in gauge railways in the United States]]
[[Category:Bunker Hill, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Cableways on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Funicular railways in the United States]]
[[Category:Heritage railroads in California]]
[[Category:History of Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Public transportation in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Rail infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places in California]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Transportation in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1901]]