![Angels Flight](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Angels_Flight.jpg)
Angels Flight is a landmark and historic
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
funicular
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...
railway in the
Bunker Hill district of
Downtown Los Angeles, California
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...
. It has two funicular cars, named ''Olivet'' and ''Sinai'', that run in opposite directions on a shared cable. The tracks cover a distance of over a vertical gain of .
The funicular has operated on two different sites, using the same cars and station elements. The original Angels Flight location, with trackage along the side of
Third Street Tunnel and connecting
Hill Street and Olive Street, operated from 1901 until it was closed in 1969, when its site was cleared for redevelopment.
The second Angels Flight location opened one half block south of the original location in 1996, mid-block between 3rd and 4th Streets, with tracks connecting Hill Street and
California Plaza.
It was shut down in 2001, following a
fatal accident
An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not directly caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that nobody should be blamed, but the event may have been caused by unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Most researcher ...
, and took nine years to commence operations again. The railroad restarted operations on March 15, 2010. It was closed again from June 10, 2011 to July 5, 2011, and then again after a
minor derailment incident on September 5, 2013. The investigation of this 2013 incident led to the discovery of potentially serious safety problems in both the design and the operation of the funicular.
Before the 2013 service suspension, the cost of a one-way ride was 50 cents (25 cents for
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
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.
After safety enhancements were completed, Angels Flight reopened for public service on August 31, 2017, now charging $1 for a one-way ride (50 cents for
TAP card users).
Original location
Built in 1901 with financing from Colonel
J.W. Eddy, as the "Los Angeles Incline Railway", Angels Flight began at the west corner of Hill Street at Third and ran for two blocks uphill (northwestward) to its Olive Street terminus. Angels Flight consisted of two vermillion "boarding stations" and two cars, named ''Sinai'' and ''Olivet'', pulled up the steep incline by metal cables powered by engines at the upper Olive Street station. As one car ascended, the other descended, carried down by gravity.
[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
.[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
. An archway labeled "Angels Flight" greeted passengers on the Hill Street entrance, and this name became the official name of the railway in 1912 when the Funding Company of California purchased the railway from its founders.
The original Angels Flight was a conventional
funicular
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...
, with both cars connected to the same haulage cable. Unlike more modern funiculars it did not have
track brake
A magnetic track brake (Mg brake) is a brake for rail vehicles. It consists of brake magnets, pole shoes, a suspension, a power transmission and, in the case of mainline railroads, a track rod. When current flows through the magnet coil, the ma ...
s for use in the event of cable breakage, but it did have a separate safety cable which would come into play in case of breakage of the main cable. It operated for 68 years with a good safety record,
with three notable exceptions: in 1913 a derailment occurred whereby a car was jumped and one lady with it, in 1937 when a sleeping salesman was dragged several yards by the car, and a fatal accident in 1943 when a pedestrian walking up the tracks was killed.
During operation in its original location, the railroad was owned and operated by six additional companies following Colonel Eddy. In 1912 Eddy sold the railroad to Funding Company of Los Angeles who in turn sold it to Continental Securities Company in 1914. Robert W. Moore, an engineer for Continental Securities, purchased Angels Flight in 1946. In 1952 Lester B. Moreland and Byron Linville, a prominent banker at Security First National Bank, purchased it from Moore and the following year Lester B. Moreland's family purchased Byron Linville's interest in the Railway, becoming sole stockholder. In 1962 the city forced Moreland to sell though condemnation and the city's redevelopment agency hired Oliver & Williams Elevator Company to run it until it was shut down on May 18, 1969. The following day the dismantling began and the cars were hauled away to be stored in a warehouse. The railroad's arch, station house, drinking fountain, and other artifacts were taken to an outdoor storage yard in
Gardena, California
Gardena is a city located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census. ...
.
The only fatality that involved the original Angels Flight occurred in the autumn of 1943, when a sailor attempting to walk up the track itself was crushed beneath one of the cars.
In November 1952, the Beverly Hills Parlor of the
Native Daughters of the Golden West
Native Daughters of the Golden West is an American non-profit organization for women born in California. The organization focuses on the care and preservation of California history. It is the sister organization to the Native Sons of the Golden We ...
erected a plaque to commemorate fifty years of service by the railway. The plaque reads:
In 1962, at its first meeting, the city's new Cultural Heritage Board designated Angels Flight a
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.
History
The Historic-Cult ...
(No. 4), along with four other locations. Los Angeles was early in enacting preservation laws, and the first sites chosen each were "considered threatened to some extent," according to the history of the board, now the Cultural Heritage Commission.
Dismantling
![Angel%27s Flight sign May 1969](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Angel%27s_Flight_sign_May_1969.jpg)
The railway was closed on May 18, 1969
[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
.[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
.[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
. when the Bunker Hill area underwent a
controversial total redevelopment which destroyed and displaced a community of almost 22,000 working-class families renting rooms in architecturally significant but run-down buildings, to a modern 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.
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 was around 300 feet (90 meters) long on an approximately 33-percent
grade
Grade most commonly refers to:
* Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance
* Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage
* Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope
Grade or grading may also ref ...
.
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.
Angels Flight was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on October 13, 2000.
2001 accident
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 a tourist, 83-year-old Leon Praport, and injured seven others, including Praport's wife, Lola.
![Angels flight los angeles](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Angels_flight_los_angeles.jpg)
The
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...
(NTSB) conducted an investigation into the accident and determined that the probable cause was the improper design and construction of the Angels Flight 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
Yan Lift, incorporated as Lift Engineering & Mfg. Co., was a major ski lift manufacturer in North America. Founded in 1965 and based in Carson City, Nevada, the company built at least 200 fixed-grip chairlifts, as well as 31 high-speed quads. Th ...
/Yantrak, was no longer in business and that the whereabouts of the company's principal was unknown.
Unlike the original, the new funicular used two separate haulage systems (one for each car), with the two systems connected to each other, the drive motor, and the
service brake by a
gear train
A gear train is a mechanical system formed by mounting gears on a frame so the teeth of the gears engage.
Gear teeth are designed to ensure the pitch circles of engaging gears roll on each other without slipping, providing a smooth transmission ...
; it was the failure of this gear train that was the immediate cause of the accident since it effectively disconnected ''Sinai'' both from ''Olivet''s balancing load and from the service brake. There were
emergency brakes that acted on the rim of each haulage drum, but due to inadequate maintenance, the emergency brakes for both cars were inoperative, which left ''Sinai'' without any brakes once its physical connection to the service brake was lost. Contrary to what might be expected, the new funicular was constructed with neither safety cable nor track brakes, either of which would have prevented the accident; the NTSB was unable to identify another funicular worldwide that operated without either of these safety features.
![Angelsflight1903](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Angelsflight1903.jpg)
Records indicate that the
emergency brake had been inoperative for 17 to 26 months due to the fact that a normally closed
hydraulic
Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...
solenoid valve
A solenoid valve is an electromechanically operated valve.
Solenoid valves differ in the characteristics of the electric current they use, the strength of the magnetic field they generate, the mechanism they use to regulate the fluid, and the ty ...
had been placed in a location where the design called for a normally open valve and that its ill fitted solenoid was burned out.
During the 17 to 26 months that the emergency braking system was not operating, the braking system was tested daily, but since the service brake and emergency brake were tested simultaneously, there was no way to tell if the emergency brake was functioning without looking at the
brake pad Brake pads are a component of disc brakes used in automotive and other applications. Brake pads are composed of steel backing plates with friction material bound to the surface that faces the disc brake rotors.
Function
Brake pads convert the kin ...
s or hydraulic
pressure gauge
Pressure measurement is the measurement of an applied force by a fluid (liquid or gas) on a surface. Pressure is typically measured in units of force per unit of surface area. Many techniques have been developed for the measurement of pressur ...
s during the test. The test 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 ''Sinai'' when the cable snapped tight, but without the emergency brakes, the force of the jerk caused by the daily test was directed through the
spline (the part that failed) and to the service brake. In addition, it was found that the original design called for the spline to be made of
AISI 1018 steel on one drawing and of AISI 8822 steel on a different drawing, but it is unlikely that this ambiguity in the design contributed to the accident.
However, regular analysis of gear box oil-samples was discontinued in May 1998, despite the fact that the company performing the tests recommending that the rising particulate level in the oil samples warranted the test occurring more frequently.
The continued rising particulate level may have been in part caused by unusual wear of the splines. Continued testing could have resulted in an inspection to locate the cause of the unusual wear.Besides the design failures in the haulage system, the system was also criticised by the NTSB for the lack of gates on the cars and the absence of a parallel walkway for emergency evacuation. The funicular suffered serious damage in the accident.
Evaluation
The death and injuries could have been avoided if any one of the following had taken place:
Repair
![AngelsFlightInterior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/AngelsFlightInterior.jpg)
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.
On November 20, 2009, another step in the approval process was achieved. On March 10, 2010, the California Public Utilities Commission approved the safety certificate for the railroad to begin operating again.
The new drive and safety system completely replaced the system which 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.
Reopening and temporary closing
Angels Flight reopened to the public for riding on March 15, 2010. The local media covered the event with interest. Only a month after re-opening, Angels Flight had had over 59,000 riders. It connected the
Historic Core and Broadway commercial district with the hilltop
Bunker Hill California Plaza urban park and the
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 the steel wheels on the two cars. Inspectors determined that their fifteen-year-old wheels needed replacing. The railway reopened on July 5, 2011, after eight new custom-made steel wheels were installed on the two cars.
2013 accident
On September 5, 2013, one car
derail
A derail or derailer is a device used to prevent fouling (blocking or compromising) of a rail track (or collision with anything present on the track, such as a person, or a train) by unauthorized movements of trains or unattended rolling stock. ...
ed near the middle of the guideway. One passenger was on board the derailed car, and five passengers were on board the other car. 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.
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 do 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.
2017 reopening
Plans to bring the railway back into service began in January 2017. 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.
In arts and popular culture
Film and video
* Angels Flight's debut on film was probably ''
Good Night, Nurse!'' (1918), but it got its first real close-up in a 1920 one-reel comedy of errors, ''All Jazzed Up''.
* Angels Flight features in ''
The Impatient Maiden
''The Impatient Maiden'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by James Whale, starring Lew Ayres and Mae Clarke, and released by Universal Pictures. The screenplay was written by Richard Schayer and Winifred Dunn, based on the novel ...
'' (1932). The two female leads live in an apartment very near Angels Flight. The extended opening scene in the movie is set aboard an Angels Flight car, and in one interior apartment scene a set of lights are seen through a window ascending at a steep angle, depicting one of the Angels Flight cars moving upward.
* Angels Flight appears in the 1947 movie ''
The Unfaithful''. Actress Marta Mitrovich rides it from top to bottom at about the 24 minute mark of the movie.
* Angels Flight is seen during a street chase scene in the 1948 film ''
Hollow Triumph
''Hollow Triumph'' (working title ''The Man Who Murdered Himself'', reissued in the United States as ''The Scar'') is a 1948 American film noir crime film directed by Steve Sekely starring Paul Henreid, Joan Bennett and Leslie Brooks. It was rel ...
''. Paul Henreid's character kicks the man chasing him off the back of the car as it ascends.
* Angels Flight is featured in a 20-second sequence showing the two cars passing in the film ''
Night Has a Thousand Eyes
''Night Has a Thousand Eyes'' is a 1948 American horror film directed by John Farrow and starring Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell and John Lund. The screenplay was written by Barré Lyndon and Jonathan Latimer. The film is based on the nov ...
'' (1948).
* Angels Flight is seen at roughly 46 minutes in for about 8 seconds, one car going down and then the second car going up and passing the downward moving car as Van Heflin flees from Robert Ryan through night time Los Angeles in the film noir, ''
Act of Violence
''Act of Violence'' is a 1949 American film noir starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan and featuring Janet Leigh, Mary Astor and Phyllis Thaxter.
Directed by Fred Zinnemann and adapted for the screen by Robert L. Richards from a story by Collier You ...
'' (1949).
* Angels Flight is seen through the windows a couple of times during the 'planning' scene in the noir film ''
Criss Cross'' (1949).
* In the 1951 remake of the classic
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...
film, ''
M'', there is a scene in the opening credits shot from inside one of the Angels Flight cars, of a man jumping in at the last minute as it starts to ascend. The scene continues to go on for several more moments as the car makes its way up the hill, and a man, who is presumably the child killer, looks out the back door at the nighttime traffic.
* Angels Flight features in the 1952 crime thriller ''
The Turning Point'', with
William Holden
William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film ''Stalag 17'' (1953) ...
and
Alexis Smith
Margaret Alexis Fitzsimmons-Smith (June 8, 1921 – June 9, 1993) was a Canadian-born American actress and singer. She appeared in several major Hollywood films in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Awar ...
taking a ride up it to follow a lead.
* Angels Flight is seen in a 1953 TV episode of ''
Boston Blackie
Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle (1881–1928). Blackie, a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's stories, became a detective in adaptations for films, radio and television—an "enemy to those who make him an ...
'' called "Death Does a Rhumba".
* In ''Cry of the Hunted'' (1953), Jory (
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter.
He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...
), a prisoner being transported, escapes and rides the Angels Flight to evade capture.
* Angels Flight appears in ''
The Glenn Miller Story
''The Glenn Miller Story'' is a 1954 American biographical film about the eponymous American band-leader, directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their second non-western collaboration.
Plot
The film follows big band leader Glenn ...
'' (1954). Early in the film when
Miller
A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...
(
James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
) visits a pawn shop on Clay Street, the adjacent Angels Flight is clearly visible.
* Angels Flight appears in the 1955 film ''
Kiss Me Deadly
''Kiss Me Deadly'' is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing in the ...
'' at about 55'45", as
Ralph Meeker
Ralph Meeker (born Ralph Rathgeber; November 21, 1920 August 5, 1988) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He first rose to prominence for his roles in the Broadway productions of '' Mister Roberts'' (1948–1951) and ''Picnic'' ...
portrayed
Mike Hammer Michael Hammer or Mike Hammer may refer to:
*Michael Armand Hammer (1955–2022), American philanthropist and businessman
*Michael Martin Hammer (1948–2008), engineer and author
*Mike Hammer (character), a fictional hard boiled detective
** ''Mick ...
, who drives an automobile underneath the funicular tracks in order to park prior to a visit of one of the old Bunker Hill mansions which had been turned into a flophouse and in which a "person of interest" in his case resides.
* Angels Flight appears in the 1956 film ''
Indestructible Man
''Indestructible Man'' is a 1956 American crime horror fiction, horror science fiction film, an original screenplay by Vy Russell and Sue Dwiggins for producer-director Jack Pollexfen and starring Lon Chaney Jr., Ross Elliott and Robert Shayne.
...
'' at about 40'00".
Lon Chaney Jr.
Creighton Tull Chaney (February10, 1906 – July12, 1973), known by his stage name Lon Chaney Jr., was an American actor known for playing Larry Talbot in the film '' The Wolf Man'' (1941) and its various crossovers, Count Alucard (Dra ...
rides up to Olive Street and the Hillcrest Hotel. Marian Carr later rides down to Hill Street. In one scene, you can barely make out a sign showing the cost to ride Angels Flight is "ROUND TRIP OR TWO RIDES – 5 CENTS" and "30 RIDE BOOK – 50 CENTS".
* The 1956 Kent Mackenzie short film ''Bunker Hill: A Tale of Urban Renewal'' features Angels Flight.
* Angels Flight is seen several times in the 1961 Kent Mackenzie film ''The Exiles'', which dramatizes the lives of several real Native Americans living on
Bunker Hill in 1958 (when the film was shot). The DVD of ''The Exiles'' also includes the 1956 Kent Mackenzie short film ''Bunker Hill: A Tale of Urban Renewal'' and the 1969 short film, ''The Last Day of Angels Flight''..
* In 1963 the railway appeared in the cult trash horror classic ''
'', where one of the characters walks up the hill alongside the tracks.
*
Glenn Ford
Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as ...
rides Angels Flight in a brief scene from the 1965 film ''
The Money Trap
''The Money Trap'' is a 1965 American crime drama film directed by Burt Kennedy, written by Walter Bernstein based on the novel of the same name by Lionel White, and starring Glenn Ford, Elke Sommer, and Rita Hayworth. The supporting cast featur ...
''.
* ''Angel's Flight'' is a low-budget 1965
film noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
about a Bunker Hill serial killer, shot on and around Angels Flight in both the downtown and Bunker Hill neighborhoods.
* The only color episode of the original ''
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...
'' TV series, the February 1966 episode "
The Case of the Twice-Told Twist", has a brief scene in the opening act, where Perry Mason (
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas ''Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''.
Burr's early acting career included roles ...
) and secretary Della Street (
Barbara Hale
Barbara Hale (April 18, 1922 – January 26, 2017) was an American actress who portrayed legal secretary Della Street in the dramatic television series ''Perry Mason (1957 TV series), Perry Mason'' (1957–1966), earning her a 1959 Emmy Award f ...
) ride Angels Flight.
* There is a scene shot on the railway in ''
They Came to Rob Las Vegas
''They Came to Rob Las Vegas'' is a 1968 crime film directed by Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi and starring Gary Lockwood, Elke Sommer, Lee J. Cobb, and Jack Palance. The screenplay concerns a crime outfit who plan a heist to rob a hi-tech truck con ...
'' released in 1968.
* There is a brief shot of the Angels Flight in the introduction of the January 1969 ''
Dragnet'' episode "
Narcotics DR-21".
* Edmund Penney's 15-minute documentary from 1969, ''Angels Flight Railway'', features footage shot in 1965 and during the funicular's last days in 1969.
* ''The Last Day of Angels Flight'' was a documentary filmed on the day the railway closed in March 1969.
*Bold And The Beautiful 19 October 2010 when Stephanie Forrester and Brook Logan had a ride On Angel Flight
* On November 23, 2010, NBC's ''
The Biggest Loser
''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash prize. ...
'' featured the ride in part of a challenge in which the contestants have to either walk the stairs for 5 points or take the train for 1 point. The winner, accumulating 100 points, won a 2011 Ford Edge.
* Angels Flight is featured in ''
The Muppets
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...
'' (2011) when
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel ( ; born January 18, 1980) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'', as well as for his work with director and pr ...
's character sings the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-winning song "
Man or Muppet
"Man or Muppet" is a song from Disney's 2011 musical comedy film ''The Muppets'', written by singer-songwriter Bret McKenzie. Performed by the film's main characters, Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (Peter Linz), the song also features Bill Barret ...
".
* The closed Angels Flight was operated for a single day to film
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has received ...
's and
Emma Stone
Emily Jean Stone (born November 6, 1988), known professionally as Emma Stone, is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, she ...
's characters riding it in the 2016 film ''
La La Land
''La La Land'' is a 2016 American romantic musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, respectively, who meet and fall in love ...
''.
* Angels Flight appears in the 2017 TV movie ''
The Saint
The Saint may refer to:
Fiction
* Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations:
** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...
''. The scene had
Adam Rayner
Adam Chance Abbs Rayner (born 28 August 1977) is an English actor. He is known for television roles including: Dominic Montgomery in ''Mistresses'', Dr. Steve Shaw in ''Hawthorne'', Aidan Marsh in '' Hunted'', Bassam "Barry" Al-Fayeed in ''Tyran ...
as Simon Templar and
Enrique Murciano
Enrique Ricardo Murciano (born July 9, 1973) is an American actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Danny Taylor in the CBS mystery drama series ''Without a Trace'' from 2002 to 2009.
Early life and education
Born and raised in Miami, Flor ...
as FBI Inspector John Henry Fernack.
* Season 4 of the
Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...
series ''
Bosch'', first aired April 13, 2018, features the landmark and is based on
Michael Connelly's book ''
Angels Flight
Angels Flight is a landmark and historic narrow gauge funicular railway in the Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It has two funicular cars, named ''Olivet'' and ''Sinai'', that run in opposite directions on a shared c ...
'', the sixth book in the
Harry Bosch
Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch is a fictional character created by American author Michael Connelly. Bosch debuted as the lead character in the 1992 novel '' The Black Echo'', the first in a best-selling police procedural series now number ...
series.
*Jonah and Karolina ride Angels Flight in "Old School" Season 2, Episode 4 of Marvel's ''
Runaways'' (aired on December 21, 2018).
* The original Third Street Angels Flight is featured in the HBO miniseries
''Perry Mason''.
Literature
* There are at least five novels titled ''Angel's Flight'' or ''Angels Flight'', all with scenes that take place on the funicular and use it as a symbol of some kind. The first novel was ''Angel's Flight'' by Don Ryan, published in 1927. ''
Angels Flight
Angels Flight is a landmark and historic narrow gauge funicular railway in the Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It has two funicular cars, named ''Olivet'' and ''Sinai'', that run in opposite directions on a shared c ...
'' was both the name and locale of the 1999 ''
Harry Bosch
Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch is a fictional character created by American author Michael Connelly. Bosch debuted as the lead character in the 1992 novel '' The Black Echo'', the first in a best-selling police procedural series now number ...
'' crime novel by
Michael Connelly
Michael Joseph Connelly (born July 21, 1956) is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller.
Connelly is the bes ...
.
*
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...
fictionally visited Angels Flight in the 1938 novella ''
The King in Yellow'' and the 1942 novel ''
The High Window
''The High Window'' is a 1942 novel written by Raymond Chandler. It is his third novel featuring the Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe.
Plot
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy widow Elizabeth Bright Murdock to rec ...
''. Chandler's detective Philip Marlowe visits the Bunker Hill area in ''
The Little Sister
''The Little Sister'' is a 1949 novel by Raymond Chandler, his fifth featuring the private investigator Philip Marlowe. The story is set in Los Angeles in the late 1940s and follows Marlowe's investigation of a missing persons case and blackmai ...
'' as well.
* In the 1967
Nick Carter spy novel ''
The Red Guard'', Carter takes Angels Flight to reach his safe house located half a block from the upper station.
* Angels Flight is illustrated and at the center of events in the 1965 children's book ''Piccolo's Prank'' by
Leo Politi
Atiglio Leoni Politi (November 21, 1908 – March 26, 1996) was an American artist and author who wrote and illustrated some 20 children's books, as well as ''Bunker Hill, Los Angeles'' (1964), intended for adults. His works often celebrated cu ...
.
Music
* The City of Los Angeles commissioned conductor
David Woodard
David Woodard (, ; born April 6, 1964) is an American conductor and writer. During the 1990s he coined the term ''prequiem'', a portmanteau of preemptive and requiem, to describe his Buddhist practice of composing dedicated music to be rendered d ...
to compose and perform a memorial suite, entitled "An Elegy for Two Angels," in honor of Leon Praport and the funicular itself. The work was first performed at the Hill Street entrance by the Los Angeles Chamber Group on March 15, 2001, during a civic ceremony in which the autograph score was awarded to Praport's widow Lola.
* There are references to Angels Flight in the song "Strange Season" on
Michael Penn
Michael Daniel Penn (born August 1, 1958) is an American musician, singer and composer. He is noted for the 1989 single " No Myth", a top 20 hit in the US and successful in several other countries.
Early life
Penn was born in the Greenwich Vi ...
's 1992 album ''
Free-for-All
Free for All may refer to:
* ''Free for All'' (film), a 1949 American comedy film
* "Free for All" (The Prisoner), a 1967 episode of the British television series ''The Prisoner''
* ''Free-for-All'' (Ted Nugent album), a 1976 album by Ted Nuge ...
,'' and the cover features images of the line and a ticket stating, "Good for one ride".
* "L.A. (My Town)," by the
Four Tops
The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes.
Founded as the ...
, contains a stanza about
Olvera Street
Olvera Street (also ''Calle Olvera'' or ''Placita Olvera'', originally Calle de los Vignes, Vine Street, and Wine Street) is a historic street in downtown Los Angeles, and a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, the area immediatel ...
,
Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
and Angels Flight. Their ode to Los Angeles is the second-to-last track from their 1970 LP, ''
Still Waters Run Deep
Still waters run deep is a proverb of Latin origin now commonly taken to mean that a placid exterior hides a passionate or subtle nature. Formerly it also carried the warning that silent people are dangerous, as in Suffolk's comment on a fellow lo ...
.''
* "
Icy Icy commonly refers to conditions involving ice, a frozen state, usually referring to frozen water.
Icy or Icey may also refer to:
People
* Icy Spicy Leoncie, an Icelandic-Indian musician
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ICY (band), a vocal ...
" by
ITZY
Itzy (stylized in all caps; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment and consisting of members Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna. They debuted on February 12, 2019, with the release of their single album ''It'z Different'' ...
contains dance scenes inside the Angels Flight.
* "Aquatic Mouth Dance" from the album
Unlimited Love
''Unlimited Love'' is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers, released through Warner Records on April 1, 2022. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album marks the return of guitarist John Frusciante, who left the ...
by
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
mentions Angels Flight in its lyrics: "Dirty skies never worked so hard, better step to the Angels Flight." Lead singer
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis ( ; born November 1, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is a founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis and his fellow band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fa ...
grew up in Los Angeles and many of his songs reference locations in the city.
Visual art
* ''Angel's Flight'' is the title of a famous 1931 oil painting by
Millard Sheets
Millard Owen Sheets (June 24, 1907 – March 31, 1989) was an American artist, teacher, and architectural designer. He was one of the earliest of the California Scene Painting artists and helped define the art movement. Many of his large-scale bu ...
, that hangs as part of the permanent collection in the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...
. It shows two young women on the funicular's upper platform looking down on the nearby houses of Third Street, but the funicular cars themselves are out of the frame.
Games
* In the game ''
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
''Tony Hawk's American Wasteland'' is a skateboarding video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the seventh entry in the '' Tony Hawk's'' series and was released initially for the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in ...
'', Angels Flight is a gap where the player can grind up or down the rails, the gap being called "Angel Going Up!" or "Angel Going Down!"
* The game ''
L.A. Noire
''L.A. Noire'' is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. Set in 1947 Los Angeles, the game follows detective Cole Phelps's rise among the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department as he so ...
'' features Angels Flight as one of 30 landmarks across the city. It is the location of the Street Crime side mission, "Shoo-Shoo Bandits"
See also
*
List of funicular railways
This is a list of funicular railways, organised by place within country and continent. The funiculars range from short urban lines to significant multi-section mountain railways.
A funicular railway is distinguished from the similar incline eleva ...
*
List of heritage railroads in the United States
This is a list of heritage railroads in the United States. There are currently no such railroads in the states of Mississippi or North Dakota.
Heritage railroads by state
Alabama
* Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Shelby & Southern Railroad and ...
*
*
References
External links
Official website''An Elegy for Two Angels''*
Stills from movies featuring Angels Flight!-- Jim Dawson book, keep this comment to prevent over-linking -->
*
*
{{authority control
Funicular railways in the United States
Public transportation in Los Angeles
Heritage railroads in California
History of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments
National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles
Transportation in Los Angeles
Tourist attractions in Los Angeles
Bunker Hill, Los Angeles
2 ft 6 in gauge railways in the United States
Cableways on the National Register of Historic Places
Rail infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places in California
1901 establishments in California