Help save this historical landmark
Angles flight is one of those rare LA landmarks that most locals know about but have rarely seen or used. That is because as Los Angeles grew up, and the car became the symbol of the Southern California lifestyle, taking something as old fashioned and slow as the Angles Flight, was bound to seem passe. But somehow the unique piece of LA on Bunker Hill stuck around and became a hidden gem, mostly only known to locals born and raised in a land of transplants.
From Wikipedia;
location opened nearby to the south in 1996, with tracks connecting Hill Street and California Plaza. It was re-closed in 2001, after a fatal accident, and took nine years to commence operations again, on March 15, 2010.[4] It was closed again from June 10, 2011, to July 5, 2011, and then again after a minor 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, and Angels Flight service has been suspended since that time with no timetable for restored service.[5][6]Before the 2013 service suspension, the cost of a one-way ride was 50 cents (25 cents for 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. Local businesses have described the railroad as an important "economic link", and there is significant political pressure to re-open the railroad soon.[7]
L.A. historians are hosting a special film noir screening next month to help reopen downtown'shistoric Angels Flight Railway.
Bunker Hill's charming, vintage trolley has been closed to the public for over two years for safety concerns. And while engineers and the L.A. Fire Department have concluded that safety issues have been addressed, the two-car funicular remains out of commission due to bureaucratic red tape, according to L.A. historians Richard Schave and Kim Cooper. To help get the railway running again—and raise money for insurance, electricity and maintenance—Schave and Cooper have organized a special fundraiser at Broadway's beautiful Million Dollar Theatre on Thursday, November 5.
The evening will feature talks from other L.A. historians, rare images and film clips of Angels Flight through the decades and a screening of the rarely-seen film noir classic M (Joseph Losey, 1951), which features Angels Flight and other historic sites around downtown like The Bradbury building.
The event will take place from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online with all proceeds going to benefit the Angels Flight Railway.
As part of the effort to save the historic railway, the Angels Flight Friends and Neighbors Society have created a mobile app for iPhones and Androids. The app features the history of the funicular, photos, videos, a downtown L.A. events calendar and more.
