Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Little Railway That Could



Some things just never seem to get a break, and Angels Flight Railway in Downtown Los Angeles is one of those. Operating from 1901-1969, it was dismantled when it closed, reopened a few blocks over in 1996, closed after a death in 2001, reopened in 2010, closed and reopened in 2011, and then ceased again in 2013 after a minor accident. Pending design and structural repairs, it has been a victim of graffiti and the ravages of time. Today's post shows a November 1962 shot of the little Railway with a huge fan following.



A closeup of the Los Angeles Times newsstand. This guy looks bored; if only the Kardashians were around to make the news exciting.



For more vintage and (semi) current photos of Angels Flight go to my main website.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a sad commentary on current status of such a venerable asset to Downtown LA. At least we have pictures of it the way it should be remembered. Thanks for the post. KS

JG said...

I guess we lucked out, since we rode it once in the 1ate 1990's. I thought it was still running.

My Dad used to talk about riding when he was a young man living in LA in the 20's and 30's, but I never rode it as a kid.

There is a great description of the railway and the surrounding apartments in one of Raymond Chandler's novels, but I can't recall which one. Guess you'll have to read them all, which is worth the effort.

Thank you Dave, for the look back. Maybe the Angel's Flight will return someday.

JG