Talk:Angels Flight

"World's shortest railway"
This claim is completely spurious and is disproved in the list of funicular railways towards the end of the entry. The three railways listed under Bournemouth, England, are all shorter than Angels Flight, at 39m, 44, and 52m each. I recommend removing this totally misleading and discredited claim. Billkay (talk) 21:06, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

Angel's flight appears in City of Angels
Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan movie ... this is at least the most emotionally connected view of this landmark and is probably not recognized by almost anyone not from LA. What a nice fit.

should ref to movie here and to the main actors above.

also, do we know vertical height, fare, and travel time. does any ride it? what are the main destinations? will it reopen? is it public or private? what are the distinctive features and motivation for buiding it? was it ever successful?

i think this may be minor, but failures should be recognized (if so) as much as successes, just like in science.

i wish i knew more, but someone must.

Radrad 08:41, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I think the 'main destinations' are, um, the top and, er, the bottom...
 * :o) EdJogg 09:26, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Film Appearances
Does anyone know if it is the Angels Flight funicular and the Third Street Tunnel that appear briefly as Van Heflin enters a street tunnel in the 1948 Fred Zinnemann film noir Act of Violence? Should this be noted as perhaps the first appearance on film of this L.A. landmark? Macadavy 03:59, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Van Heflin does indeed run down Bunker Hill's Third Street steps and then along Clay Street under Angels Flight's mid-point, where the two cars cross each other, in the film Act of Violence. You can see stills of that scene at Angels Flight Goes to the Movies at www.electricearl.com/af. The site shows that nearly twenty films were shot on and around Angels Flight between 1920 and 1965.209.247.5.135 (talk) 07:40, 30 May 2008 (UTC)Jimddddd

Angel's Flight In the Movies
In response to another poster, yes "Act of Violence" 1948 features Angel's Flight...so does the opening of the American Version of "M" from 1952 directed by Joseph Losey....but most stunning is the ultra-obscure 1965 Film "Angel's Flight." Look it up on IMDB216.115.228.136 (talk) 00:06, 11 January 2008 (UTC)Drew Weaver 1/10/08

I've seen "Angel's Flight" several times. Its scriptwriter, Deane Romano, is still living in Hollywood and owns the film. Apparently "Angel's Flight" was never completed. The producers patched what they had together and released it on the drive-in market in 1965 (it had been shot two or three years earlier) as Shock Hill Romano found it many years later and sued to get full rights to it. Romano says the film is about "an angel in flight," hence the title (with an apostrophe). It was shot all around the corner of Olive and Third at the top of the Angels Flight funicular and on Clay Street beneath the railway's trestle, in what was called the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles. It's all gone now. So is Indus Arthur, who played the angel. She died of skin cancer in 1984. The movie too often shows its low budget, but as a dramatic visit to old Bunker Hill it's priceless.209.244.42.77 (talk) 06:49, 1 July 2008 (UTC)Bopper

Angels Flight appears in the 1997 made-for-TV movie 'Tell Me No Secrets' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120302/). The protagonist Jess Koster (played by Lori Loughlin) rides it several times throughout the movie, including during the opening credits. —Preceding unsigned comment added by DTravel (talk • contribs) 00:06, 10 April 2010 (UTC)

The second Angels Flight
Yantrak vs. YANTRAK—which is correct? Also, is there any value in mentioning that Kunczynski is working on desalination technology? I think not, but added a Wikilink anyway.--CheMechanical (talk) 22:55, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

New book
Angels Flight has appeared in many films and several TV shows, at least since 1920 when it was the "costar" of an Al Christie comedy called "All Jazzed Up." To see stills from nearly 20 films, check out www.electricearl.com/af. There's a new book due out in August 2008 called Angels Flight, by Jim Dawson.jimddddd209.244.42.77 (talk) 07:54, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Where did this "Angels Flight" name come from?
The cars were clearly marked ANGEL'S FLIGHT. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.183.223.128 (talk) 18:34, 1 June 2008 (UTC)


 * If you read the article, you'll find that the original archway said "Angel's Flight" (with an apostrophe), but the later (and current) arches omit the apostrophe (see the picture). So the grammatically incorrect name may have arisen from an error when the arch was cast. Alternatively, omitting the apostrophe altogether avoids having to decide whether it refers to one angel ("Angels Flight") or several ("Angels Flight"), so it may have been deliberate! Either way, this is all Original Research and can't be included....
 * EdJogg (talk) 12:19, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

THere was always a disconnect between "Angel's Flight" and "Angels Flight." Many people are sloppy with apostrophes, and apparently its founder, J. Ward Eddy, was no different. There's a 1965 film called "Angel's Flight" that's so-named, according to the scriptwriter, because it's about an angel (Indus Arthur) fleeing from her personal demons. I'm told that the upcoming book called Los Angeles's Angels Flight will explain the origin of the name.209.244.42.77 (talk) 06:41, 1 July 2008 (UTC)Bopper


 * The cars were marked ANGEL'S FLIGHT.  Stating a fact that can be verified by watching the "Things That Aren't Here Any More" documentary is hardly original research.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.127.17.142 (talk) 18:47, 23 March 2009 (UTC)

Los Angeles Chamber Group correct name?
I think Group should be Orchestra, so I spent some time researching but could not verify. Unfortunately, LACO only has schedules going back three seasons on their web site. Can someone with access to older concert schedules verify which name is correct? Thanks in advance. --CheMechanical (talk) 01:43, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

Update #1: Just went to search for an article at L.A. Times and the abstract said it was "a small band". I'm thinking of changing it to this phrase, but I'll set the page on watch and give someone out there a couple of weeks to verify if they can first. --CheMechanical (talk) 01:53, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

Update #2: Just found scanned versions of the L.A. Times article (and a Spanish version from La Opinión) together here. The Times article doesn't even give a name, and the Spanish version says it was the "L.A. March Band" so I think I'm wrong about Orchestra (hence the strikeouts). Also, this article says Woodard is music director and conductor of the "Los Angeles Chamber Group" but I'm not sure if that is the group referenced in the preceding articles. I'm gonna let someone else pursue this now.--CheMechanical (talk) 02:25, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

Drive system question
Does anybody know why the original system of a single cable joining the two cars was replaced with separate cables and winding drums, with all its extra complications? Thanks Shrdlu junction (talk) 02:42, 22 September 2008 (UTC)
 * For that matter, does anyone know if the same questionable drivetrain is in use on it now? Hellbus (talk) 02:05, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

New paragraph added to Angels_Flight outlines features of the most recent drive design. It's unclear why separate cables were used in the fatal system, it appears to be a legitimate basic design decision. The real issue is why track brakes and/or safety cables were not installed. Bcworkz (talk) 20:05, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Deane Romano's passing.
Deane Romano, screenwriter of Angel's Flight and the film's greatest champion, passed away in the evening of 3/16/11. He was 83. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.103.246.35 (talk) 16:52, 17 March 2011 (UTC)

Fares/passes
The fare currently is $.50 per ride. Are there any other options like ticket books or passes? Does Angels Flight accept Metro day, week or monthly passes? What about senior or disabled/blind fares?108.23.147.17 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 19:33, 21 April 2012 (UTC).

Clarifications to Accident Section
I read the cited NTSB and Consultants Bureau reports with great interest, and subsequently found the Accident section here slightly confused. The reference to oil analysis, where it was placed, appeared to reference brake system hydraulic fluid, when in fact it was the analysis of gearbox oil. I relocated the line and clarified it's importance.

I added a line about the burned out solenoid, as it was the root cause of the emergency brake failure. The use of a normally closed valve prevented the system from failing safe, but was not the directly the cause of the system to not work. If the solenoid had worked, the valve would have opened, causing the brakes to engage.

The portion of the Evaluation relating to forcing the solenoid was also confused. The actual problem was the technician attempted to fit an older design solenoid to a newer design valve body during a subsequent maintenance operation, the two being incompatible. The proper action would have been to obtain a new compatible solenoid. Consulting the original engineer in this situation would not be necessary. No mention of pliers is mentioned in the references, only that tool marks existed on the solenoid body, so I changed "pliers" to "tool".

Not forcing the solenoid would have only indirectly prevented the accident. The forced solenoid did operate correctly for a while. It failed to operate because the windings burned out, not because it was forced. If the technician obtained a newer solenoid, it may not have burned out. Bcworkz (talk) 20:36, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Track gauge
What is the track gauge? Peter Horn User talk 19:05, 23 November 2013 (UTC)

Added 2013 accident section
Added a section on the 2013 accident. The previous statement ("a maintenance-related power interruption caused the emergency brake to engage and lift the Sinai car off the track") was not consistent with the final NTSB report, which has now been cited. --John Nagle (talk) 21:39, 31 July 2014 (UTC)

HBO 2020 series Perry Mason features the train prominently
If someone would like to update the page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hamscher (talk • contribs) 00:55, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

Why was Angels Flight built (business requirement)?
Something missinbg from here, and from the Angels Flight web site (which is very information poor), is what was the original purpose of Angels Flight. One assumes there was a steep grade that a lot of people were navigating, and which was difficult, but assumption is not enough. Was it built for everyday use by locals? Was it built mostly for workers who lived in the nearby historic, but now destroyed, buildings? Did it provide a thoroughfare that connected commercial districts, or what? It is an obvious question, what is it for? Why was it built? Who used it then, and who uses it now> Is the stepped design of the cabins usual or unusual? Ali Kayn (talk) 16:40, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

It's "on-board", not "on board"
It's astonishing that I would have to do such a thing, but I have reverted the reversion of Drmargi who seems to be unaware that my correction of "on board" to "on-board" was, in fact, correct. "On board" is ambiguous, since "board" is a common noun that could refer to almost anything board-like, or board-functioning. As used in the article, "on-board" (or even "onboard") is an adjective, and hyphenating it removes any ambiguity surrounding "board". If you disagree, make your argument here ; don't just revert a good-faith edit. (And yes, "good-faith" is hyphenated for EXACTLY THE SAME REASON: because it transforms a noun into an adjective. Bricology (talk) 18:25, 28 January 2024 (UTC)