Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
Billed as the 'shortest railroad in the world', this funicular railway is in downtown LA, and was originally built in 1901 to allow the well heeled residents on Bunker Hill to get up and down the hill without breaking into a sweat.
It has moved a little way down the street from it's original location, after LA was redeveloped, but the two railcars still roll up and down the hill all day, for the princely sum of 50c each way.
The cars and stations have been well restored - this is the lower station, and you can get on when ever a car is in the station, and the automated gate is open.
The cars move rapidly once the start-off, and head towards each other on the narrow tracks, passing in a small wider area where the rails spread far enough away from each other to allow the cars to pass.
The interior of each car is stepped, a little like a movie theater, with simple wooden seats for passengers. The whole car is built at the angle of the rails - most odd when you first get inside.
Up at the top is the ticket office, where you pay as you get on or off
The nice ticket man tried to rip me off. I gave him a $20 note, and he gave me change for a $1 note... You have to stay focussed in LA as a non-local!
The Angels Flight has appeared in many movies and books, but until this week I'd never heard of it. It's not exactly in the middle of down-town, so you'd not really get to see it as a tourist. Colorful and fun - worth a detour - and I may go back and shoot again at a better time of day for lighting.
