Angels Flight

FABRICATING THE END GATES, 1/19/10 Following an accident and subsequent multi-year shutdown of the Railway, an entirely new Drive and Control System was designed and manufactured to replace the system used between 1996 and 2001. In addition, many new safety features, such as a second cable and redundant braking systems, including car brakes, were added. Containment of passengers in the event of a collision has been achieved by eliminating the possibility of the two cars colliding (as happened in 2001) and by continuing the practice of operating the cars only with seated passengers. By redesigning the system as a true funicular, [...]

10/14/09: Air Conditioning for the Drive Assembly As you might well imagine, the Drive Assembly puts out heat, and during the summer the heat in the Machine Room can get intense enough to trip safety mechanisms and shut if off. So an air conditioning unit, with its accompanying ductwork must be installed to keep the Drive Motor cool enough to operate safely even though the Machine Room's temperature goes up. It was on this day that author Michael Connelly who writes the popular Harry Bosch mystery novels, was being interviewed aboard Sinai by Val Zavala of PBS' SoCal Connected, about his [...]

Final Adjustment of the Cables, 6/2/09 Today's projects start out on a cool morning under a cloudy sky. Two things remain to be done. First, Sinai, the car on the northward track, must be adjusted. It must park level with The Arch's electric wheelchair lift that allows disabled passengers to board via a special entrance at Sinai's top end. The car must be level with the concrete platform at the top of the lift so that the passenger does not experience an uncomfortable bump rolling from the platform to Sinai's "porch." The next project is to adjust the rollers on the [...]

A FINAL TRACK INSPECTION, 5/10/09 Three more gentlemen from the California Public Utilities Commission have come to Angels Flight this day for a final inspection of the track bed and a ride aboard the cars. Every day now moves us closer to re-opening day! Legal Notice The name "Angels Flight" and the images of the Angels Flight® Railway and cars are copyrights and registered trademarks of the Angels Flight® Railway Company and are used with permission. The content of this website, www.picturetrail.com/afrp (this "Site"), including but not limited to the text and images displayed herein and their arrangement (collectively, the "Materials"), [...]

ANOTHER ROUND OF FUMIGATION 5/9/09 5/9/09: Angels Flight moves ever closer to re-opening. As at the beginning, so near the end: fumigation! Termites were discovered in a small part of one of the cars, so it was decided to have both of them fumigated before things got any more serious. At the same time, we received a visit from the Los Angeles Fire Department, Engine Company #3. Some of these firefighters were among the first responders when the accident occurred that shut down the railway for eight years. For safety's sake, none of the fumigation crew were allowed on top of [...]

FINDING A BASELINE, 4/4/09 Today's testing is about finding a baseline: the specs of a system when it is running properly. And today's baseline is about finding out about the nature of the cables when the cars are in motion. Special experts came in from Desert Hot Springs and Colorado to perform the tests. A special instrument nicknamed simply the "magnet," was used. The magnet is an electromagnet built something like a clamshell. There's a tunnel running down the middle of it, and it opens up and then closes around the cable, and then secured via rigging. When Olivet and Sinai [...]

TEST DAY 3 WITH THE CPUC, 3/12/09 Today is an especially important day: Two gentlemen from the California Public Utilities Commission — Noel and Anton — have come to observe the tests and make important decisions. With the equipment set up, enter Dave. Dave is the expert on measuring acceleration and deceleration. He will take several rides up and down in Olivet. He has his Little Black Box connected to sensing equipment inside Olivet, collecting data. When he has the data he needs, he will take his Black Box into the Station House. There he will upload the data from the [...]

TEST DAY 2. 3/11/09 It's the day after loading the Fiji Water on board Olivet, and the second of three test days, and both Bobs are preparing a load test. (That's American Bob on the left, and Canadian Bob on the right -- A-Bob and C-Bob.) This test is to see just how much pull registers as Olivet strains to go downhill with its 4-ton load. From this the cables will be adjusted accordingly. Complications develop and the procedure starts falling behind schedule — not uncommon when things are as complex as this restoration project is. Legal Notice The name "Angels [...]

ANGELS FLIGHT BEGINS LOAD TESTING 3/10/09 This day is a quantum move forward. The entire system is to be stressed, and one of the ways is to load the cars past the point of normal passenger weight. Arrangements have been made with the Fiji Water Company to borrow enough cases of it to come to an 8,000 pound load on Olivet -- more weight than would ever be possible with a full load of passengers. A truck arrives with the water one morning, and a bucket brigade is formed to load the water on to Olivet. The water is first loaded [...]

BRINGING IN THE ANGELS FLIGHT BOARD, 2/9/09 The Restoration Project had reached the point where it was time to show the Angels Flight Board Members what had been accomplished. What better way than to treat them to what so many Angelenos have been looking forward to for such a long time: a ride on Angels Flight! So John met the members of the Board at the Station House, and away we went! (When we reached the bottom of the hill, some of the public who happened to be on the sidewalk spotted us, and seeing people actually inside Olivet, bombarded us [...]