Angels Flight Railway in Downtown L.A. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) |
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- The historic Angels Flight railway in downtown Los Angeles reopened after state safety inspectors shut it down last month over concerns about damaged wheels.
Crews spent three weeks installing eight new custom-made steel wheels on the funicular's two cars and Tuesday morning, inspectors signed off on the repairs.
During a routine inspection last month, the California Public Utilities Commission found that the wheel flanges -- which hold the cars' wheels on the rails -- were deteriorating.
The operators of Angels flight were ordered to identify the cause of the problem and make repairs.
Angels Flight -- dubbed the "Shortest Railway in the World" -- runs up and down Bunker Hill.
It opened in 1901 to help people move up and down the steep hillside.
It was dismantled in the late-1960s to make way for a massive urban renewal project, and was rebuilt in 1996.
Then, in February 2001, a rail car rolled down Bunker Hill and crashed into another car, killing an 83-year-old man and injuring seven other people.
It was closed until March 2010, when inspectors determined the replaced cable system and new automatic brake system were safe.
Crews spent three weeks installing eight new custom-made steel wheels on the funicular's two cars and Tuesday morning, inspectors signed off on the repairs.
During a routine inspection last month, the California Public Utilities Commission found that the wheel flanges -- which hold the cars' wheels on the rails -- were deteriorating.
The operators of Angels flight were ordered to identify the cause of the problem and make repairs.
Angels Flight -- dubbed the "Shortest Railway in the World" -- runs up and down Bunker Hill.
It opened in 1901 to help people move up and down the steep hillside.
It was dismantled in the late-1960s to make way for a massive urban renewal project, and was rebuilt in 1996.
Then, in February 2001, a rail car rolled down Bunker Hill and crashed into another car, killing an 83-year-old man and injuring seven other people.
It was closed until March 2010, when inspectors determined the replaced cable system and new automatic brake system were safe.
