Los Angeles Area Funiculars

The Mount Lowe incline with a connecting Pacific Electric interurban car (Source: [group 3:27], William C. Barry Collection of Los Angeles Area Photographs, BANC PIC 1964.056--PIC, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley).

The great incline at Mount Lowe, a funicular rather than a cable car line, ran for a distance of 3,000 feet on a grade varying from 48 to 62 per cent from Rubio Canyon to the summit of Echo Mountain.

Professor Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe, who was born in Jefferson Mills, New Hampshire on 20-Aug-1832, led a remarkable life. He apprenticed as a shoe maker, became a "Professor" in a travelling chemistry show, and then, in 1857, became a balloonist. The Civil War interrupted his plan to fly across the Atlantic, so Lowe went to Washington, DC, where Joseph Henry, head of the Smithsonian Instution, persuaded President Abraham Lincoln to allow Lowe to form a Balloon Corps for the Union Army. For two years, Lowe and his fellow pilots provided valuable intelligence for the army at battles including Fair Oaks, Chancellorsville, Mechanicsville, and Chickahominy. Lack of funding and ill health forced Lowe to resign.

In private life, Lowe developed a mechanical refrigeration system and made many improvements in the use of gas for heating and lighting. He moved to Southern California in 1888 and settled in Pasadena in 1890.

In Pasadena, Lowe was approached by an engineer named David J Macpherson. Macpherson had a plan for building a scenic railway to the summit of Mount Wilson. Lowe approved of the plan and agreed to finance it. Macpherson made surveys and began construction on Mount Wilson. He found that the land owners were not cooperative and that the rock wasn't suitable. Lowe and Macpherson decided to go ahead with a different route.

They built the Pasadena and Mount Wilson Railway, a 3' 6" gauge trolley line from the Altadena station of the Los Angeles Terminal Railway to Rubio Canyon in 1891 and 1892. During the winter of 1891, crews began building the great incline to the summit of Echo Mountain. The incline opened on 04-Jul-1893. In 1894 Lowe opened the twelve room Echo Mountain House at the top of the incline. A larger forty room Echo Mountain House opened later and the original was renamed as the Chalet. Lowe also built a hotel and pavilion in Rubio Canyon, at the foot of the incline.

The incline used an electrically powered endless cable to move two counterbalanced cars. The two original cars were named Echo and Rubio. A backup car named Alpine was built in 1920. The incline had three rails with an automatic passing track in the middle.

The line then moved on toward Oak Mountain, which would be renamed as Mount Lowe, building a 3.6 mile narrow gauge electric railway. This scenic line was an exciting ride, on narrow ledges and trestles with many sharp curves. The longest stretch of straight track was only 225 feet. The line climbed 1500 feet. It included the famous Circular Bridge, which climbed a 4.5% grade and formed a full circle with a radius of 75 feet.

A narrow gauge electric car passes through above the Mount Lowe funicular in 1895.

Lowe operated both the lower and upper electric lines with single truck open cars. At Mount Lowe, he built the Alpine Tavern at an elevation of 5000 feet in 1896.

Lowe ran out of money before he could extend the line to the summit of Mount Lowe, and the properties were taken over by the Pasadena & Los Angeles Electric Railway, which itself was taken over by the Pacific Electric in 1902. Pacific Electric standard gauged the line from Pasadena to Rubio Canyon and ran through cars from Los Angeles. Pacific Electric replaced the single truck cars on the upper line with heavier open double truck cars with extra deep flanges. Pacific Electric operated the Mount Lowe incline and upper narrow gauge line as its Alpine Division. For most of its period of ownership, Pacific Electric ran five electric trains a day to Mount Lowe. The 24 mile trip from downtown Los Angeles to the Alpine Tavern took just under two hours.

The Alpine Division suffered from many problems common to the California mountains. Trestles and short sections of track were regularly hit by landslides and flash floods. The Echo Mountain Chalet and cable winding house burned in 1905, reducing the incline to limited operation for some time. The hotel in Rubio canyon was wiped out by a landslide in 1909. In 1936, the Alpine Tavern burned. Most of the upper line was wiped out by floods in 1938. This caused Pacific Electric to abandon the Alpine Division.

Professor Lowe died on 16-Jan-1913. He had never been able to restore his finances. There are a few traces left of his work, but they are hard to find.

A Mount Lowe funicular car, during Pacific Electric operation. Note the tiers, which kept the seats level. August, 1999 Picture of the Month.

Thanks to Michael Patris, founder of the Mount Lowe Preservation Society, Inc , for reviewing this article and suggesting some corrections.

Also visit The Great Incline by Jake Brouwer.

Echo Mountain Echoes is updated quarterly.

Go to top of page.

A high level view of Angel's Flight, clearly showing the passing track. September, 1999 Picture of the Month.

Angel's Flight, "The Shortest Railway in the World", ran for a distance of 320 feet on a 33 per cent grade from Third and Hill Streets up to Olive Street on Bunker Hill, the same obstacle conquered by Los Angeles' first two cable car lines.

Colonel J W Eddy promoted the line, which opened in 1901. The line was built to allow residents of the wealthy Bunker Hill neighborhood to get to and from the business district near the Plaza. Eddy also set up a telescope and later a 100 foot tower to attract tourists. Eddy sold the company in 1912.

Two thirty-inch gauge counterbalanced cars, seating thirty-eight passengers each, operated on the line. The track had three rails with a passing siding in the middle.

Only up-bound passengers had to pay. The city required the company to maintain a parallel stairway for people who didn't want to pay.

The Bunker Hill neighborhood gradually declined over the years until the 1960's when the city decided to "renew" it. The city promised to save the line's equipment and to rebuild it.

In early 1995, construction began at a new location, 4th and Hill Streets, using the original railcars, station house, and the two end station arches. The original driving mechanism was put back, but is no longer used. The trestle and track structure are new.

The line reopened on 24-Feb-1996.

Angel's Flight is now operated by the Angel's Flight Railway Foundation. The fare is 25 cents a ride. Ticket books are available in books of five for $1 and forty for $7.50. It operates seven days a week from 6:30 am to 10:00 pm. It is closed on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 6:30 am to 8:00 am for maintenance.

There was a serious accident on the restored line on 01-Feb-2001. Sinai, the upper car, ran away and struck Olivet, the lower car. One person died, two were seriously injured, and at least five injured less seriously. The accident may have been caused by a problem with the winding mechanism. This was only the second fatality in the entire history of the line.

On 24-Jan-2007, a Los Angeles Times article reported that Angel's Flight, should reopen in the summer. The cars and trackway had been renovated, and work would start soon on replacing the driving machinery and adding some safety devices that had not been included when the line was restored in 1996. The article stressed how the neighborhood has changed since the accident.

Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park has had a copy of Angel's Flight since 1971. It may have been renamed the Orient Express in 1988.

An early postcard of Angel's Flight. The Third Street vehicular tunnel is in the background.

A later view of Angel's Flight. Note the trestle which supported the track. Also note how the adjoining buildings have changed since the earlier view.

Union Station has a page on Angel's Flight.

Elevator World Magazine has a page on Angel's Flight.

Go to top of page.

An early postcard view of Court Flight. The double tracks were an unusual feature.

The Court Flight was built by Samuel G Vandegrift, to serve the wealthy Bunker Hill neighborhood. It opened on 31-Dec-1901.

The Court Flight Incline Railway ran for a distance of 180 feet up a 42 per cent grade between Broadway and Court Streets, in the middle of the block between Temple and First Streets.

The line was double tracked throughout and used a pair of thirty-inch gauge counterbalanced cars.

The line was heavily used by motorists who took advantage of cheap parking at the top of the hill. They rode the incline to and from the nearby Civic Center. World War II restrictions on civilian driving hurt the company's revenue. On 20-Oct-1943, a fire damaged the line and it went out of business. Rumors persist that the cars are owned by a private collector in Woodland Hills.

Go to top of page.

The incline on Santa Catalina Island.

The Santa Catalina Island Incline Railway had two funiculars. One line carried passengers from the Amphitheater on the lee side of the island to the top of the mountain and the other carried passengers down the ocean side to Pebble Beach in Lovers' Cove.

The railway was built in 1904 by the Banning family, which owned the island. A great fire in 1915 burned most of the town of Avalon and hurt the finances of the Bannings and their Santa Catalina Land Company. They offerred the island for sale and suspended operation of the railway in 1918. They sold the island to William Wrigley in 1919. The railway was reopened in 1921 for a Knights of Pythias convention. The lines were scrapped in 1923.

Go to top of page.

At the foot of the Mount Washington funicular. The ticket office and waiting room on the left still stands. November, 1999 Picture of the Month.

The Los Angeles and Mount Washington Railway ran for a distance of 3000 feet on a grade as high as 42 percent.

Mount Washington is a 900 foot hill near the Highland Park district of Los Angeles. In 1909, real estate developer Robert Marsh built a hotel and laid out a subdivision on the summit of Mount Washington, and an incline railway to allow guests and prospective buyers to reach the top. The developer sold many lots and Mount Washington became a desirable residential area.

Construction of the railway began during October, 1908. It was tested on 30-Mar-1909, but city inspectors demanded that the open cable trench be planked over to form a conduit. The line opened for business on 24-May-1909.

The line used two counterbalanced cars running in the street along what would become Avenue 43 from Marmion Way. The line used an endless cable. Each car was equipped with a telephone so the conductor could communicate with the engineer in the powerhouse. The trip to the top took five minutes. The cars were named Florence and Virginia. The seats on each car were arranged in three tiers so that passengers could sit on the level and enjoy the view.

The tracks were 3' 6" gauge. The line used three rails with an automatic passing turnout in the middle. The conductor crossed from the ascending car to the descending car at the passing turnout.

The powerhouse used a 40 horsepower electric motor, controlled by a standard trolley car controller.

The fare was five cents each way. The line ran from 6:00 AM to midnight.

After the line opened, the operators saw the need for a shelter at the base. They built a two-story mission style station. The ground floor held the waiting room and ticket window, and the upper floor was the residence of the ticket seller. The station opened on 01-Nov-1909.

In 1918, the Board of Public Utilities stated that the line was unsafe and needed changes. Robert Marsh and Company claimed that the line was an elevator and that the Board did not have jurisdiction. On 01-Jan-1919, the Board ordered the line to close down. The line stopped running and was abandoned on 09-Jan-1919.

The citizens of Mt. Washington asked California Railroad Commission to order resumption of service. The Board of Public Utilities tried to order Robert Marsh and Company to resume service.

The ticket office is now a private home at Marmion Way and Avenue 43. The powerhouse and the hotel were purchased by the Self Realization Fellowship in 1925 and are still used by that organization.

At the top of the Mount Washington funicular. A boxy white incline car is in the foreground.

Bob Taylor's Online Real Estate Guide has a section on historic communities of Los Angeles, which includes an excellent article on the Los Angeles and Mount Washington Railway.

Go to top of page.

A car at the top of the Industry Hills Incline. Note the passing track in the middle. Photo courtesy of Ray Long.

A funicular carries golfers and their carts from the 9th green of the Dwight D Eisenhower Course and the 18th green of the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Course up to a snack bar located in a replica of the Scottish Saint Andrews railway station. The golf resort is part of the Industry Hills Sheraton Resort (One Industry Hills Parkway, City of Industry, California 91744).

The line is 400 feet long and runs on a trestle at a grade of 33%. Two counterbalanced cars run on a single track with an automatic passing turnout. Each car can carry three golf carts. The Austrian Voest-Alpine system, including the power station, is completely automatic.

The resort opened in January, 1981.

Looking down the Industry Hills Incline. The two cars pass in the middle. Photo courtesy of Ray Long.

Go to top of page.

This line is not a funicular, but it is a modern cable-driven Automated People Mover (APM).

Space is tight around the hilltop location of the J Paul Getty Center (1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049). Faced with the task of moving visitors from public transit or a parking garage at the foot of the hill, the architect chose to use a cable-driven APM, the Otis Elevator Company's Hovair (r) Shuttle system.

Each 7.5 ton Hovair car rides on an air cushion produced by a large blower underneath the car. Each train is made up of three cars. The trains are pulled by a 1 1/16" steel cable. They cover the 4000 foot track in 3.62 minutes.

The Getty Center, including an art museum, a research library, and educational facilities, opened on December 16, 1997.

Elevator World Magazine has an article on the Getty Center Shuttle.

Go to top of page.

In addition to the common carrier funiculars listed above, the hilly topography of Southern California encouraged the building of many private funiculars and inclines, some of which are still operating.

I received a question from Lauren Weinstein of Professor Neon's TV & Movie Mania about a strange looking round house with a funicular which appeared in "The Duplicate Man", an episode of the great science fiction series The Outer Limits. I put the question to the TrolleysCA email group and got the answer. The Malin House in Silver Lake, CA still has its own funicular. Thanks to Paul Ward, Ray Long, David McCanne, and LAPRY@aol.com for the information. And thanks to Lauren for raising the question.

Paul Ward also reports that "There are several private funiculars in the Silver Lake neighborhood, and until three or four years ago, there was a wonderful funicular at Forest Lawn Cemetery. It was built by the boss in the twenties, because whenever he drove through the gates in the morning, the guard alerted the staff to stop their partying and debauchery and get to work. The manager's house was at the end of a cul-de-sac in Glendale below the cemetery, and when he had the funicular built, he could ascend the grade and coast down the road to his office in his Locomobile, without the staff knowing of his approach. He was then able to catch them in their laziness.

"The funicular is still there, but the car is gone, and the cable house has been sealed up in concrete."

From Ray Long: "...there was one (funicular) used for construction of the geodesic dome house in Hollywoodland and one above Hollyridge Drive same canyon. Laurel Canyon had a couple at one time or another. All of them I believe are now among the missing. The dome house was demolished after Buckminister Fuller died.

"I have been led to believe that there are (present tense) three private funiculars on Santa Catalina Island. They are supposedly little more than inclined elevators for access to private homes.

"Regarding the two in Hollywoodland. On the west side of the canyon, there was an incline used to haul construction materials up to the now extinct geodesic dome house on the west side of the canyon. One of the houses on the east ridge had an incline of sorts from Hollyridge Drive to the top of the hill. I haven't been up there in 30 years so I don't know the status today.

"There were a couple more in Laurel Canyon. These private inclines were stretching the definition of the words 'incline' and 'permanent' but they were private and were used as incline elevators or dumb waiters."

Some homes on steep hillsides use devices called "Hillevators", which are small systems with single cars. There are at least six such homes along Coastline Drive in Malibu.

Go to top of page.