Local Windsor Square resident John Welborne, well-known for his active role in many aspects of the greater Hancock Park area, is featured in a new documentary “Incline LA” which tells the history of bringing the Angels Flight railway in downtown back to life after decades in storage.
Public Television’s KCET recently produced this  film on the funiculars, or steep-incline railroads, that served downtown LA at the turn of the century, moving travelers up and down the steep slopes of Bunker Hill. With ‘urban renewal’ in the late 1960s the two short railroads, Angels Flight and Court Flight, were dismantled and the hill itself was shorn off, flattening the steep hills into a more accessible area for development.
Today the downtown funicular connects the Historic Core and Broadway commercial district with the hilltop Bunker Hill California Plaza urban park and the Museum of Contemporary Art – MOCA. The cost of a one-way ride is currently 50 cents (25 cents with TAP card).
The Buzz connected with Welborne to get additional background on his involvement with Angels Flight  and we were pleased to receive a full written  history, as well as  some excellent historical photos. See the movie, below, and read more on our Larchmont Buzz Angels Flight page.