Angels Flight

Bestselling novelist Michael Connelly's latest Harry Bosch thriller, "9 Dragons," just came out in October, but he's already got the next release lined up. "I don't have a title for it yet, but I'm shooting for next fall. I'm writing it now," he said from his office in the Tampa Bay, Fla., area. The ex-L.A. Times crime reporter still frequents these parts, however, and he had plenty of ideas on how he'd spend some time away from his computer -- although Bosch and Co. are never far from his mind.

The two rail cars sit side by side, neither here nor there. Stopped midway along the 298-foot route up the face of Bunker Hill between Hill and Olive streets, the historic Angels Flight railway cars have been forced to halt after inspectors determined that their 15-year-old wheels need replacing. The California Public Utilities Commission concluded Thursday that the wheels' flanges — rims added for strength — were worn down to less than a quarter of an inch, one-third of what is deemed safe.

The orange and black funicular cars of Angels Flight still displayed their customary rattle and shake as they climbed the 298-foot tracks up Bunker Hill on Monday, maintaining the feel familiar to generations of Angelenos who have ridden "the smallest railway in the world." "It's got the same kind of little grinding," said Craig Moreland, whose grandfather once owned Angels Flight. He was one of the first to step on board when the rail line reopened for business Monday morning. "All the noises are as I recall them."

The Angels' charter flight from Kansas City to Orange County was forced to make an emergency landing late Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport after the pilot reported possible hydraulic problems. According to several reports, the crew was unsure it would be able to bring the plane to a safe stop, so the Delta charter, carrying 51 players and staff, was diverted to LAX, which has longer runways. The Boeing 737 landed without incident just before 9 p.m., according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.

In 1925 my uncle owned the hotel at the top of Angels Flight. He would feed me nickels when I was a toddler so I could go up and down the funicular. I did this for months at a time. Some nights, when it was closed, my mother, aunts and uncles would walk all the way down the 200-some steps to Hill Street, where there was a speak-easy that opened with a door on the ground that had an actual slide into the speak. Yes, they let me in, and it was a great adventure all around. I have since taken my children and their children on Angels Flight many times.

The California Public Utilities Commission has approved the safety certificate for the historic Angels Flight rail line in downtown L.A., nine years after a fatal accident closed the funicular. In a letter to Angels Flight Railway Co., the PUC said that it had "no major safety concerns" regarding the rail line, which runs up and down Bunker Hill. The company has faced numerous delays in reopening Angels Flight. John Welborne, head of a nonprofit foundation that is trying to reopen the funicular, said he was pleased by the PUC's decision, calling it an important step forward.

An uphill battle Re "How steep is too steep?" Nov. 27 This article is a wakeup call to financially assist the Angels Flight railway in downtown L.A. When Los Angeles had a vast network of rail transit, including streetcars downtown, the merchants were happy to provide tokens to shoppers to lure them downtown. The same method could be used today to help offset the high costs of operating Angels Flight. At its original 3rd Street location, when rides were 5 cents apiece, residents and merchants alike used Angels Flight daily.

In the case of the tragic crash on the Angels Flight funicular railway Thursday, it will take a while for a 21st century investigation to fully understand what went wrong with the line's 19th century-style technology. But this much is certain: Angels Flight has an importance to the central city-downtown area that belies its short journey from the shops of the flats up to the modern California Plaza and Bunker Hill. One rider was killed and several others were injured in the lunchtime accident.

Dec. 31, 1901: "In the presence of an admiring and awestruck multitude," Los Angeles Mayor Meredith "Pinky" Snyder was among the first passengers on Angels Flight, the 298-foot funicular from Hill Street to the top of Bunker Hill, The Times reported. A large crowd gathered at the top to watch the "new double-barreled railroad," The Times said: "A hush fell upon the vast concourse and enveloped it like a wet towel.

An 80-year-old woman whose husband was killed in the accident last week on Angels Flight remained in guarded but stable condition Saturday, authorities said. Lola Praport of Old Bridge, N.J., suffered head and back injuries Thursday after the railway car she and her husband were riding in collided with another car. She is being treated at County-USC Medical Center.

The sound of hundreds of goat hooves echoed through a small valley overlooking the ocean Saturday in the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, surprising passerby who watched as the animals munched their way through yard after yard of invasive weeds. FOR THE RECORD: Goat grazing: An article in the March 6 Section A about the use of goats to clear invasive weeds in the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve referred to boar goats. The correct term is Boer goats. ? The 230 goats are the first step in a project to restore natural flora and fauna to a 12-acre portion of the 1,400-acre preserve that was burned in a fire in 2009.

Here's a way to stay close to home and still indulge in a luxury cruise. Crystal Cruises is offering two-for-one fares for sailings from Los Angeles to Canada and Mexico next year that come with a $1,000 onboard credit per couple and a kid-sail-free promotion. The deal: Crystal Cruises' two-for-one pricing applies to all cabin categories on selected Pacific Coast cruises. [ Updated Friday, 8:15 a.m.: An earlier version of this article said the two-for-one pricing applies to only Category E cabins.

An uphill battle Re "How steep is too steep?" Nov. 27 This article is a wakeup call to financially assist the Angels Flight railway in downtown L.A. When Los Angeles had a vast network of rail transit, including streetcars downtown, the merchants were happy to provide tokens to shoppers to lure them downtown. The same method could be used today to help offset the high costs of operating Angels Flight. At its original 3rd Street location, when rides were 5 cents apiece, residents and merchants alike used Angels Flight daily.

Olivet and Sinai rarely bother with finances: They're too busy ferrying passengers up and down Bunker Hill. Earlier this month however, the twin Angels Flight coaches were credited with holding a decidedly monetary debate over their 25-cent fare, via Twitter. "A lot of riders (and many of our donors) say that 25 cents is too inexpensive," Olivet tweeted. "Revenues cover less than half our expenses. " "50 cent fare, then?" Sinai suggested. " 50 Cent? Isn't he a singer?

So what if 21st century concert-goers are unlikely to pack picnic baskets with fine china, linens and candelabras. When the L.A. Philharmonic launched its summer classical season, the great Los Angeles social tradition of dining at the Hollywood Bowl continued in style. "It's L.A.," said Lakers owner Jerry Buss, in his pool circle box. "As long as any of the L.A. landmarks were here, the Hollywood Bowl was here. It goes back with Grauman's Theatre and Angels Flight." Kate Edelman Johnson — whose license plate reads "K2BOWL" — said she grew up going to the Bowl with her father, producer Louis Edelman, and her mother, Rita.

When the black-and-orange funicular cars of Angels Flight resumed rattling up and down Bunker Hill two months ago, they were justly hailed as a link to the city's past. After all, the 298-foot-long ride — dubbed "the smallest railway in the world" — dates to 1901. Don't expect comebacks, however, from some other past transit systems, such as the San Pedro-L.A. camel train, the Aerial Swallow monorail, the Pasadena Cycleway and L.A. River Cruises. Each flamed out. L.A.'s brief camel era began in 1863 after the city was given 28 of the creatures from the 1st U.S. Army Camel Corps.

The orange and black funicular cars of Angels Flight still displayed their customary rattle and shake as they climbed the 298-foot tracks up Bunker Hill on Monday, maintaining the feel familiar to generations of Angelenos who have ridden "the smallest railway in the world." "It's got the same kind of little grinding," said Craig Moreland, whose grandfather once owned Angels Flight. He was one of the first to step on board when the rail line reopened for business Monday morning. "All the noises are as I recall them."

The California Public Utilities Commission has approved the safety certificate for the historic Angels Flight rail line in downtown L.A., nine years after a fatal accident closed the funicular. In a letter to Angels Flight Railway Co., the PUC said that it had "no major safety concerns" regarding the rail line, which runs up and down Bunker Hill. The company has faced numerous delays in reopening Angels Flight. John Welborne, head of a nonprofit foundation that is trying to reopen the funicular, said he was pleased by the PUC's decision, calling it an important step forward.