The caption on this photo said this is a shot of the Angels Flight funicular on its opening day, December 31st, 1901. One report I read said that more than 2000 people rode between Hill St (at the bottom) and Olive St (at the top) that day. The seven men we can see in this shot were probably officials who had gathered first thing that morning. Or maybe they were railway enthusiasts keen to claim to be the first passengers! Either way, this is a wonderful shot of the original Angels Flight (it would later move from its original location shown here at Hill and Third to half a block south.) And let’s not forget the guy standing near the Third St tunnel with his cart and broom ready to clean up all the mess from those 2000 people!
saturdaystationagent on Instagram said: “Didja know Angels Flight is the undisputed most-traveled railway in the world? Since the vanguard of these first gentlemen on that glorious day in 1901 there have been an estimated 100-million-plus passengers across its combined 79 years in operation. (1901-1969, 1996-2001, 2010-2014, 2017-2023)”
Gary H. said: “They were originally white and had a gondola style shape, as you can see in the white car in the b/w pic at the bottom of the tracks, and also in this pic I attached of Sinai next to the base of the Crocker Mansion…almost at the top. Around 1905 they re-made the cars (Olivet and Sinai) to be enclosed with windows, and after the Elks built their building on the site of the Crocker Mansion in 1908, they installed the lower gate arch and the upper station, which is also when the cars were painted their famous burnt orange color we know today.
I thought the auto-colorizer did a pretty good job of bringing this image to life.
This is how the original location of Angels Flight looked in June 2022.
I remember riding Angel’s Flight as a child in the 40’s. My grandfather and father went on buying trips during Market Week in the Garment District twice a year. We’d go to Clifton’s as a treat. Many years later I worked at the Metropolitan Water District and took Angel’s Flight up and down the hill. When it wasn’t working, which was often, and was shut down for a period after a fatal accident involving a broken cable, we had to walk up those tortuous stairs.
Phantasmic photo! Lots of people in there on both sides when you look at the detail closely. Not a single human outside of a car in the later shot. BTW, where’d they put the ultra modern monorail station for all those Jetsons up in the clouds? Battery powered flying saucers, you say?
Imagine living in the buildings next to Angel’s Flight and all those people peering into your windows! You’d have to keep the shades drawn.
To anyone who cares, I have the largest collection of vintage Angel’s Flight postcards in the world. But then again, I may be a member of a club of one.
Hi Michael, I doubt very much that you’re a club of one. It’s been my observation that when it comes to any and every subject under the sun, very seldom is someone the *only* person into it.
I’d like to see Michael’s collection!
The first card I have is from 1905, so the tram was already a sort of tourist attraction. The early cards have smudged or faded date stamps, but that’s expected due to their age. The street in front of the tunnel looks roughly paved, though it’s hard to discern if it’s just hard packed dirt.
Most dealers have a few Angel’s Flight cards, but I can tell from their pricing that not that many collectors ask for them.
Beautiful.
What is the tall tower with what looks like an open carload of people? It’s in the center of the photo, even with the top of the Crocker mansion.
If you’re referring to the bunch of people in the observation platform, this was a tourist attraction. I believe it came down in the 30s.