Riding Funiculars

We rode that when we were in LA (my wife has family there) some time around 2000 I think.

And speaking of Horseshoe Curve: there's a funicular there, too. It takes visitors from the parking lot up to the viewing area. I don't know if any Curve modelers have ever tried to add that little detail.....

love riding funiculars

These are probably the neatest things I have come across and actually have ridden several different ones in places like Paris (France), Val Paraiso (Chili) and Niagara Falls (Canada).  I am glad to hear that Angels Flight has been restored even if somewhat different.

German Funicular

I think the only funicular I've ridden on was up to the top of the Koenigstuhl in Heidelberg, Germany. Being the in-shape Army type I was at that time, I walked back down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberger_Bergbahn

Wow Jeff

That was a long walk back. Thanks for the info. Quite a bit more substantial than most with passenger capacity of 130 on the lower section.

wheel flanges?

It looks like the "points" on the passing section are fixed.  This leads me to believe that the ouside wheels are grooved with a flange on both sides of the rail - also the rail looks like this could be the case.  So the outside wheels would guide the car through the passing section.

Then the inside wheels must be plain with no flanges and wide enough to bridge the gaps in the passing section "turnouts"  Also, at the "frog" there is no cut-away for flanges to cross the opposite rail.

If not this way, can someone explain how it works?

Art

Do believe you're right, Art

I do believe you're right, Art. The left hand wheels must be flangeless - the cars always bear right on the slips going up and coming down. The right rail guide with the flanges on the right wheels and the cables force the direction.

I can't say I have ever looked at any real close. I have only been on the Angels' Flight and I was way too young to have spent time looking.

Aha! More on wheels ...

More on the wheels - I went to wikipedia - this time for "funicular". Regarding wheels and rails, there are three basic types: 4 rail, 3 rail and 2 rail. Angels' Flight appears to be a 3 rail system and the funicular at Horseshoe Curve is a 2 rail system. In the 4 rail systems, each car has its' own set of tracks. In the 3 rail system, the cars share the center rail, but have a slip type turnout.

From Wikipedia  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funicular :

In the 2 rail system, the passing section has two pairs of rails.

A detail from the

A  detail of ABT double Rails standard on funiculars

from the Como-Brunate funicolar (last picture down this page)

http://forum.milanotrasporti.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3826

.... (italian but some interesting pictures of the incline)

Israeli Funicular

The only funicular I've ever been is located in Haifa, Israel. It makes it possiblr to get ferom the base of Mount Carmel to its top without walking or taking a bus (it takes forever that way).

A friend and I were going to see the sites in Haifa and we decided to take the funicular to get to the top of the mountain. This funicular is big as it has two or more (I am not sure how many) cars coupled together and there was standing room only. There are also several stops along the way and many got on and off at them. You don't get to see much while riding because the funicular is built underground for the most part. It wouldn't surprise me if one of the reasons for that is to use it as shelter during bombing/rocket attacks. Those didn't happen in 1969 though that would not preclude any need for that.

We took the funicular to the top of the mountain or as close as we could get to it and walked the rest of the way. There wasn't much at the top as it seemed to be a residential area with several houses built close together. We then decide4d to walk down the mountain instead of riding the funicular down. Of course my friend (who was female) didn't appreciate my sense of humor because she kept trying to stop from humming "She'll be Comin' 'round the mountain when she comes." Now for those of you with a certain kind of mind, we were freinds and nothing more.

Now, you might be wondering where in NYC I would have learned that tune, so I'll tell you. I spent the years 1951-1956 living in Macon, Georgia. I still have a slight Georgia accent so y'all might be surpised to know that.

Irv

They are all over the world, huh?

Thank you, Enzo, for the link and info. That is quite an educational diagram on that web page. It shows a lot of detail. The other funiculars (funny/peculiars) were very interesting as well. Now I'll need to visit Babel Fish to translate some of the comments (might be a good way to learn Italian?).

Thanks, Irv, for the story on the Haifa funicular. Yep, that tune does have a way of sticking in the mind, doesn't it. I remember humming and singing it many a time. "She'll be comin' around the mountain..." A lot like "I've been workin' on the railroad..."

I had spent some time looking at toher related sites and stories last night. I will add more here later.

One thing I found out about Angels' Flight (some don't use the apostrophe) - it was included in three famous movies from Hollywood.

I also found out there was a replica at the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park north of San Fenando Valley (I think that might be the one Rio Grande Dan was writing about earlier).

just think...

Angels Flight is a great chance for a modeler to model a railroad down to EVERY single tie....every single peice of equipment, and in N Scale in just over 22 inches.

UK Funicular

 I've been to LA many times and didn't know about this funicular - often called a 'cliff railway' in the UK.  I'll look out for it if and when I am in LA again.

The UK company Langley models makes white metal kit in 1:76 OO scale  http://www.langleymodels.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_OO_Scale_Accessories_F124_to_F171_16.html  They number 161 in their catalogue, they also have cranes in 1:87.

There is a UK website with a list of many international cliff railways  http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/rail/  including one I remember riding many times as a child at Scarborough on the cold East Coast of  England    http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/rail/scar.htm

Thanks for the post

Norman

Abu Dhabi

Sad update, but with some hope

We are hopeful about a resolution. Apparently while I was not looking (have not been to downtown L.A. for some time), the Angels Flight has been taken out of operation due to a derailing in September 2013. There is a fund drive and a plea to city management (Mayor Garcetti) for assistance in getting the railway back into operation. For the young folk, this may not be so important, but historically this very short railway was a major significant part of Los Angeles since 1901.

For more information on the progress and the fund raising and city help, visit this page:

https://angelsflight.org

To see some of the other pertinent facts and a 3D tour, visit:

https://esotouric.com/2016/06/06/angelsflight3d

More new in the L.A. Times:

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-angels-20150128-column.html

I am in favor of urban renewal, but what was done to Bunker Hill was a butcher job. Many early California structures were demolished, never to be seen again, as a result of the new buildings (ugly to some) that took their place.