The Southern California landmark Angels Flight has been ordered to shut down because of safety concerns.
The historic railway is at a standstill, and it will remain closed for an indefinite period of time.
The device that holds the wheels of the car on the tracks has been deemed unsafe. The California Public Utilities Commission ordered Angels Flight to cease operations immediately after an inspection.
In the routine inspection Thursday, the CPUC found deterioration on the wheel flange. Railway Foundation president John Welborne said the wear on the railway's steel wheels "had accelerated in the last month to a point where replacement is required sooner than the normal time period expected for steel wheels."
Welborne said his mechanics were surprised by CPUC's findings on the wearing of the wheels so soon after the funicular reopened.
Over the last 15 months, the trolley has been operating 16 hours a day, seven days a week to provide about 800,000 passenger trips, he said.
Welborne also said the wheels may take several weeks to replace, as they are custom items that are not available off the shelf.
The trolley reopened last March after longtime closure following a tragic accident in February 2011 when a car rolled uncontrollably downhill and hit another car, killing an 83-year-old man and injuring seven others.
The Angels Flight is dubbed "the shortest railway in the world" and takes passengers for a 298-foot ride up or down a steep hill in the city's Bunker Hill area.
The trolley opened in 1901, when passengers paid 1 cent for the short 1-minute uphill trip. The modern-day site was rebuilt about half a block south of the original site.
LAMediaWatch.com
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