The UK’s longest train journey is set to be axed in May, but locomotive fans can still take advantage of the world’s shortest one.
The Aberdeen to Penzance route that famously takes 13 hours and has 35 stops along the way is to be stopped by operators CrossCountry in the spring, it has been reported.
But train enthusiasts might fancy a trip on the world’s shortest train line which is just 90 metres long and is complete in under a minute.
The Angels Flight railway is situated in the Bunker Hill neighbourhood of downtown LA and what it lacks in length, it makes up for in views of the cityscape and Instagram appeal.
From the top station there are some impressive vistas for such a short hop. The line operates as a narrow gauge funicular railway and travels up a steep 33 per cent incline to its stop.
Passengers will hop aboard one of two carriages, which are named Olivet and Sinai, which travel in opposite directions along the shared line.
And with its speedy timetable, the Angels Flight has ferried more passengers than any other railway line in the world.
On a plaque, which was erected in 1952 to commemorate the line’s 50 years of service, it states: “Built in 1901 by Colonel JW Eddy, lawyer, engineer, and friend of President Abraham Lincoln, Angels Flight is said to be the world’s shortest incorporated railway.
“The counterbalanced cars, controlled by cables, travel a 33 percent grade for 315 feet. It is estimated that Angels Flight has carried more passengers per mile than any other railway in the world, over a hundred million in its first fifty years.
“This incline railway is a public utility operating under a franchise granted by the City of Los Angeles.”
The Angel’s Flight was original stationed in a different part of the city and connected Hill Street and Olive Street. It is now located just half a block away.
Although it was a tourist novelty and it’s historical landmark status, the line is frequently used by local residents to travel between the Downtown Historic Core and Bunker Hill.
It even has it’s own Instagram page – @angelsflightrailway – with 7,300 followers where passengers and fans can read updates on the service and where pictures of railway from years gone by are shared.
The cable cars were originally painted white but are now a bright orange colour. It’s believed that happened in the 1930s and it’s not clear why the colour was changed but it has stuck.
You can ride the railway, the most travelled in the world, seven days a week, 365 days a year in rain or shine.