Mount Washington: a hill more than a mountain, the landform in northeast Los Angeles is home today to leafy streets and artists' bungalows. But just a century ago, Mount Washington remained carpeted in chaparral, its hilltop land inaccessible to real estate developers and homebuyers. Ultimately, it was the simple Edwardian technology embodied in the Los Angeles and Mount Washington Incline Railway that conquered the hill.
Closed more than ninety years ago, the Mt. Washington funicular is one of several Southern California incline railways lost to history, their remains rusting on hillsides or long ago sold for scrap, their memory preserved only in the photographs, films, and maps of the region's archives.
Now, discover the story of this lost residential railway -- and other forgotten funiculars --through "Incline L.A.," a new video series showcasing L.A. as Subject member collections and the archivists, historians, and experts who care for them.
Collections Featured in Episode Two: Mt. Washington
- Automobile Club of Southern California Archives
- Los Angeles Public Library Map Collection
- Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
- Transportation Library & Archives - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
- USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection
- UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library
Experts Featured in Episode Two: Mt. Washington
- Morgan P. Yates, Automobile Club of Southern California Archives