Readers React: Angels Flight might not survive ‘modernization’

To the editor: This tiny railroad in downtown L.A. ran successfully for around half a century. It’s the simplest line imaginable, with no car couplings, no locomotives and simply a cable connecting the two cars, which mostly compensate for each other’s weight. (“L.A. business and cultural leaders want to see an Angels Flight plan,” July 23)

But then, during the start-up after the long hiatus, things were “modernized” with the latest nanny-state concerns — and quickly two accidents occurred, one even resulting in a fatality.

Why it was not restored exactly as it had been, a configuration proven over decades, is cause for shaking one’s head. It seems unlikely that it will ever run again, because the “safety worriers” will slap so many more unnecessary features onto it that it will again self-destruct.

It’s a shame. I loved the little railway.

Bob Burket, Santa Monica

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook