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Col. J.W. Eddy opened this funicular railway in 1901 to climb steep Bunker Hill in Downtown Los Angeles, CA, joining the once wealthy residential district at the top of hill with the business district below. Two cars of the line served 38 passengers at a time. At the top of the railway, Eddy attracted attention to his railway by building a 100-foot tower. He sold the line eleven years after opening it in 1912. The Bunker Hill neighborhood deteriorated gradually (as did most of Downtown Los Angeles) and was torn down in an urban renewal campaign of the 1960s. The construction of the California Plaza Development in the 1980s, spurred interest in restoring Angel's Flight as a means of descending the hill and as a tourist attraction.

Angels Flight was one of two funicular railways serving this section of Los Angeles; the other, called "Court Flight," operated at the intersection of Temple Street and Hill Street.

The railway has been renovated twice following its initial closure in 1969; the first full restoration to the railway occurred in 1995-1996 and utilized 60% of the railway's original parts (which had been stored in preparation for such a restoration). Angel's Flight was relocated just south of its original position, and ran 278 feet up Bunker Hill. Re-opening 02/24/1996, the railway reused the arches at the entries top and bottom, terminal station, and the two original cars, the "Sinai" and "Olivet," named for two hills mentioned in the Bible. On 02/01/2001, a cable gear winding component failed, causing the Sinai to slam into the Olivet, killing one 83-year-old rider, Leon Praport, and injuring seven others. Angel's Flight was removed from service, and was scheduled to resume service in late 2006.