High above Altadena, California, the remains of an extraordinary railway still cling to the San Gabriel Mountains. Known as the Mount Lowe Railway, this remarkable project once carried visitors from the foothills into a spectacular mountain resort world.
Opened on July 4, 1893, the railway was the vision of Professor Thaddeus S. C. Lowe and engineer David J. Macpherson. Their ambitious goal was to create a scenic electric railway that could take tourists into the rugged mountains above the Los Angeles basin.
The journey was more than transportation—it was an attraction in itself. Passengers traveled by electric cars toward Rubio Canyon before continuing along the dramatic Great Incline toward Echo Mountain. At the mountaintop, visitors could enjoy the 70-room Echo Mountain House, an observatory, shops, fountains, entertainment facilities, and spectacular views. The illuminated resort became known as the “White City in the Sky.”
Despite its popularity, the railway faced serious challenges. Financial difficulties affected the project from its earliest years, while fires, floods, landslides, windstorms, and other disasters repeatedly damaged the railway and its surrounding attractions.
The Echo Mountain House burned in 1900, other buildings were destroyed by fire in 1905, and Alpine Tavern eventually burned in 1936. By 1938, the Mount Lowe Railway had been officially abandoned.
Today, the railway no longer operates, but its history has not disappeared. Hikers can still discover stone foundations, sections of the old railway grade, machinery remnants, and the famous cable wheel while exploring Echo Mountain and surrounding trails.
What was once an ambitious railway carrying tourists into the clouds is now an atmospheric piece of Southern California history.
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