My great grandfather helped build this railroad. He was a immigrant from Norway and there are family photos of the tracks and railroad. Quite a feat, sadly not there today!
I am always amazed to look at pictures of these workers. In the heat of SoCal, they wore suits and ties as they performed their back-breaking tasks. No helmets either.
I had a great aunt that lived in the Pasadena area. When she would come back to Wisconsin, she always brought my mother a gift. My mother cherished these gifts as a little girl. When my mother passed away, I found a glass paper weight, about 21/2 by 4 inches and 3/4" thick. It is a picture of the base of an inclined railway! All these years we have wondered where this was from. While watching your video, I saw one of the photos of the base of Mount Lowe and I knew I had seen it before. I had to go find this glass paper weight and I was shocked to see that the photo matches exactly what you presented in this video. Now it all makes sense. Thanks for helping solve a mystery!
If this thing survived the 1937 storm, I'm sure it would be phenomenally successful today. LA residents are always looking for things to do, and a mountaintop railway would be a very popular day trip.
The geology of the transverse range is as precarious now as it was then. A subduction story turned sideways by plate tectonics leaving a twisted mass of crushed sedimentary and metamorphic rocks with occasional igneous intrusions slowly crumbling and faulting. Anything built on this strata is temporary at best. As cool as it would be, maintaining it requires periodic rebuilding and today's business models are all about buying not building and then milking assets until no more. Gone are the days of building things because it would be cool. In Lowe's defense, the fact that it was completed is testament to greatness. The billionaires of today are predatory by nature. Creative? not so much.
@@donklee3514 Yet some damned AUTOMOTIVE ROADWAY exists along that same right-of-way----still in reasonably good enough condition to be considered "safe for travel"....
I was born and raised in Pasadena --- but not till 1951 so I never got to ride it. My parents were born in Pasadena in 1925 (my mom in Glendale --- 1927) and my father spoke of this railway often when I was young and certainly rode it (his parents and then he and his brothers were 'in transportation' and this kind of thing fascinated them). My grandparents moved to Pasadena right at the turn of the century (around 1900) and founded Embree Buses in 1927, and I am sure they also rode it. I live in Sacramento now, but fondly remember all my years in Pasadena (and Sierra Madre). What an amazing place. Thanks for the memories.
Altadena still has residue of the rail service which met the Mt Lowe. One-block-long Mt Lowe Drive has a park-like median which would have been suitable for a rail terminus.
In the 50s my dad frequently took us on hikes in Millard Canyon where he knew a number of the cabin owners. Then in the mid-60s I worked for the U.S. Forest Service, Angeles National Forest, Recreation Department and we regularly visited a camping area that I believe was at the location of the tavern. I remember there was a large safe down in the canyon with the rest of the rubble. And then mid-70s thru mid-80s my children and I hiked to all those mountain peaks on a regular basis. I still treasure a ledger book in which I logged all our hikes. Great memories!
WOW! That makes two of you who know about the history of this old railway! I remember once I descended the incline ROW, and somehow veered off into a canyon that ended up becoming a flood control channel; I suppose the veer-off point was where the old bridge that took the incline cars across that ravine was located. Stories of the railroad's construction, from the branch at Lake and Mariposa to Palm street, to the narrow-gauge line to the tavern, include this bridge. Satellite maps showed where I veered off....
Fun fact: Lowes grand daughter by his seventh son was Florence Lowe, better known as Pancho Barnes. If you know anything about pioneering female aviators, that name should ring a bell. Her story is worthy of a segment of It's History in and of itself.
I have been to the ruins of The Happy Bottom Riding Club at Edwards Air Force Base, owned and managed by Pancho Barnes. Not much left but we can understand how remote it was.
You did an excellent job telling the history of the Mt Lowe Railroad. I had not thought about how difficult it was to get from Pasadena or Los Angeles to Altadena. I had always heard that he lost control due to a financial panic in 1897 which saw revenue fall. Henry Huntington's Pacific Electric acquired the Mt Lowe RR. Huntington had deep pockets and made improvements to the infrastructure. The whole enterprise really was not profitable and was basically subsidized by the Pacific Electric. I think they only had one really profitable year in the 1920's After the Alpine Tavern burned in 1936, operation of the railroad ceased except for a rail fan trip done by the Railroad Boosters in December 1937. The whole LA region was devastated by the rainfall and flood in March 1938. It was this that was the final nail in the coffin. Most of what I just wrote has been told to me by other Mt Lowe buffs who I have worked with for the last 30 years up on Echo Mtn, Alpine Tavern, and Inspiration Point ( which always needs repairs to the roof due to high winds that come from the Santa Anas )
Thanks for a great video! I lived in Pasadena in the 80's and 90's. I loved it there. I hiked into the mountains and saw some of the remains that are shown in this video. I had no idea how old they were, why they existed, and what a big deal the railroad was in its day. Smitty's Grill on Lake Street has many historical photos, including many of the photos shown in this video. Thanks again.
I mountain biked all over this area. Rode up the railroad right away and down the single track to the ruins. There is still signs of the electrical wires where the pic of the street car is shown.
Is the pedestrian suspension bridge still intact? I startled a mountain lion on the down hill. Thank god for cat reflexes. Hitting it would have been ugly.
Professor Lowe was a remarkable man, first time I have heard his story aside from small snippets of his work on refrigeration and he certainly seems someone overlooked in Europe/UK which is a shame. Thanks for the upload, very interesting topic.
Thanks for the video. I've hiked up to the ruins and back to the old tavern campgrounds several times and its a tough hike but you're rewarded with spectacular views that reaches to the Pacific on a clear day. It's truly a shame it didn't survive since something like this today would be a huge tourist draw as well as give people a new appreciation of just how awe-inspiring nature can be. I'm glad Professor Lowe's memory has not been forgotten...
"Vertical Railways" survive in other places, provided they still provide good service. For example the Monongahela Incline in Pittsburgh still provides the fastest service between Downtown Pittsburgh and the top of the Mt Washington section of Pittsburgh. The Johnstown Incline does the same in Johnstown PA (Through the Johnstown incline is still more of a tourist draw then the Monongahela Inline, as is the Duquesne Incline in Pittsburgh). Other inclines in the US and elsewhere survive when they provide good service for locals, but none as a long or isolated as the Lowe railway was.
I believe Angels flight in downtown los angeles is still operational. It is not as cool as the mount lowe railway, but the engineering has stood the test of time.
@@johnpearson492 I can not use the Duquesne Incline. I use a Mobility Scooter and can get on the Duquesne Incline at the top station, but since I can not use steps I can not exit the bottom station. Now Johnstown has a vehicular Incline, one designed to haul horse drawn wagons up its steep hillside. It is still in use so I can get on it with my scooter. You can also drive your car on it and the Incline can haul your car up that hill. It is big enough to take on vans and Suburbans if you ever want to go up on it.
It would have been amazing to visit ! Incredible the work it took to build it in that terrain, including transporting all the material for the hotel and tavern etc! Lost history and very interesting! Thanks Ryan!
Excellent video and coverage. A couple minor corrections: 14:48 The historic storm was not 1937, but rather March 1938. 16:35 Not "High Bridge", but rather the site of the incredible Circular Bridge.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the 9 giant waterfalls in Rubio canyon that had stairs built into the cliffs to get to each waterfall. I heard from a historian that was giving a tour about the railway say those waterfalls rivaled Yosemite. I used to hike up Rubio canyon all the time about 20 years ago. I would love to go back and explore again. Thank you for posting this amazing documentary and sparking some great memories for me.
@@toomanyjstoomanyrs1705 Have you been there? The creek flows over all those falls before it gets to the water company. I used to hike all the way up that canyon all the time, its my favorite hike. It looks dry until you get to the first falls, I usually skip the second fall because it doesn't lead anywhere. to get to the 3rd fall you go up a really steep incline to the right of the first falls and leads to an amazing view of the 3rd fall and the city. if you keep going there are ropes in place to climb down to get back into the canyon. from here you can go to the top of the 3rd fall or go the other way and reach the 4th fall and so on.its awesome up there.
Our mountainous trails are disappearing too, I went on my long run this morning and the trail I usually take up the mountain near me was completely eroded due to a rock slide in the area.
My grandparents rode the rail cars to a hotel at the top back in the day. When I was young I and a friend went exploring up the rail-line. It was a difficult climb up the slope and we eventually had to use the standard trail. Back down along the Rubio canyon rail bed we dug up metal objects and spikes. Walking along the canyon a section of the side of the decomposing granite railbed broke off and my friend did a 360° head over heels tumble down the cliff. He landed in the middle of a boulder field. Luckily there was a pile of sand right where he landed which probably saved his life. He was only shaken up. Oh, there were warning signs not to hike the canyon.
Reminds me of Cass Scenic railroad here in West Virginia, originally a logging rail it climbs to the top of Bald Knob. Today it's an 11 mile scenic steam engine train ride
Just wanted to say Ryan love your channel. History has always been so interesting and fascinating to me I have always had a huge love for history. Love every video you do always learning something new and cool. Its always exciting to watch your channel. I hope this comment reaches you.
Fantastic work and you did a great job narrating and putting this documentary together. I am a San Diego native and I had not ever heard of this before. Thank you.
Awesome to learn more about the history of my neighborhood. I trail run the Lower Sam Merril Trail from the Cobb Estate to the ruins on Echo Mt quite frequently. Small correction: Cape of Good Hope is definitely not a parking lot. The paved road leading to it is the Mt Lowe Road, a forest service road closed to motorized vehicles, though maybe rangers park there. Great for hiking and biking.
Just FYI, it's ANGELES not ANGELS National Forest. Grew up hiking there. Quite interesting that Lowe's three reconnaissance balloons were named Intrepid, Excelsior, and Enterprise!
You have created a wonderful presentation here. Very Nice !!! You also might take a look at The Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway in Marin County, California. It was built originally to be electric and had similar designs in regards to the electrical engineering. It was only supposed to be steam powered while being built but never completed the electrical construction portion of the project.
I love it. These railway trains are called Funiculars. There's one in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. I ride it every time I go. I go often since I live in the region. It's fun to say, "Let's go on the funicular!"
Pittsburgh still has two, Johnstown PA still has one. Iowa City has one as does Chattanooga TN. Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Chattanooga all claim to be the steepest Incline in the US. The Mongohelia Incline is the steepest overall but it takes passengers only. Johnstown's Incline is 1% less steep but it is the steepest, "Vehicular Incline" i.e. you can take automobiles on it (it was designed to take on large horse drawn heavy wagons). Chattanooga has the steepest final section. Overall it is less steep then the above Inclines, but then does a radical increase in steepest as it nears the top of the Incline. I have been on all three, they are all different and also the same and it is always fun to see how three things (inclines) can claim the same thing (Steepest) by emphasizing different aspect of the same word (in this case "Steepest").
What a great story. I'm comparing it with the construction of the funicular rail built to go to the top of Mount Washington, Los Angeles, which was opened for ridership in 1909. Its popularity remained for about 9 years until celebrities started to pour into a new area known as "Hollywood". At that point, the attraction to Mount Washington's Hotel fell upon unpopular times, and its eventual closure, and of course the funicular railway went with it 😢 I'm pretty sure the Mount Lowe Railway was a source of influence for those who sought to create this Mount Washington Resort. The base station of the railway still exists as a house on Avenue 43. The hotel was purchased shortly after its demise and now remains under the same ownership today, the center for Self Realization Fellowship, was founded in 1920.
Ryan, this was awesome! I'm wondering if you have ever considered doing a piece on the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway in Jim Thorpe PA? It's a remarkable piece of history that's worth doing a deep dive into.
The funicular railway was only part of the system. The rest of it was a more conventional rail way. At some point it was run by Henry Huntington's Pacific Electric Railway. PE cars carried passengers to the beginning of the Mount Lowe Railway. My mother and her parents, brothers and sister rode the Mt. Lowe cars to Lowe's resort. It would have been a fabulous experience. Mt. Lowe retains the name Lowe gave it, and Echo Mountain is also there. As to a trail to Mt. Wilson: there is a hiking trail starting in Sierra Madre going to the Mt. Wilson. More likely the reference is to the Mount Wilson Toll Road which starts at Eaton Canyon in Altadena. The road is about 9 miles long and continues as a hiking trail and fire road. Access is limited to day time with locked gate at the entrance. It can be used by hikers, bicyclists and horse riders. About 3 miles up is Henninger Flats which has U. S. Forest Station. It was also used to take parts and the lenses of the 60-inch and 100-inch telescopes that are the heart of the Mount Wilson Observatory. I would also note the Forest is Angeles National Forest, not Angels.
Another great video loaded with tons of interesting information. And talking of roads along the west coast, the highway E6, passing near me in W Sweden collapsed tonite. A hillside next to the hwy slid down displacing the road and buildings. Unfortunately, the area is off limit, else it had been interesting to go and visit.
I have seen these type of vertical trains in europe and south america… seem to recall they are called Funiculars. Also remember LA’s Angels Flight which is similar.
Thank you Sir. Have Hiked near there. Never made it to the top, though. Saw the one Straight stretch and maybe where the Circular Bridge was at. If I remember correctly, we saw the " Bridge to Nowhere ", that day also.
There were what we called locally, inclines, built in various parts of the country. Cincinnati, Ohio had 5 inclines operating in the same time frame from 1872 till 1948. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had 3 but now only 1 survives from 1864 till now. Older forms of transportation are quite fascinating and could be a good tourist draw in walking cities......
@stevie-ray2020 Though it was built strictly for leisure travel in the San Gabriel mountains. Not in city centers or for actual needed transportation. As was the case with Angel's Flight in DTLA. I think they have similar railways in Europe built to get to a resort, which was the case with this railway.
As a kid growing up in San Marino back in the 80's, my family and friends hiked up to Mt Lowe at dusk on the 4th of July to watch the fireworks far below. We could see all of the fireworks in the San Gabriel Valley from our picnic spot on the foundation of the old hotel with a serenade from a rattle snake underneath. We hiked down by flashlight.
You did it again, I thought I knew everything about Mount Loew, But turns out I didn't know enough about LOEW himself. What a time to be ingenious and daring !
Thanks for the history! Well done. My partner and I love Angeles Forest and make videos about our hikes. (Under "Chortkoff and Riggio" if you are curious.) We did not know all this about Mr. Lowe though! We just LOVE local CA history! Our videos are more fun than historical though. I think I will recommend your videos to our viewers! I wish the trains were still there! It is crazy to me that all those decades ago we built this impossible marvel! I assume that with increased weather events and fires we gave up doing something so... Ahead of our time. Even now this would not be easy to pull off!
my favorite hiking path is in Rubio Canyon, but instead of going up the "railway trail" i ascend into the canyon some more, where there are some awesome waterfalls: Moss Grotto, Thalehaha and Leontine Falls.... with some great rock formations also.
And Lowe was Grandfather to the famous aviatrix…..Pancho Barnes that owned and operated the famous Bottom Riding Club near Edwards AFB (Muroc at that time). Pancho Barnes was also a famous pilot in the Hollywood stunt pilots. I believe she organized those stunt pilots too into a union. T. Lowe was her Grandpa. Lowe’s balloons were used in the Civil War for early recon. Abraham Lincoln was a big supporter of Lowe.
This video is like a twin to a vertical railway we had on the east cost. The place was Mount Beacon NY. At one time there was a vertical railway, a hotel, casino, restaurant, and a ski lodge and ski slope. The railway was shut down in 1972, due to bankruptcy. Then of course some anal cavities had to burn down the buildings on top of the mountain. What a loss! It is sad that this is no longer there.
Ive lived here all my life and the history here is so rich. I would love it if you made a video about its neighboring Brown mountain, named after Owen Brown, one of the sons of John Brown who led the raid on harpers ferry with his sons!!
The city I’m from, Hamilton, Ontario, used to have one as well, actually a couple of them i think. They were all demolished in the early 20th century. The city is divided by the Niagara Escarpment. The lines have been turned into staircases now
San Bernardino had incline rail for passenger service and materials for big bear dam material and lumber on return trip ,. Different tracks one would roll down with lumber and opposite would roll up with cement and dam materials
It is funny the way you mentioned Henry Ford fondly in the Mount Lowe Railway story. He was actually a villain in the Mount Lowe Railways demise. He was in the area plotting the demise of the red car trolley system that fed into it. I bet you didn't know that.
Read "Ride the Big Red Cars!" by Spencer Crump, and Stanley I. Fischler's "Moving Millions"; plenty of info detailing the shennagins of not only the automotive industry, but the energy corporations as well.
Note that the first Manned balloon flight attempt was rightfully named: "the Enterprise ". Isn't this a wierd coincidence ?? I'm guessing that our first intergalactic Starship, will also be rightfully named: "the Enterprise ", too. Am I correct..?
I've hiked the trail to the hotel ruins many times, and it is one of my favorite hikes in the area. The echophones, and a few of the railway gears still remain to this day. Thanks for covering this wonderful piece of SoCal history!
Mr. Lowe's work with balloons for military applications also credits him with having created what we know as The U.S. Air Force. Funny thing is, if Florence Lowe-Barnes ("Pancho") hadn't been running around with her Hollywood friends & making aviation history herself, chances are she may have inherited the railway and the hotel, and rebuilt it.
The electric trains themselves are starting to come back. There was a time I could walk to the corner of my block in Studio City, catch a train, and take it all the way to the top! There is no public transportation to anywhere in Angeles Forest anymore! Wah!
Blame General Motors, Standard Oil, Firestone Rubber Company, and a whole slew of others including gullible and moronic congress members for the automobiliated stupidity we must all suffer with today!!
You know, it has occurred to me in the past that if this railway through some miracle had survived, it could well be one of the greatest tourist attractions in Southern California. What a terrible shame. We Americans certainly have a propensity for obliterating our past.
Interesting guy. interesting story, However his wife was not the daughter of King Louis Phillipe, she was the daughter of King Louis Phillipe's palace guard.
It's the Angeles national forest, not angels. It's called echo mountain, not mount echo. There is no parking at the Cape of Good Hope, as the road is closed to the public. The parking area is further down the mountain. Good story, but some facts are incorrect. I live in Altadena and have hiked these trails many, many times.
My great grandfather helped build this railroad. He was a immigrant from Norway and there are family photos of the tracks and railroad. Quite a feat, sadly not there today!
cool, get the pics to the channel? would be great to see
Could I see some of the pics?
I am always amazed to look at pictures of these workers. In the heat of SoCal, they wore suits and ties as they performed their back-breaking tasks. No helmets either.
yes i remember him well.
Yeah sure
I had a great aunt that lived in the Pasadena area. When she would come back to Wisconsin, she always brought my mother a gift. My mother cherished these gifts as a little girl. When my mother passed away, I found a glass paper weight, about 21/2 by 4 inches and 3/4" thick. It is a picture of the base of an inclined railway! All these years we have wondered where this was from. While watching your video, I saw one of the photos of the base of Mount Lowe and I knew I had seen it before. I had to go find this glass paper weight and I was shocked to see that the photo matches exactly what you presented in this video. Now it all makes sense. Thanks for helping solve a mystery!
@@patrickmcmullen7910 sweeeeet!!!!!
If this thing survived the 1937 storm, I'm sure it would be phenomenally successful today. LA residents are always looking for things to do, and a mountaintop railway would be a very popular day trip.
The geology of the transverse range is as precarious now as it was then. A subduction story turned sideways by plate tectonics leaving a twisted mass of crushed sedimentary and metamorphic rocks with occasional igneous intrusions slowly crumbling and faulting. Anything built on this strata is temporary at best.
As cool as it would be, maintaining it requires periodic rebuilding and today's business models are all about buying not building and then milking assets until no more. Gone are the days of building things because it would be cool. In Lowe's defense, the fact that it was completed is testament to greatness. The billionaires of today are predatory by nature. Creative? not so much.
@@donklee3514 Yet some damned AUTOMOTIVE ROADWAY exists along that same right-of-way----still in reasonably good enough condition to be considered "safe for travel"....
I was born and raised in Pasadena --- but not till 1951 so I never got to ride it. My parents were born in Pasadena in 1925 (my mom in Glendale --- 1927) and my father spoke of this railway often when I was young and certainly rode it (his parents and then he and his brothers were 'in transportation' and this kind of thing fascinated them). My grandparents moved to Pasadena right at the turn of the century (around 1900) and founded Embree Buses in 1927, and I am sure they also rode it. I live in Sacramento now, but fondly remember all my years in Pasadena (and Sierra Madre). What an amazing place. Thanks for the memories.
Altadena still has residue of the rail service which met the Mt Lowe. One-block-long Mt Lowe Drive has a park-like median which would have been suitable for a rail terminus.
Thank you. I've lived Calif. my entire 64 years and never heard of this before. I'm still learning something new every day.
My mom lived on Mount Lowe until she was eleven as her father was a conductor on the railway.
In the 50s my dad frequently took us on hikes in Millard Canyon where he knew a number of the cabin owners. Then in the mid-60s I worked for the U.S. Forest Service, Angeles National Forest, Recreation Department and we regularly visited a camping area that I believe was at the location of the tavern. I remember there was a large safe down in the canyon with the rest of the rubble. And then mid-70s thru mid-80s my children and I hiked to all those mountain peaks on a regular basis. I still treasure a ledger book in which I logged all our hikes. Great memories!
If that was the Mt Lowe trail camp, not far from Inspiration Point, then that was definitely the site of the tavern. Camped there a few times!
WOW! That makes two of you who know about the history of this old railway! I remember once I descended the incline ROW, and somehow veered off into a canyon that ended up becoming a flood control channel; I suppose the veer-off point was where the old bridge that took the incline cars across that ravine was located. Stories of the railroad's construction, from the branch at Lake and Mariposa to Palm street, to the narrow-gauge line to the tavern, include this bridge.
Satellite maps showed where I veered off....
Hiking up to echo mountain and inspiration point is my favorite trail of all time. Sunset and night hikes are the best in summer time.
Fun fact: Lowes grand daughter by his seventh son was Florence Lowe, better known as Pancho Barnes. If you know anything about pioneering female aviators, that name should ring a bell. Her story is worthy of a segment of It's History in and of itself.
Yes, and she was the inspiration for the character Lupe Gibbs in HBOs recent Perry Mason series.
OMG, just read a book about her life. Wonderful!!
I have been to the ruins of The Happy Bottom Riding Club at Edwards Air Force Base, owned and managed by Pancho Barnes. Not much left but we can understand how remote it was.
@@weeniedogwrangler7096 She was a character from what I've seen in videos. I didn't know she was related to the Lowes.
You did an excellent job telling the history of the Mt Lowe Railroad. I had not thought about how difficult it was to get from Pasadena or Los Angeles to Altadena. I had always heard that he lost control due to a financial panic in 1897 which saw revenue fall. Henry Huntington's Pacific Electric acquired the Mt Lowe RR. Huntington had deep pockets and made improvements to the infrastructure. The whole enterprise really was not profitable and was basically subsidized by the Pacific Electric. I think they only had one really profitable year in the 1920's After the Alpine Tavern burned in 1936, operation of the railroad ceased except for a rail fan trip done by the Railroad Boosters in December 1937. The whole LA region was devastated by the rainfall and flood in March 1938. It was this that was the final nail in the coffin. Most of what I just wrote has been told to me by other Mt Lowe buffs who I have worked with for the last 30 years up on Echo Mtn, Alpine Tavern, and Inspiration Point ( which always needs repairs to the roof due to high winds that come from the Santa Anas )
Thanks for a great video! I lived in Pasadena in the 80's and 90's. I loved it there. I hiked into the mountains and saw some of the remains that are shown in this video. I had no idea how old they were, why they existed, and what a big deal the railroad was in its day. Smitty's Grill on Lake Street has many historical photos, including many of the photos shown in this video. Thanks again.
Smitty's Grill has COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS of the incline and other features of the Mount Lowe line!!
In the Swiss Alpe, I rode a train up a mountain but had a gear not a cable.
The movie, called "A trip up Mount Lowe with the Ford cameraman." is posted on the Periscope Film channel.
And it's right here on UA-cam, along with other historical info pertaining to rail transit in southern California!
I mountain biked all over this area. Rode up the railroad right away and down the single track to the ruins. There is still signs of the electrical wires where the pic of the street car is shown.
Did you do it right away? I'm sorry. I'm a douche.
Is the pedestrian suspension bridge still intact? I startled a mountain lion on the down hill. Thank god for cat reflexes. Hitting it would have been ugly.
I think that'll be awesome for historical place, such as the buildings Thank You , Paul Konopaske.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the support, I am sorry that I did not see this sooner.
Professor Lowe was a remarkable man, first time I have heard his story aside from small snippets of his work on refrigeration and he certainly seems someone overlooked in Europe/UK which is a shame. Thanks for the upload, very interesting topic.
I used to hike up there in the 1980s. There were many building ruins and even some rails and ties at that time.
Thanks for the video. I've hiked up to the ruins and back to the old tavern campgrounds several times and its a tough hike but you're rewarded with spectacular views that reaches to the Pacific on a clear day. It's truly a shame it didn't survive since something like this today would be a huge tourist draw as well as give people a new appreciation of just how awe-inspiring nature can be. I'm glad Professor Lowe's memory has not been forgotten...
what a shame this was not restored or even preserved. Amazing
The steel was needed for ww2, the environment wiped it out many times
the power house was still on mountain till the forest service blew it up in 1964, the hotels were long brunt down by then.
ALL OF HIS VIDEOS ARE WELL DONE AND INFORMATIVE !
"Vertical Railways" survive in other places, provided they still provide good service. For example the Monongahela Incline in Pittsburgh still provides the fastest service between Downtown Pittsburgh and the top of the Mt Washington section of Pittsburgh. The Johnstown Incline does the same in Johnstown PA (Through the Johnstown incline is still more of a tourist draw then the Monongahela Inline, as is the Duquesne Incline in Pittsburgh).
Other inclines in the US and elsewhere survive when they provide good service for locals, but none as a long or isolated as the Lowe railway was.
I believe Angels flight in downtown los angeles is still operational. It is not as cool as the mount lowe railway, but the engineering has stood the test of time.
I've ridden the Dusquesne incline, it's quite the interesting form of transport.
@@johnpearson492 I can not use the Duquesne Incline. I use a Mobility Scooter and can get on the Duquesne Incline at the top station, but since I can not use steps I can not exit the bottom station.
Now Johnstown has a vehicular Incline, one designed to haul horse drawn wagons up its steep hillside. It is still in use so I can get on it with my scooter. You can also drive your car on it and the Incline can haul your car up that hill. It is big enough to take on vans and Suburbans if you ever want to go up on it.
That sounds interesting!
It would have been amazing to visit ! Incredible the work it took to build it in that terrain, including transporting all the material for the hotel and tavern etc! Lost history and very interesting! Thanks Ryan!
You can still see parts of the railway and parts of the hotel.
Excellent video.
I have lived in Northern CA all my life and this is the first i have ever heard of The Mt Lowe Railroad.
Thank You 🙂
I grew up in mill valley, ca. How about the mt. Tamalpais railway and the gravity cars.
The coolest hike I've ever done! So much history
Such a facinateing peice of history ! Thankyou for the tour !!! 😉😎
Excellent video and coverage. A couple minor corrections:
14:48 The historic storm was not 1937, but rather March 1938.
16:35 Not "High Bridge", but rather the site of the incredible Circular Bridge.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the 9 giant waterfalls in Rubio canyon that had stairs built into the cliffs to get to each waterfall. I heard from a historian that was giving a tour about the railway say those waterfalls rivaled Yosemite. I used to hike up Rubio canyon all the time about 20 years ago. I would love to go back and explore again. Thank you for posting this amazing documentary and sparking some great memories for me.
Waterfalls in Rubio Canyon? The water companies steal all the water nowadays and not a drop ( days after the rain) makes it to the creeks.
@@toomanyjstoomanyrs1705 Have you been there? The creek flows over all those falls before it gets to the water company. I used to hike all the way up that canyon all the time, its my favorite hike. It looks dry until you get to the first falls, I usually skip the second fall because it doesn't lead anywhere. to get to the 3rd fall you go up a really steep incline to the right of the first falls and leads to an amazing view of the 3rd fall and the city. if you keep going there are ropes in place to climb down to get back into the canyon. from here you can go to the top of the 3rd fall or go the other way and reach the 4th fall and so on.its awesome up there.
@@toomanyjstoomanyrs1705 Yet a huge debris basin exists at the head of a flood control channel in that area....
Our mountainous trails are disappearing too, I went on my long run this morning and the trail I usually take up the mountain near me was completely eroded due to a rock slide in the area.
GREAT VIDEO REALLY ENJOYED ALL OF THE GREAT PICTURES !!!!
My grandparents rode the rail cars to a hotel at the top back in the day. When I was young I and a friend went exploring up the rail-line. It was a difficult climb up the slope and we eventually had to use the standard trail.
Back down along the Rubio canyon rail bed we dug up metal objects and spikes. Walking along the canyon a section of the side of the decomposing granite railbed broke off and my friend did a 360° head over heels tumble down the cliff. He landed in the middle of a boulder field. Luckily there was a pile of sand right where he landed which probably saved his life. He was only shaken up.
Oh, there were warning signs not to hike the canyon.
I hiked down the incline ROW, and ended up veering off into a flood control channel....
Reminds me of Cass Scenic railroad here in West Virginia, originally a logging rail it climbs to the top of Bald Knob. Today it's an 11 mile scenic steam engine train ride
We just hiked up there this weekend. Crazy seeing it in a video.
We have the Lowe observatory here in Flagstaff, AZ. That's where Pluto was discovered!
I'm sorry to tell you that the observatory in Flagstaff is the LOWELL observatory.
Great video! I just did the hike to the Echo Mt. house few months ago. I'm still sore but am looking forward to doing hit again.
When I lived in Los Angeles I joined a group that hiked the lost stairs of LA. There was literally a subway up in the Hollywood hills😮
my wife and i climbed along the route of this railway
In every city pretty much railways used to be the major way to get around but on mountains is every interesting great history lesson.❤
And all,of a sudden, along came GM, Standard Oil, Firestone Rubber Company, and gullible congress members supporting automotive transportation....
This is such a good channel. Glad I stumbled upon it!
So interesting, thank you so much. There is so much history in California, both North and South!!
Well researched 📖and presented🔭 - Good info✅
Never heard of this. Thank-you✨
Just wanted to say Ryan love your channel. History has always been so interesting and fascinating to me I have always had a huge love for history. Love every video you do always learning something new and cool. Its always exciting to watch your channel. I hope this comment reaches you.
The hike up to the old site is pretty awesome and I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance!!
Thank you! I am a pilot and have flown that area wondering what was there once!
Here in Wellington, we still use the cable car!
Thanks professor!
Fantastic work and you did a great job narrating and putting this documentary together. I am a San Diego native and I had not ever heard of this before. Thank you.
Let's not forget the iconic Angels Flight tram in Los Angeles! 👍👍👍
Great channel!
Great video, love this channel.
Awesome to learn more about the history of my neighborhood. I trail run the Lower Sam Merril Trail from the Cobb Estate to the ruins on Echo Mt quite frequently. Small correction: Cape of Good Hope is definitely not a parking lot. The paved road leading to it is the Mt Lowe Road, a forest service road closed to motorized vehicles, though maybe rangers park there. Great for hiking and biking.
Just FYI, it's ANGELES not ANGELS National Forest.
Grew up hiking there.
Quite interesting that Lowe's three reconnaissance balloons were named Intrepid, Excelsior, and Enterprise!
Just FYI Angeles and Angels are the same word lol. One is Spanish the other is English.
@@paragon215 However, just WHAT angel would wanna live in such a DEVILISH place like SoCal?!
You have created a wonderful presentation here. Very Nice !!! You also might take a look at The Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway in Marin County, California. It was built originally to be electric and had similar designs in regards to the electrical engineering. It was only supposed to be steam powered while being built but never completed the electrical construction portion of the project.
Thanks for the tips!
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. ❤
I love it. These railway trains are called Funiculars. There's one in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. I ride it every time I go. I go often since I live in the region. It's fun to say, "Let's go on the funicular!"
Pittsburgh still has two, Johnstown PA still has one. Iowa City has one as does Chattanooga TN.
Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Chattanooga all claim to be the steepest Incline in the US.
The Mongohelia Incline is the steepest overall but it takes passengers only. Johnstown's Incline is 1% less steep but it is the steepest, "Vehicular Incline" i.e. you can take automobiles on it (it was designed to take on large horse drawn heavy wagons).
Chattanooga has the steepest final section. Overall it is less steep then the above Inclines, but then does a radical increase in steepest as it nears the top of the Incline.
I have been on all three, they are all different and also the same and it is always fun to see how three things (inclines) can claim the same thing (Steepest) by emphasizing different aspect of the same word (in this case "Steepest").
One that was recently relocated and redesigned operated in the heart of Los Angeles; Angel's Flight.
Interesting that this technological feat started in Pasadena, location of Caltech today.
Not far from JPL t'boot.
What a great story. I'm comparing it with the construction of the funicular rail built to go to the top of Mount Washington, Los Angeles, which was opened for ridership in 1909. Its popularity remained for about 9 years until celebrities started to pour into a new area known as "Hollywood". At that point, the attraction to Mount Washington's Hotel fell upon unpopular times, and its eventual closure, and of course the funicular railway went with it 😢
I'm pretty sure the Mount Lowe Railway was a source of influence for those who sought to create this Mount Washington Resort. The base station of the railway still exists as a house on Avenue 43. The hotel was purchased shortly after its demise and now remains under the same ownership today, the center for Self Realization Fellowship, was founded in 1920.
Cool shirt. Thanks for the content.
Ryan, this was awesome! I'm wondering if you have ever considered doing a piece on the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway in Jim Thorpe PA? It's a remarkable piece of history that's worth doing a deep dive into.
The funicular railway was only part of the system. The rest of it was a more conventional rail way. At some point it was run by Henry Huntington's Pacific Electric Railway. PE cars carried passengers to the beginning of the Mount Lowe Railway. My mother and her parents, brothers and sister rode the Mt. Lowe cars to Lowe's resort. It would have been a fabulous experience. Mt. Lowe retains the name Lowe gave it, and Echo Mountain is also there. As to a trail to Mt. Wilson: there is a hiking trail starting in Sierra Madre going to the Mt. Wilson. More likely the reference is to the Mount Wilson Toll Road which starts at Eaton Canyon in Altadena. The road is about 9 miles long and continues as a hiking trail and fire road. Access is limited to day time with locked gate at the entrance. It can be used by hikers, bicyclists and horse riders. About 3 miles up is Henninger Flats which has U. S. Forest Station. It was also used to take parts and the lenses of the 60-inch and 100-inch telescopes that are the heart of the Mount Wilson Observatory. I would also note the Forest is Angeles National Forest, not Angels.
Angeles means Angel in Spanish.
This is so cool! Glad I watched this one, great info. Thanks.
My pleasure!
Another great video loaded with tons of interesting information.
And talking of roads along the west coast, the highway E6, passing near me in W Sweden collapsed tonite. A hillside next to the hwy slid down displacing the road and buildings.
Unfortunately, the area is off limit, else it had been interesting to go and visit.
I have seen these type of vertical trains in europe and south america… seem to recall they are called Funiculars. Also remember LA’s Angels Flight which is similar.
Not too far from Angel's Flight was another funicular known as the "Court Flight"....
Thank you Sir. Have Hiked near there. Never made it to the top, though. Saw the one Straight stretch and maybe where the Circular Bridge was at. If I remember correctly, we saw the " Bridge to Nowhere ", that day also.
There were what we called locally, inclines, built in various parts of the country. Cincinnati, Ohio had 5 inclines operating in the same time frame from 1872 till 1948. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had 3 but now only 1 survives from 1864 till now. Older forms of transportation are quite fascinating and could be a good tourist draw in walking cities......
Elsewhere in the world they're called vernacular-railways, but this guy wasn't the first to build one!
@stevie-ray2020 Though it was built strictly for leisure travel in the San Gabriel mountains. Not in city centers or for actual needed transportation. As was the case with Angel's Flight in DTLA. I think they have similar railways in Europe built to get to a resort, which was the case with this railway.
@@stevie-ray2020 Not "vernacular", but FUNICULAR....
Interesting, as always! If it weren’t for people like Lowe, we wouldn’t know what slackers most of us are! 👍
As a kid growing up in San Marino back in the 80's, my family and friends hiked up to Mt Lowe at dusk on the 4th of July to watch the fireworks far below. We could see all of the fireworks in the San Gabriel Valley from our picnic spot on the foundation of the old hotel with a serenade from a rattle snake underneath. We hiked down by flashlight.
Great video.
You did it again, I thought I knew everything about Mount Loew, But turns out I didn't know enough about LOEW himself. What a time to be ingenious and daring !
Thanks for the history! Well done. My partner and I love Angeles Forest and make videos about our hikes. (Under "Chortkoff and Riggio" if you are curious.) We did not know all this about Mr. Lowe though! We just LOVE local CA history! Our videos are more fun than historical though. I think I will recommend your videos to our viewers! I wish the trains were still there! It is crazy to me that all those decades ago we built this impossible marvel! I assume that with increased weather events and fires we gave up doing something so... Ahead of our time. Even now this would not be easy to pull off!
my favorite hiking path is in Rubio Canyon, but instead of going up the "railway trail" i ascend into the canyon some more, where there are some awesome waterfalls: Moss Grotto, Thalehaha and Leontine Falls.... with some great rock formations also.
And Lowe was Grandfather to the famous aviatrix…..Pancho Barnes that owned and operated the famous Bottom Riding Club near Edwards AFB (Muroc at that time). Pancho Barnes was also a famous pilot in the Hollywood stunt pilots. I believe she organized those stunt pilots too into a union. T. Lowe was her Grandpa. Lowe’s balloons were used in the Civil War for early recon. Abraham Lincoln was a big supporter of Lowe.
"Pancho" is a helluva strange name for a female....
Another great story, thank you, Ryan. So many geniuses falter due to mono-vision and incomplete thinking (e.g. logistics failures).
This video is like a twin to a vertical railway we had on the east cost. The place was Mount Beacon NY. At one time there was a vertical railway, a hotel, casino, restaurant, and a ski lodge and ski slope. The railway was shut down in 1972, due to bankruptcy. Then of course some anal cavities had to burn down the buildings on top of the mountain. What a loss! It is sad that this is no longer there.
@1:18 Is that Timothy Olyphant in Deadwood?
Nice history thanks. Great shirt.
Jest Nostrovia a
Cobb Estate Mt. Lowe aka Haunted forest great local trail
Thank you!...another intriguing piece of US History...dgp/uk
It's "Angeles Forest" not "Angel's Forest"
Ive lived here all my life and the history here is so rich. I would love it if you made a video about its neighboring Brown mountain, named after Owen Brown, one of the sons of John Brown who led the raid on harpers ferry with his sons!!
Great story we have another site you should use Mount Beacon Incline Railway, in beacon, NY it to burned down in 1978 after 76 years in operation
I wonder if Mr Lowe was inspired by the Mt Washington Cog Railway in his native New Hampshire. The Cog has been in continuous operation since 1868.
The city I’m from, Hamilton, Ontario, used to have one as well, actually a couple of them i think. They were all demolished in the early 20th century. The city is divided by the Niagara Escarpment. The lines have been turned into staircases now
The word is not "courageousness" but COURAGE.
The Sycamore Inn in upland Ca .built in 1864 still open and great food pricy but delicious. Grand building
San Bernardino had incline rail for passenger service and materials for big bear dam material and lumber on return trip ,. Different tracks one would roll down with lumber and opposite would roll up with cement and dam materials
Does the documentary exist that was done back then?
It's right here on UA-cam....
@@CraigFThompson Thanks.
In high-school I used to go with the hiking club and overnight at the ruins of the hotel.
It is funny the way you mentioned Henry Ford fondly in the Mount Lowe Railway story. He was actually a villain in the Mount Lowe Railways demise. He was in the area plotting the demise of the red car trolley system that fed into it. I bet you didn't know that.
Read "Ride the Big Red Cars!" by Spencer Crump, and Stanley I. Fischler's "Moving Millions"; plenty of info detailing the shennagins of not only the automotive industry, but the energy corporations as well.
Note that the first Manned balloon flight attempt was rightfully named: "the Enterprise ". Isn't this a wierd coincidence ??
I'm guessing that our first intergalactic Starship, will also be rightfully named:
"the Enterprise ", too. Am I correct..?
Thank You, history not like in a class room… 💘🌞
I've hiked the trail to the hotel ruins many times, and it is one of my favorite hikes in the area. The echophones, and a few of the railway gears still remain to this day. Thanks for covering this wonderful piece of SoCal history!
Mr. Lowe's work with balloons for military applications also credits him with having created what we know as The U.S. Air Force.
Funny thing is, if Florence Lowe-Barnes ("Pancho") hadn't been running around with her Hollywood friends & making aviation history herself, chances are she may have inherited the railway and the hotel, and rebuilt it.
The electric trains themselves are starting to come back. There was a time I could walk to the corner of my block in Studio City, catch a train, and take it all the way to the top! There is no public transportation to anywhere in Angeles Forest anymore! Wah!
Blame General Motors, Standard Oil, Firestone Rubber Company, and a whole slew of others including gullible and moronic congress members for the automobiliated stupidity we must all suffer with today!!
Let's rebuild and reopen Mt Lowe Railway!
It can be done with moden funicular technologies to upgrade and automate the system to cut labor costs down.
@@electricar9 Think of how popular and beloved the San Francisco cable cars are today. Mount Lowe would have been a treasured gem.
@@electricar9 However, even with the BEST automation in existence, human operators will ALWAYS still be needed!
You know, it has occurred to me in the past that if this railway through some miracle had survived, it could well be one of the greatest tourist attractions in Southern California. What a terrible shame. We Americans certainly have a propensity for obliterating our past.
In SoCal, automotive addiction (automoniliation) can be blamed for the present condition of ruin and destruction suffered by far too many people!
Interesting guy. interesting story, However his wife was not the daughter of King Louis Phillipe, she was the daughter of King Louis Phillipe's palace guard.
It's the Angeles national forest, not angels. It's called echo mountain, not mount echo. There is no parking at the Cape of Good Hope, as the road is closed to the public. The parking area is further down the mountain.
Good story, but some facts are incorrect. I live in Altadena and have hiked these trails many, many times.
"With my backpack and lunch pail, time to hit the Chaney Trail!!"
"...these are the voyages of the trans-Atlantic Balloon ship, Enterprise ....
It is an incline railway train?