Mount Lowe Railway - the guided tour
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- čas přidán 26. 04. 2012
- Mount Lowe Railway - the guided tour
This is a complete trail of Mount Lowe. To the Echo Mountain House hotel, the Alpine Tavern and Inspiration Point.
For more information, please visit the sites below ↓
The Scenic Mt. Lowe Railway Historical Committee
www.mtlowe.co
[to volunteer and gain exclusive access to Mount Lowe]
Mount Lowe Preservation Society, Inc.
www.mountlowe.org
www.mountlowe.org/bookstore
mountlowe
[exclusive pictures, postcards and memorabilia by Michael Patris]
Land ~ Sea Discovery Group
www.e-adventure.net
www.aaaim.com/Echo
[wonderful tales published in the "Echo Mountain Echoes" by Jake Brouwer]
Lance S. Ferm's website (great-great grandson of Professor Lowe)
www.thaddeuslowe.name
[excellent source of material of the History of Mount Lowe]
Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society
www.pacificelectric.org
[source of pictures from Mount Lowe]
www.e-humanity.org
[source of pictures from Mount Lowe]
Timeline of the Scenic Mount Lowe Railway:
1832 -- August 20th, Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe is born
1887 -- Professor Lowe and wife move to Los Angeles
1890 -- Professor Lowe and wife move to Pasadena
1892 -- Sept. 24th, Oak Mountain was renamed Mount Lowe
1893 -- July 4th, Grand Opening, the Echo Mountain House was later renamed the Chalet when the new Echo Mountain House was built
1894 -- Sept, the Lowe Observatory was opened
1894 -- Nov. 24th, the Echo Mountain House hotel was constructed
1895 -- Dec. 14th, the Alpine Tavern is opened
1899 -- Professor Lowe was broke, railway went to receivership
1902 -- Henry E. Huntington bought the railway
1905 -- Dec. 9th, winds blew power lines together and ignited a fire which burned the two powerhouses, the Chalet and all other buildings except the Observatory, winds blew off roof of casino
1906 -- The Incline Powerhouse was rebuilt with reinforced concrete. The searchlight from the 1893 World's fair is mounted on top
1909 -- Electrical storm, landslide, rock crushes Pavilion
1916 -- April 23rd, first service held at Easter Rock at sunrise
1925 -- Inspiration Point shelter and picnic shelter were built
1928 -- Gale force winds blew down the Observatory
1936 -- Sept 15th, the Alpine Tavern burned down
1937 -- Dec 5th, the railway made its last official run, actually continued til March
1938 -- March, record rains and floods destroyed much of the lines and trestles
1941 -- land was sold to the Angeles National Forest
1949 -- Mar. 10th, the Sierra Club erected monument and bronze plaque in honor of Sam Merrill
1950 -- Late 1950's the two shelters at Inspiration Point were gone...
1959 -- Alpine Tavern ruins were destroyed to allow for construction of Mt. Lowe trail camp
1960 -- Part of the rock at Granite Gate was removed to widen the trail
1962 -- Forest Service removed the remaining buildings on Echo Mountain
1996 -- During summer, volunteers reconstructed the shelters at Inspiration Point
brotherBvideos wishes to thank:
Jake Brouwer • Brian Marcroft • Michael Patris • George & Rachel Rios - Zábava
Great video, very informative. We had family friends who had a cabin just off what is now the road coming up from the gate. This would have been early to mid 1950's. There was a horse trough just a short distance from the cabin. The folks were elderly, so they transferred the cabin to us. Cabin had been broken into in their absence. Took us many months of going up every weekend to repair roof, patch the pipe that provided water from a spring about 1/4 mile away, etc. We took a pot belly stove up amongst many other items. AT that time, the gate was where it is now. We drove up the then dirt road to a point where we parked and then hiked on up . As a boy, I was in heaven, catching lizards, etc. At that time, there were 3 eucalyptus trees in front of the cabin. Last time I was there I think there were only 2 of the trees left. Cabin was just off the trail. Overlooked the LA Basin. Had an outhouse and the story was that the toilet, some dishes, etc. had come from the resort. As I recall, it was the last cabin on the front side of the mountains. Of course there are still cabins directly below in Millard Canyon. Forest Service had been trying for years to remove the cabins and particularly ours as they wanted to build the road as you now see along Sunset Ridge. My father passed away died at the cabin in August of 1958. Around 59 or 60 the Forest Service gave us notice and eventually tore down the cabin. Years later I did go back up and attempted to check the area just below where the cabin stood but did not find any remnants. At that time there was a ranger station just below where the gate is. In 1999, my mother was dying and my blind sister was in town. I thought it would be nice to have one last trip to the cabin. Contacted the Forest Service, explained the situation and the Ranger arranged for the gate to be opened and allowed me to drive us up the road to within 100' of the cabin site. We had a picnic there and spent several hours reminiscing. Came back down at an arranged time out we went. Thanks again for this video and all the research you obviously have done.
It is a shame they tore down this railway line and Alpine Village. This would be amazing today!
J F I would love to ride the incline
I enjoy riding my mtn. bike up in that area, but dam if all those attractions where still up there yes it would be a thing of pure beauty! God those people where so lucky to experience all those attractions.
Wow! this video is a thing of wonder. Appreciate Brother B and effort that went into the making of it. It's also a pleasure to see other people who have a passion for the history of the San Gabriels.
In 1966, I was an inmate of the Mt. Lowe military academy, and spent endless hours staring at the peak, plotting my escape. I've tramped much of the range but never Mt. Lowe; guess you could say I have now done so from the comfort of my armchair, in northern California.
B.T. Raven whoa thts awesome, thank you for the compliment, I bet you have some great stories to tell =)
Use to hike up here 60 years ago. Thanks for the memories
+Toni Beall wow, you hiked up Echo Mountain a while ago, you must have some exciting stories
Share your memories !!!!!
Still haven't done my great uncles trail! But can't wait this summer I will finally make it! Thank you! ♥️ for the map
so much fun to mountain bike this weekdays when no one is around mid day. lol.
the trails must be so empty now that everyone is stuck at home
Excellent! They should have made a movie about Lowe. Amazing life and a genius engineer. I'm confounded why nobody ever built a tram or gondola up to Echo Mt. or Mt. Wilson, and name it after him. You could have a Lowe museum and restaurant on top. In tourist filled L.A. it would be a must see attraction.
I would love to visit a Lowe museum or restaurant on Mt. Lowe, that would be incredible. You might wanna check out the Mt. Lowe Brewing Company in Arcadia.
Agreed, you’d think with all the tourism and money here, someone would have reconstructed this, and in this day and age, that would be much cheaper and easier...They could also build a “Stairway to Heaven” type trail alongside the incline...for those who’d rather walk!
What a great guided tour video!!
Thank you so much for this video! I hiked up to the Mt. Lowe yesterday and wondering it’s history. So much details in this video! I learned a lot!
that's very kind of you to say, thank you so much for the compliment, i'm glad you enjoyed the video
A brilliant hike and one that has always brings back great memories.
Excellent! Thanks for doing this.
Awesome goodness thank you
just came across this video! GREAT job!! Thanks much for making the effort and getting it made!
Extremely well done thanks!
Best video out there. Should be viewed by everyone . Really sets the bar for all trail videos. 👍👍👍
Wow thank you for the compliment that really made my day, take care =)
Thanks for making this!
Nicely done! I remember hiking this trail as a boy. It always fascinated me.
Excellent video, thank you!
thank you for your nice comment, there is a group hike every year to the top of Inspiration Point in December, visit mtlowe.net for more information
GREAT video!!!!
Fantastic video
EXCELLENT!!!!
Very informative and thorough! Great job. Crazy as it sounds, it has been 50 years since I took a group of kids in Pasadena hiking up that trail. I didn't see half the stuff you pointed out. Now I hope I can get in shape to make it again.
Awesome job done, with this video! We rode our mountain bikes up there and the video opened our eyes, What a history. Keep up the great work!
Excellent Guided Tour. Well done!
Too bad these structures and railway were never rebuilt. What a great location it must have been to get away from the the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We could sure use it today.
Great info and history.
Thank you for the nice comment =) have a great day
Another excellent video!
thank u, the Mount Lowe society is driving up to inspiration point December 5th, hope to see you there.
AWESOME! Being acrophobic there is no way I would ever venture up to this historic site and of course most of it is gone anyway. Your excellent presentation gave a keen sense of what it was and what it is. Great job!!
Thank you for the wonderful comment, I'm glad you enjoyed the video =)
Fabulous video we simply must go hiking one of these days. Happy Trails :)
Have fun, be safe =)
You did a very nice piece of work here, thank you, dig the Jitterbug dance too @ 08:14
I just hiked this trail twice, but this is a dope video. Thanks!
Thank you Sam, I appreciate the nice comment. =)
Thank you for the informative guided tour... We took the hike this past Saturday... During the 2 1/2 mile climb, we considered turning back several times... We eventually made it to the top and it was well worth it... Bring lots of water and good pair of hiking boots and avoid going on weekends (if you are able to) as it's a very popular hike...
Thanks for this video! Makes me appreciate the hike to Echo Mountain and vicinity so much more. =)
Hi Rome, wow I can't believe I've never responded to you,I apologize..but thank you for watching my Mount Lowe video, it truly is a remarkable place with amazing history. Take care. =)
Thank you have always been curious about Mt Lowe.
It's a great place with amazing history..if only we could time travel right? =)
I really love your videos!
Thank you, that's very nice of you to say =) have a great day
Outstanding video! Well documented and narrated. Your shuffle was pretty good also lol
Ha.. thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video =) take care
Great video...was very informative.
That was a great tour. My wife and I hiked the Mt. Lowe trail (Altadena Crest trail, I thought it said), last weekend. We enjoyed looking around and we were able to discern many things you covered, but I realize we really missed a lot, still. We'll go back again with a picnic. I was really interested to see how the rail line ran. Thanks again for your commitment to our local history.
My grandmother rode the railway prior to the fire that destroyed the tavern in 1936. What you call a bull wheel is the grip wheel that gripped the cable of the funicular incline and it is a shame that the forest service blew up the power house. Walt Disney inquired about reopening the railway in the late 1940's but Pacific Electric had allowed the right of way lease to expire and the forest service would not allow such activity any longer.
Wow that's incredible, it's too bad this place was destroyed, I can only imagine how wonderful it must've been to ride the rails up the incline, stay at the hotel and overlook the cities below..as soon as I finish building my time machine this is the first stop I'll make. =) thank u for sharing your grandma's experience.
my great great grandparents rode the rail too! there is even a photo of them at the mount lowe summit!
Just hiked to Inspiration Point today. Great video!!!
sorry I missed your comment, idk how I did but thank you for watching my Mount Lowe video, take care =)
Very well done and enjoyable video.
Just thank you Steve, I'm glad you enjoyed the video, have a great day
Very educational and informative. Also very cool! Thanks!
Martin Fenn thank you for the nice comment, have a wonderful day
Dude you are good at these videos and give a very good overview of these areas. I really appreciate them.
dposer10 thank you that's very kind of you to say =) have a great day
This was an awesome tour I loved it, thank you for making the vid I almost felt part like I was there, one day I'll make it out to Cali and visit Mt Lowe
Wow thank you for the awesome compliment, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. =)
I lived down the road on morada pl , hiked this trail hundreds of times, HAUNTED
AWESOME VIDEO...Good JOB
David Bon thank you for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it,have a great day :)
Interesting Video
Awesome video. Thanks. I always knew about the rail road, but never knew it was so extensive. We used to go to the "haunted forest" to party at night....
Tucko1 I still go to the Haunted Forest to party lol thanks for commenting
Great video. I never heard of this place. Very informative, thank you
thank you for the nice comment, there's a hike to the top every year the first week of December, check out mtlowe.net for more info
Best video!! Thanks for making it!!'
Michaela Matsumoto thank you for the nice comment, I love the history of this place =)
This was so well done, I really liked it and loved that dancing on the awesome spot.
Thank u for the nice comment, I had to dance, the view was just too good =)
@@brotherBvideos that is so nice about you also updating the signs. Very happy that I found your channel! I grew up in Playa del Rey and I know there is a spot where there was also one of those inclines. They had one over in Catalina as well. We never knew about it til much later when we saw old photos. I recognize some of the last names of families. I think we had the Sherman descendants in PDR.
This is the best video about echo mountain!!! Make more videos brother!!!!! Te quedo chingon y bien explicado.👍👍
Wow! I'm not used to seeing so much research done and put together so completely. I have hiked out there and wondered, now I know much more than I could have imagined. Thank you. I am subscribed, hope you decide to do more.
Albert L wow thank you, yes I recorded more hiking locations but I didn't think ppl would keep watching, I think I'll start editing that one again :) have a great day
When I was young I lived on Parkman Street about 4 streets below Loma Alta across from Farnsworth Park and hiked to Mt Echo via the trail and the incline in Rubio Canyon also Mt. Lowe where the view was Beautiful. You could see Catalina Island and the ocean at Santa Monica Bay.
On a clear day you can still see it, it's so beautiful up there..do you still live in California?
@@brotherBvideos North Fontana 210 & 15 Freeways (Inland Empire) The dates when I hiked were 1955 thru 1961 (The year I graduated High School-John Muir)
My brother took me on a hike (easy he said) up Rubio Cyn. This was a lonnnnnng time ago, 1968 or so. It was quite a hike. Sort of a game trail once in a while but most often we climbed up old cables (remainder of the tram I think) and clawed our way over boulders. I had had enough by the time we got to the falls. So we chilled at the fall, and swam. Damned that water was cold.
Anyway, thanks for jogging a pleasant memory for this old lady. My mom lived in the Meadows and my little brother hiked all over those mountains and knew every forestry road, mine, spring and stream.
I'm sharing this with him. He still hikes these trails occasionally, at 65.
@@garypsmith1859 lol! I went to John Muir too. Briefly, as I moved to my Dad's soon after.
@@debbied7035 Thank you for sharing Debbie, I bet your brother has a wealth of memories to share..I love these trails, I hope they remain for a long time for future generations to enjoy =)
Incredibly well done and informative, a first rate professional job. Thanks so much for your time and effort. You might do well to consider a career in producing, directing, filming etc.. you have a knack for it.. Thanks again, James, San Diego, Ca.
Wow thank you James for that wonderful compliment and I'm glad you enjoyed watching this video. Perhaps one day I will,I just need to figure out how to get started lol have a great day sir. =)
Thank you so much for this video. I hiked that trail when I was a Teenager, I'm 43 now, You video was very informant and I never got to see everything that you showed. Thanks Again.
+Raptor306090 thank you for watching the video, I discovered it as a teenager as well, what a beautiful place, I hope you get to hike up there again soon =)
Nice job! Very informative & helpful. I regularly mtb bike & hike up there. It's great to get some additional info that goes beyond just the hotel at Echo Mtn. Had no idea I was resting on a tennis court. ;)
Wow you really went high up there, nice. u should record your biking trail, must be a fun ride
Awesome job on the video! Came searching for some footage of The Great Incline but learned a bunch more. Well done!
Thank you for watching, I appreciate the wonderful comment, have a great day. =)
@@brotherBvideos Do you know where I can go to do the driving tour? I would love to take my 4runner up there with a ranger! :)
The incline was cable cars, not trolleys. It was a funicular system, where two 2 cars on one cable balanced each other. It was called The Great Cable Incline. The circled trolley "that they will get into" is an flatbed work car, not a passaenger car.
Thank you Snead
NICE VID!
You should keep making more videos like this! Im pretty sure that there is a lot pf history that we dont know about this was great
thank you for that wonderful comment, I have more videos like this on my account, feel free to check them out
That was awesome. BTW, that mule railway was called One Man and a Mule Railway.
Great video! I love the combination of modern video and photos, historic photos, maps, and narration. Good job! And I hope your "friend" reimbursed your dad for the damage to the truck.
Thank you Matt, those are very kind words. Actually my dad traded it in for a newer year but I wasn't allowed to take that one up lol have a great day.
Great video story, thanks. And their is a party/food/full moon/ meteor shower hike up there tonight. 7Pm Friday nt.
I’ve hiked up to Echo Mountain and today I went through Rubio Canyon to where the growth and boulders got so big, it had to be near the end. I didn’t see the waterfalls or any place the incline was, but you could definitely see the boulder remnants from the avalanche. It was pretty desolate, the trail pretty small and treacherous, and dark in some places, but you could imagine a trolley whipping through that canyon to the Incline.
I’ve read about these wonders in books with many of the photographs that you showed in your video. I would love to take a hike and a ranger tour in this area.
I highly recommend, it's a beautiful trail filled with wonderful views and great history
♥️🙏🇺🇲 Thank you
My pleasure
greattttttttttttttt video and detailed information, I plan to go there, but afraid of to be too tired, 1.5 hours hiking one way
Sandie Wong you can do it Sandie =) pace yourself
Awesome I hope some of these things are still up when I go this Sunday 12/16/18 mostly those 5 bucks 😂😂😂😂 great video
Have a fun time, it's a great forest to explore..especially when there's treasure =)
thank you man I needed this info !
anytime, I hope you get an A+ on your report lol =)
+brotherBvideos lol thanks I mean to get there lol
Mario Campos
oh HaHaHa anytime bro
Great video. I wish you would show the historical pictures longer. It flashed by so fast before I can process what I saw. A lot of the signs are gone. I don't know if they still do ranger tours. It would be interesting to actually drive in. I myself have hiked every trail you mentioned. I have often imagined what it was like back in the day, and your video helped.
Wow you're familiar with the trails, that's awesome.. unfortunately they won't be doing the ranger tour this year
Excellent video! One of LA's best hikes. Hint: take a light and hike at night. The city lights are great!
Wow ...what a terrific video. Nice to see such a concise video explain the trails and history. It is too bad that they couldn't reconstruct the area , it would be a tremendous tourist attraction.
thank you Bruno =)
I'm still overturning rocks looking for the $5 ! LOL Thanks
lol i seriously gotta go back up there and put another one =) thanks for the comment
Is there any hope for us now that someone like MR Lowe will again bring the love happiness and desire to make life more enjoyable?
Mr? Professor if you don't mind! :)
What a great video thanks. I was just hiking Castle Canyon and the Same Merill Trail yesterday.
it's a beautiful hike, I always hike up castle canyon when I go up to inspiration point
The incline wasn't a trolley. It was a funicular. My grandmother took the trip once.
My gf and I went for a hike up Echo Mountain last night at around 5 or so. Luckily we had a flashlight handy. We got all the way up to Mount Lowe Campsite and then headed back down after a while. It was so foggy and hard to see 5 feet ahead of us. We weren't alone, and there were a bunch of other hikers that came along.
Oh right on, I was there yesterday too, but I left by 2pm..it was beautiful in the morning but the clouds caught up to me as I reached the top. a definite thrill to hike here, glad you and your gf came =)
+brotherBvideos Small world! I also dropped my phone on a rock. lol Nice crack.
+00nick7 ouch, sorry to hear that..but now you'll have a memory of Echo Mountain whenever you use your phone lol sorry..I used to replace cracked screens on iPhones all the time.
Has there been a finding of the treasure?
Just did that trail today. Lots of People its best to do week days. It's tough
Right on.. hope you had a great hike =)
it would be great if all of that was rebuilt as it was, maybe ever better.
What was the search light used for? Just a beacon that pointed straight up or was it to illuminate the sides of the mountain below?
Loved you presentation. Thanks for your effort.
It was used to promote the White City. The owner would shine it down on Pasadena and Alta Dena. People said they could read a newspaper by it.
This was terrific! Well done and fun. I have always wondered about the trails for Mount Lowe--somehow, now, I found it. I'm making that trip. Did anyone find the $5? Thank you for the video.
Phillip Pacheco Someone finally found the $5 after two years, but I recently put another $5..happy hunting. =)
my yrs at Rosemead high school '1987' it was a,k,a haunted forest. and did any1 hear the story that the Marx Brothers use to live down at the beginning at Lake an Loma Alta.
michaelsaintjude yeah that's pretty awesome, who would ever think a Marx bro would own this land, so much history here
This is a popular hiking area making parking tough. Best idea is to park along Loma Alta or Lake in non-restricted areas (look for "No Parking" signs). By 8:00AM most of the parking is gone. Weekend or week-days. On July 4th and holidays... take a buss or park at Farnsworth Park (0.5mi south on Lake) and hike up Lake to the gate. Do not bother parking on Alpine Villa Drive. It is a narrow private road close to the trail but you will block traffic and get towed. After the Station fire, I don't blame the people living up narrow roads from being a bit upset about cars blocking fire trucks.
you seem very knowledgeable about Las Flores Canyon, thank you for commenting, this is great information
I use to hang out (party) at the Cobb Estate in my early years. Now I live in Las Flores canyon area just below the Cobb Estate. I hike the area when I can and have even done some prospecting in the canyon. It has quite a bit of history.
Lars Mohler i
Great video! How did you hook up with the rangers?
Still making hiking vids huh? i approve of this
What's going on DarkDeception.. how's life..?
oh wow, thank you for uploading the video. i have a question, do i need a special permit to camp at mt lowes campground? i would like to hike the entire railway but starting from Mt. Lowes
daniel villeda no, no permit is required to camp at the campground, you'll have a great time there, please upload video of your experience if possible =) have a great weekend
oh wow! thank you for taking the time to respond. You just made my day, im excited to explore the railway.
Where specifically was the casino?
do you know what happened to the searchlight that was atop the incline powerhouse?
yeah the searchlight ended up in a museum...a collectors dream lol
do you know which museum?
During this video, I heard you mention rangers who are giving talks on the area. Where can I get in touch with these rangers to join one of their talks / tours?
Pls visit www.MtLowe.co (not .com), they have a tour every December, unfortunately it was canceled this year.
is the railway still complete to those two locations?
+PyR0Star nope, the railway shut down after the structures burned down.
+Roman Val that's correct, look for "Mount Lowe Volunteers" on Facebook to receive updates on future events
Who in here from 2020
I am lol =)
Hi, do you know when the rangers do a guided tour driving up chaney trail? thanks
yes, it's the 1st Saturday of December..visit mountlowevolunteers.com and they'll post the event in November along with details on how to attend
+brotherBvideos so it's only done once a year?
+Jaycee Sanchez correct, they're only permitted to have the event once a year
this video is so great. do you know if they still doing the guided tours? i moved to the area a year ago and have been obsessively exploring the trails and devouring the history and i would love to attend! all the links on their site are broken and i see they haven’t updated their facebook page in quite some time...
i so want to do this... but was always if'y about the parking. thanks for clearing up the parking for me. also... where do you sign up for the guided tour. i'm all about hiking it but i know peeps that can't do that hike and i want to show them there is more to LA then traffic and noise... thanks! :D
+im4614 the rangers drive up Mt Lowe in December, if you're interested please read the Description section below my video with their contact info =) hope to see you there
+brotherBvideos thanks!
+im4614 look up "Mount Lowe Volunteers" on Facebook to get updates on future events, they do several throughout the year
Would be so awesome if all this had survived
how do you go with the rangers?????
PyR0Star would you like to take an exclusive trip up to Echo Mountain with the Rangers in December?
+brotherBvideos when???
+PyR0Star it was December 5th..it was great, we had a blue grass band tht played acoustic songs about Mount Lowe..look for "Mount Lowe Volunteers" on Facebook so you can get updates on future events
That old trolley looks sad.
It makes me sad to see in such bad condition, I enjoy street cars
What I wouldn't give to have a time machine right about now
The fact that people dressed in suits and dresses while on the mountain
ikr.. its incredible how things have changed.. although it looks nice how ppl dressed up I'm glad it's socially acceptable to wear shorts when hiking lol
@@brotherBvideos that kind of stuff seeing how over the decades society has evolved
Always has fascinated me
@@pinkmenjey7445 I agree
Too bad the trolly and the buildings/businesses aren't still there.
yeah its sad, I would love to ride tht trolley
+brotherBvideos Same here!
Curse the Forest Serice for blowing up the historic ruins.
Why don't we lobby some multi-billionaire like Elon Musk to fund rebuilding the railway???!!!