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Mount Lowe Railway above the clouds, California, circa 1910

Subjects
Mountains & HillsRailroads & TrainsStreetcars & Trolleys
Card type
Lithograph
Date
c. 1902 (Early)
Front of Mount Lowe Railway above the clouds, California, circa 1910, c. 1902 lithograph postcard
Front
Back of Mount Lowe Railway above the clouds, California, circa 1910, c. 1902 lithograph postcard
Back

About this postcard

The picture shows a red electric trolley car climbing the Mount Lowe Railway, its track curving along a steep, brush-covered mountainside while a sea of clouds fills the valley below and distant ridges rise beyond. The Mount Lowe Railway, opened in 1893 by Thaddeus S. C. Lowe in the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena, California, was a celebrated scenic mountain line that carried tourists to alpine resorts until floods and fire ended operations in the late 1930s.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pencil

Dear [illegible] this [illegible] to go as a [illegible] life on [illegible] and like a [illegible] have one [illegible] the [illegible] has you as [illegible] and you and [illegible] Olive

PublisherM. Rieder
Mt. Lowe Ry., above the Clouds. --- M. Rieder, Publ., Los Angeles, Cal. Made in Germany. No. 3146. IN SPACE BELOW MAY BE WRITTEN SENDER'S NAME AND ADDRESS (NO OTHER WRITING) THE SPACE ABOVE IS RESERVED FOR POSTAGE POST CARD
Stamp
Addressed to
Mrs. A. B. Phelps

Ontario, CA

Postcard record

PublisherM. Rieder
ConditionGood
Place addressedMrs. A. B. Phelps, Ontario, CA
Place depictedMount Lowe Railway
PublisherM. Rieder, Los Angeles, CA
Stamp1c Benjamin Franklin, green, issued 1902
NotesHandwritten message in pencil along the right side of the front; rounded corners; light foxing and edge wear. Postmark: [illegible] NOV 2 4 PM [illegible] — undivided back with "NO OTHER WRITING" restriction, so the message was written on the picture side of the front; 1¢ green Franklin (1906) adhesive stamp; M. Rieder No. 3146 imprint, Made in Germany. Card is toned/soiled with corner and edge wear.

Cite this card

Mount Lowe Railway above the clouds, California, circa 1910, postcard, c. 1902. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/mount-lowe-railway-above-the-clouds-california-circa-1910. Accessed October 24, 2026.