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Mount Lowe Railway above the clouds, California, circa 1910

Card type
Printed photo

About this postcard

The picture shows a Mount Lowe Railway electric trolley car climbing a steep, brush-covered mountainside above a sea of clouds, with the track curving along the slope and power poles following the line. The Mount Lowe Railway, opened in 1893 by Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, was a scenic electric mountain railway in the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena, California, celebrated as a "railway in the clouds" and terminating at the Alpine Tavern. It operated until 1938, when storm damage ended service.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

Dear [illegible] [illegible] the [illegible] to go as a trip on like a [illegible] we [illegible] and you [illegible]

Stamp
Addressed to
Mrs. A. B. Phelps

Peoria, CA

Postcard record

PublisherM. Rieder
ConditionGood
Place addressedMrs. A. B. Phelps, Peoria, CA
Place depictedMount Lowe Railway
PublisherM. Rieder, Los Angeles, CA
Stamp1c Benjamin Franklin, green, issued 1902
NotesHandwritten message in pencil on the front right; rounded corners; light spotting and staining on the image; undivided-back era. Postmark: [illegible] NOV 2 4 PM [illegible]. Divided back; M. Rieder imprint (Los Angeles, Made in Germany, No. 3146); 1¢ green Franklin stamp; light edge wear and toning.

Cite this card

Mount Lowe Railway above the clouds, California, circa 1910, postcard, c. 1915. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/mount-lowe-railway-above-the-clouds-california-circa-1910-1915. Accessed October 24, 2026.