Snow on the Rails

By Michael Patris

The mountain top gem of the San Gabriel Valley known as Mount Lowe was a sight to behold for many years. During the colder months of the year an occasional storm would transform these peeks into a winter wonderland.

Distant travelers as well as local residents would take the incline to the top of Echo Mountain and in less than a mile their surroundings would change from a fertile green valley to an alpine frost forest.

Young and old alike would frolic and play in the snow and have some good old-fashioned fun.

One local resident, John Hall, the son of a Pacific Electric conductor, was one of those who would frequent the incline and Alpine Tavern areas as a child. Now 85 years young, John has recounted many wonderful stories about his dad and the fun they used to have up on the hill.

One story in particular stands out as being a whole lot of fun. John and his friends would ride up the incline and pick up the Alpine Division trolley at the top of Echo Mountain with their Flexible Flyer sleds in tow. Once reaching the Alpine Tavern the boys would turn around with their sleds and ride on their bellies back down to Echo Mountain – right in the middle of the train tracks! John says they had to be careful doing this "because the electric trains made almost no noise." So with a gleam in his eye, the story continued, "we would sled down the hills and be ready to jump off at a moments notice or be faced with running head-on into a train." John says jovially he and his compadres sleighed the center of the tracks many times over the 20 years his father was a conductor – all in the name of good clean fun.

The rusty remains of the snowplow on Echo Mountain displayed for allA special v-shaped plow was made and used at Echo Mountain when Mother Nature was especially harsh. The plow was attached to the front of the Alpine Division trolley. This custom steel early day snow plow shaved snow and ice right off the tracks, pushing it off to the sides as it went along. When a not in use, it was detached and stored near the mechanic pits behind the electric house. The rusty remains of his special tool can still be seen up on Echo Mountain today, right over the mechanics pit.

The old roadbed between Echo Mountain and Alpine Tavern can still be traced, much of it fire road maintained by the forestry service. The campground at the side of Alpine Tavern has a few recognizable ruins as a reminder of the once great hotel that stood there. What wasn’t destroyed by fire in 1936 or flood in 1938 was dynamited and bulldozed by the forestry service in 1959. Regardless of the time of year, however, a cold winter like chill can be felt standing in the presence of the rock facades and remaining steps. A cold reminder of the once great landmark called "Ye Alpine Tavern."

Michael Patris is a collector extraordinary of Mt. Lowe material and was featured recently in an issue of Collectors Magazine.


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Last modified: February 12, 1999

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