The Mount Lowe Preservation Society Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation whose mission is to help secure and preserve history and artifacts about and regarding the Mount Lowe Railway. The organization is also parent to the Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society and Golden West Books, a revered rail-history publishing company based in San Marino, California.

The Mount Lowe Preservation Society was recognized and incorporated by the State of California on March 15, 2000.

It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax deductible, public benefit, educational corporation and is not organized for the private gain of any person. It is organized under the Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation Law of California for charitable purposes. The specific purposes for which this corporation is organized are to develop a museum to display, educate, and further preserve the landmarks and artifacts of the Mount Lowe Railway and its founder, Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe.

This corporation is organized and operated exclusively for educational and literary purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The property of this corporation is irrevocably dedicated to the educational purposes, meeting the requirements of Section 214 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code, and no part of the net income or assets of the organization shall ever inure to the benefit of any director, officer, or member thereof or to the benefit of any private person.

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Our Mission

The Mount Lowe Preservation Society, Inc., is a California non-profit educational foundation formed by a group of dedicated individuals with the intent to establish a permanent museum in Pasadena, California. Our building will house and display memorabilia, artifacts, photography, ephemera and literary works for the purpose of educating the public about all forms of transportation. Our collections include extensive materials from the Mount Lowe Railway and its founder-builder and engineer, Thaddeus S. C. Lowe and David J. Macpherson, as well as the successor companies including the Pacific Electric Railway and the Southern Pacific Railway. With a focus on railroad and trolley travel, our collections also include an indoor railroad signal garden, antique automobiles, transportation photography, display models, Civil War Ballooning materials from the late Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, as well as an extensive railroad related research library.

Among our goals outside of the museum are to:

• Work in conjunction with the United States Forestry Service, Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority to identify, preserve and possibly restore existing landmarks of the public transportation including the Pacific Electric Railway, Los Angeles Railway and the Mount Lowe Railway, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Curate and guest-curate displays and shows using artifacts from our own extensive collections as well as team-up with other organizations to share our collective and historic transportation history
• Hold public educational lectures to generate interest and appreciation of our great historic transportation landmarks as well as participate in events to earn public support and knowledge
• Publish materials including books, documentaries, and videos outlining the history of transportation in Southern California and beyond, as well as the individuals and events connected with our storied transportation legacy.

Examples of Our Outreach Programs

Below are images documenting Mount Lowe Preservation Society’s previous outreach programs.

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