The Mt. Lowe railway transported Angelenos from Altadena (just north of Pasadena) to a 70-room Victorian hotel called the Echo Mountain House and its neighbor, the 40-room Echo Chalet. Getting there entailed taking more than one form of railway and crossing what was known as Circular Bridge, which is what we are seeing this this circa late 1890s photo. It all looks rather precarious to me, and as we can see, it’s a long way down if the bridge should fail. As far as I know, it never did, but . . . yikes!
See 
See also: The Ruins of Echo Mountain House: The Story of the Iconic Los Angeles Hotel That Never Was
I have hiked the trail that follows the route of the railway several times. The site of the Echo Mountain House was on the shoulder of the mountain seen in the background. The white scar on the mountain leading away from it is the route of the railway going toward the Chalet. The Circular Bridge was on the way to it. The bridge, the hotel, and the chalet are gone, but you can still follow the route and find their remnants. They were once fabulous places. It’s a strenuous hike but worth it. Don’t go on a hot day, and carry water.
Thanks Gordon. Hiking up there has long been on my to-do list.
Like the Sutro Baths in San Francisco, one of the true wonders of a vanished California. Must have been truly thrilling, although in today’s world doubt it would survive liability issues –
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Mt_Lowe.jpg/330px-Mt_Lowe.jpg