Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway
Encyclopedia
Mount Tamalpais
Mount Tamalpais is a peak in Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tamalpais is protected within public lands such as Mount Tamalpais State Park and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed.-Geography:...
in Marin County, California
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
, covering a distance of 8.19 miles (13.2 km), with a 2.5 miles (4 km) spur line through Muir Woods. The railroad began service in January 1896, closing only a little over three decades later, in the summer of 1930. Although originally planned as a standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
electric trolley line, the railroad was powered by a succession of geared steam locomotive
Geared steam locomotive
A geared steam locomotive is a type of steam locomotive which uses reduction gearing in the drivetrain, as opposed to the common directly driven design....
s. Billed as the "Crookedest Railroad in the World," the line was a popular diversion for many, renowned for its peculiarly steep and serpentine route, winding through picturesque terrain to a mountaintop tavern that provided striking views of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Despite its popularity, the railway met its ultimate demise following a devastating fire in 1929, accompanied by diminished ridership resulting from both increasing automobile competition and the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
Mount Tamalpais
Redwood
-Trees:Conifers* Family Cupressaceae *** Sequoia sempervirens - coast redwood**** Albino redwood*** Sequoiadendron giganteum - giant sequoia*** Metasequoia glyptostroboides - dawn redwood* Family Pinaceae...
-shaded canyons and rugged grass-strewn hills only several miles from the shores of Stinson Beach. The area was initially overlooked by the first large-scale wave of American migrants to the region in the mid-19th century, most of whom quickly passed through coastal cities en route to inland gold fields during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. By the late 19th century, however, most of the mineral deposits had dwindled and San Francisco had developed into a relatively large and dense urban center. During this same period, Marin County began to take on a much different identity in the region, from being regarded as a source of lumber to a place of remarkable natural beauty and appealing respite from the densely populated areas just south across the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
.
Mill Valley, located at the base of Mount Tamalpais, was first planned in the late 1880s and formally incorporated shortly after in 1900. The city was named for a sawmill built by John Reed, to cut lumber harvested from the surrounding area. Once the area was logged, the land was divided into parcels and sold as home sites, which at first were primarily vacation residences
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
. The city was served by The Sausalito Land and Ferry Company and the North Pacific Coast Railroad
North Pacific Coast Railroad
The North Pacific Coast Railroad was a common carrier narrow gauge steam railroad begun in 1874 and sold in 1902 to new owners who renamed it the North Shore Railroad and which rebuilt the southern section into a standard gauge electric railroad.The NPC operated in the northern California...
. These provided access to Mill Valley, requiring a short ferry ride across the Bay from San Francisco to Sausalito, then a transfer to the railroad for another brief trip that terminated in Mill Valley. Mount Tamalpais lies only 12 miles (19.3 km) directly north of San Francisco and five miles (8 km) directly east of the Pacific Ocean.
Due to ease of access provided by the ferry and rail service, entrepreneurs realized the potential for transforming the sleepy hills north of San Francisco into a recreational destination. Sidney B. Cushing was one such individual. He had recently acquired the Blithedale Hotel summer resort just north of downtown Mill Valley in Corte Madera Canyon. The hills surrounding Mill Valley, however, were rather steep—requiring a dependable means of transportation for them to become an accessible vacation spot. Rail was the most logical means at the time, and Mount Tamalpais
Mount Tamalpais
Mount Tamalpais is a peak in Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tamalpais is protected within public lands such as Mount Tamalpais State Park and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed.-Geography:...
was the most attractive and unique destination for such a line.
Formation and construction of the railroad
Louis L. Janes was the initial impetus behind creating a railroad at Mount Tamalpais. Janes was the resident director of the Tamalpais Land & Water Co. and first town clerk of Mill Valley. Sidney B. Cushing, president of the San Rafael Gas & Electric Co., was chosen as President of the corporation. It was initially named the Mill Valley and Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway due to the fact the Muir Woods branch had not yet been planned. Funding came from several sources, provided to the corporation in exchange for stock in the company. One influential resident, A. E. Kent, gave the corporation right-of-way through his property in Corte Madera Canyon in exchange for $10,000 in stock. A. E. Kent and his son, William, were early Mill Valley residents who foresaw the region's appeal to visitors from the Bay Area and beyond. William KentWilliam Kent (U.S. Congressman)
William Kent was an American who served as a United States Congressman representing the State of California. He spearheaded the movement to create the Muir Woods National Monument by donating land to the Federal Government for the Monument.Kent was born in Chicago, Illinois...
was a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
man representing California from 1911–1917. Considering his family's financial interests in the railway, it is interesting to note that Kent spearheaded the movement to form the Muir Woods National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service on the Pacific coast of southwestern Marin County, California, north of San Francisco and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
, a popular destination on the line.
Construction began on February 5, 1896. Originating at the North Pacific Coast Railroad
North Pacific Coast Railroad
The North Pacific Coast Railroad was a common carrier narrow gauge steam railroad begun in 1874 and sold in 1902 to new owners who renamed it the North Shore Railroad and which rebuilt the southern section into a standard gauge electric railroad.The NPC operated in the northern California...
depot in Mill Valley, the line was planned to ascend the surrounding hills to the summit of Mount Tamalpais, then over the top of the peak and down to Bolinas Beach. The pristine beach was difficult to access at the time and residents widely supported the line's planned arrival. This, though, remained only a plan, as did the initial proposal to make the line an electric trolley route. A wagon road was constructed to Bolinas and electric power never supplanted the geared steam locomotive
Geared steam locomotive
A geared steam locomotive is a type of steam locomotive which uses reduction gearing in the drivetrain, as opposed to the common directly driven design....
s used to construct the line. Supplies and laborers arrived in Mill Valley and began work by February 1896. Over 200 men, largely Chinese laborers, graded the route and laid the rails. Many, though, left their jobs in protest due to poor pay and expensive board—$1.75 a day for 10 hours of work followed by a night at an obligatory boarding house costing $5.25 a week. Despite these labor concerns and some local enmity from residents who opposed noisy locomotives running adjacent to their property, construction ensued. Within seven months, the railroad was completed at a cost of $5,000. The last spike was driven on August 18, 1896, with the first passenger train operating just four days later.
Route
The railroad's tracks originated from a depot located at 87 Throckmorton Avenue, at an elevation of approximately 70 feet (21.3 m). This building took several forms through the years, significantly more grandiose and VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
than the current mission style
Mission style
Mission style may refer to the following:*Mission Style Furniture*Mission Revival Style architecture*American Craftsman, an architectural and design movement*Mission School, an art movement of the late 20th century...
depot occupied by a bookstore and cafe. Trains headed north through town, passing a water tank and shed at Lovell Avenue, and an engine house and shops on Corte Madera Avenue at Alcatraz Place. From the depot to King Street, the grade paralleled the Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio
Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio
Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio is a year-round stream in southern Marin County, California, USA. This watercourse is also known as Corte Madera Creek, although the actual stream of that name flows into San Francisco Bay further north at Point San Quentin...
stream that twists through Mill Valley between Blithedale and Corte Madera Avenues. Along the stream, the tracks continued north past the Blithedale Hotel until reaching Milepost One, at an elevation of 300 feet (91.4 m), approximately where Shady Lane crosses the stream today. At Lee Street the tracks passed a small station and water tank before continuing another 3/4 of a mile to Horse Shoe Curve, where the tracks crossed the stream one final time and headed southwest to Milepost Two. A siding was once located at Milepost Two, at an elevation of 400 feet (121.9 m). Continuing to head southwest, the tracks curved almost a dozen more times before reaching Milepost Three.
Mesa Junction was just beyond Milepost Four at an elevation of 1000 feet (304.8 m), the starting point of the "Double Bow Knot" curve where the track paralleled itself four times to quickly gain elevation. Within this curve, the track passed another small depot, siding and water tank at a stop named Mesa Station. A siding branched off from mainline at Mesa Junction and headed southwest for Muir Woods, only known as Redwood Canyon when the extension was added in 1913.
Just west of the Double Bow Knot, the tracks reached an elevation of 1350 feet (411.5 m) at Milepost Five. Heisler locomotive No. 2 wrecked about 1/4 of a mile before Milepost Five on August 22, 1900, killing the engineer, Chester Thomas. Grease deposits on the rail caused the locomotive to jump the rails and topple down the slope on the south side of the tracks, damaging the locomotive and releasing steam that fatally scalded Chester Thomas.
From this dubious point, the tracks then headed west past another water tank, reaching Milepost Six at an elevation of 1730 feet (527.3 m), where Boot Jack Siding was located. After another half mile west, the tracks headed over Slide Gulch to West Point Inn, then curved back east for another half mile to Milepost Seven at an elevation of 2060 feet (627.9 m). Milepost Eight was further east up the mountain at an elevation of 2350 feet (716.3 m). From here, the tracks wound around a broad curve for just less than a 1/4 of a mile to the railroad's final destination, Tamalpais Tavern, at an elevation of 2436 feet (742.5 m).
Curvature
The railroad ascended a particularly steep grade from its starting point at the North Pacific Coast depot in Mill Valley – at an elevation of approximately 70 feet (21.3 m) – to its destination at a tavern just below the summit of Mount Tamalpais – at an elevation of 2436 feet (742.5 m). In order to follow a grade that steam locomotives could ascend, the track had to maintain a reasonable vertical climb. The entire line's average grade was 5%, comprising maximum grades of 7% at some points on the line. As the crow fliesAs the crow flies
"As the crow flies" or beelining is an idiom for the shortest route between two points; the geodesic distance.An example is the great-circle distance between Key West and Pensacola, at either end of the U.S...
, the peak of Mount Tamalpais is only a few miles from Mill Valley. However, a direct approach presented an impracticably steep ascent for the railroad. Thus, it meandered 8.19 miles (13.2 km) up the mountain, cutting its way back and forth across the terrain. According to an article entitled "Geared Locomotives on the Mount Tamalpais Railway" from the July 16, 1898 edition of Scientific American, the mainline had only 3.282 miles (5.3 km) of straight track, with the remainder composed of the following 266 curves:
- 26 curves of 70 feet (21.3 m) radius, [amounting to a total distance of] 3641 feet (1,109.8 m)
- 24 curves of 80 feet (24.4 m) radius, 2974 feet (906.5 m)
- 20 curves of 90 feet (27.4 m) radius, 2328 feet (709.6 m)
- 49 curves of 100 feet (30.5 m) radius, 4020 feet (1,225.3 m)
- 46 curves of 110 to 150 feet (45.7 m) radius, 4403 feet (1,342 m)
- 59 curves of 150 to 300 feet (91.4 m) radius, 4710 feet (1,435.6 m)
- 42 curves of 300 feet (91.4 m) radius and upward, 3837 feet (1,169.5 m)
Steam locomotives
| Road Number | Builder | Type | Works Number | Year Built | Weight (lbs) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 498 | Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line... |
2-truck Shay locomotive Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive... |
#498 | January 29, 1896 | 40,000 | Built for Robert Dollar Robert Dollar Captain Robert Dollar was born in Falkirk, Scotland. The title "Captain" was honorary and he was called the “Grand Old Man of the Pacific". Both were bestowed after his entry into the shipping industry. Dollar became a lumber baron, shipping magnate, philanthropist; he was also a Freemason... 's Usal Lumber Company Usal Creek Usal Creek is the southernmost drainage basin unbridged by California State Route 1 on California's Lost Coast. The unpaved county road following the westernmost ridge line south from the King Range crosses Usal Creek near the Pacific coast, but the bridge may be removed during winter months... , but ran briefly prior to shipment from San Francisco as the first locomotive on the Mount Tamalpais railroad |
| No. 1 | Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line... |
2-truck Shay locomotive Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive... |
#597 | March 13, 1900 | Sold in 1904 for $2,250 to Deep River Logging Company of Washington | |
| No. 2 | Stearns Manufacturing Company | 2-truck Heisler locomotive Heisler locomotive The Heisler locomotive was the last variant of the three major types of geared steam locomotive, Charles L. Heisler receiving a patent for the design in 1892 following the construction of a prototype in 1891. Somewhat similar to a Climax locomotive, Heisler's design featured two cylinders canted... |
#1005 | 1896 | 60,000 | The railroad's only fatal accident occurred when No. 2 derailed, breaking a steam line, fatally burning engineer Chester Thomas; named the John G. Eastland but referred to as the Bull |
| No. 3 | Stearns Manufacturing Company | 2-truck Heisler locomotive Heisler locomotive The Heisler locomotive was the last variant of the three major types of geared steam locomotive, Charles L. Heisler receiving a patent for the design in 1892 following the construction of a prototype in 1891. Somewhat similar to a Climax locomotive, Heisler's design featured two cylinders canted... |
1898 | 60,000 | Named the S.B. Cushing; returned to Stearns due to an unsatisfactory "cab arrangement," hence a replacement No. 3 listed below; once pictured in Scientific American | |
| No. 3 | Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line... |
2-truck Shay locomotive Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive... |
#646 | April 25, 1901 | 46,000 | Sold to the California & Oregon Power Co. of Hornbrook, CA, in September 1915; used for construction of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is a reservoir in Yosemite National Park, about northeast from the city of Merced, California. The reservoir has a capacity of and is formed by the concrete gravity O'Shaughnessy Dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley on the Tuolumne River... in 1917; sold to Flora Logging Company of Carlton, Oregon Carlton, Oregon Carlton is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. According to the 2000 United States Census, the municipality population was 1,514. The 2007 estimate is 1,755 residents.-History:... in 1923; then to Union Lumber Company of Washington; scrapped October 10, 1929 |
| No. 4 | Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line... |
2-truck Shay locomotive Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive... |
#832 | August 5, 1903 | 46,000 | Purchased for $6,900; sold 1930; scrapped 1931 |
| No. 5 | Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line... |
2-truck Shay locomotive Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive... |
#1666 | June 22, 1906 | Leased briefly for construction Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is a reservoir in Yosemite National Park, about northeast from the city of Merced, California. The reservoir has a capacity of and is formed by the concrete gravity O'Shaughnessy Dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley on the Tuolumne River... in 1917; sold and rebuilt in 1930; shipped 1937 for operation on Mindanao Mindanao Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The... in the Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
|
| No. 6 | H. K. Porter, Inc. | 0-4-0 0-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven... tank |
#3483 | 1906 | 36,000 | Sold in 1915 for $1,400; scrapped in 1944 |
| No. 7 | Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line... |
2-truck Shay locomotive Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive... |
#1945 | August 4, 1907 | 74,000 | Sold in 1930 and shipped to the Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... in 1934 |
| No. 8 | Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line... |
2-truck Shay locomotive Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive... |
#2505 | April 6, 1912 | 74,000 | Sold in 1931 to Shell Oil for use at a refinery in Martinez, CA; resold to Six Companies, Inc. of Boulder City, Nevada Boulder City, Nevada Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately from the City of Las Vegas. As of the 2010 census the population of Boulder City was 15,023.Boulder City is one of only two cities in Nevada that prohibit gambling.... ; wrecked and scrapped in 1932 |
| No. 9 | Heisler Locomotive Works | 2-truck Heisler locomotive Heisler locomotive The Heisler locomotive was the last variant of the three major types of geared steam locomotive, Charles L. Heisler receiving a patent for the design in 1892 following the construction of a prototype in 1891. Somewhat similar to a Climax locomotive, Heisler's design featured two cylinders canted... |
#1446 | 1920 | 72,000 | Sold in 1924 for $9,750 to Siskiyou Lumber Co. of Macdoel, CA; the only surviving engine from the railroad, on display in Scotia, CA |