A multi-colored replica of the Heisler No. 9, at top, and the original, below.
Nearly four years ago, a coalition of local organizations embarked on a long-shot plan to bring the Heisler No. 9 – the last remaining locomotive from the “Crookedest Railroad in the World” that ran from Mill Valley to the top of Mount Tam – back to Mill Valley for the first time in 96 years.
That effort, spearheaded by the Friends of No. 9, the organization formed by the MV Historical Society, Friends of Mt. Tam, Marin History Museum and others to garner the winning auction bid of $56,000 auction for the N0. 9, takes a big step forward on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 12pm. That day serves as the official unveiling of a fully assembled, multi-colored replica No. 9 that was constructed by volunteers and painted by children over three recent Saturdays.
The replica’s unveiling serves as an opportunity for the community to see what it might look like to have the real thing – a 36-ton, more than 100-year-old locomotive – located at the southern end of the Depot Plaza, or elsewhere.