Posts Tagged ‘Depot’

“The restoration of the No. 9 represents the very best impulses of the preservation community,” said Director of the California State Railroad Museum Ty Smith. “Although the locomotive won’t steam passengers up Mt. Tamalpais, it serves as a window into a remarkable episode in California History. We’re grateful to be able to share in telling this important story.” The prized No. 9 steam locomotive will be on display in the Museum’s Roundhouse until January 2026. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the California State Railroad Museum and Foundation visit californiarailroad.museum.

The arrival of the 2025 New Year provides a great reminder that the Gravity Car Barn, which opened on May 3, 2009, remains an incredible resource for train lovers and many more, in honor of the Mill Valley and Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway. It has become a permanent home for the brilliantly recreated Gravity Car and an interpretive display highlighting this special time in California and Mt. Tamalpais history. The Barn has been constructed over a section of the 98 feet of standard gauge track at the historic rail siding on East Peak and will serve as an educational facility and visitor center for Marin and beyond.

Organizers have several sites in mind, the IJ reports, though they are mum on specifics. Proposals still have to be vetted, Runner said, acknowledging that there are few potential sites left in Marin. “We’re still working on the long-term goals,” Runner said. The restoration work on the 103-year-old, 36-ton engine is being guided by brothers Jeff and Don Millerick at a workshop in Sebastopol.

Regardless of where you stood on the possible extension of Depot Plaza at the time, one thing was clear: Mill Valley residents, businesses, employees and Mill Valley-adjacents had thoughts, as City officials received more than 1,800 individual responses to the survey. That’s more responses than the city received on any issue in recent memory, according to officials. (The who followed the Treehouse or Subway might disagree.)

Organizers have several sites in mind, the IJ reports, though they are mum on specifics. Proposals still have to be vetted, Runner said, acknowledging that there are few potential sites left in Marin. “We’re still working on the long-term goals,” Runner said. The restoration work on the 103-year-old, 36-ton engine is being guided by brothers Jeff and Don Millerick at a workshop in Sebastopol.

Ultimately, staff and the two councilmembers “determined that the proposed location at City Hall is not feasible,” Cusimano said. “The size and scale of the locomotive is too massive for the location, and staff is concerned about the impact of the locomotive’s weight on the roots of the Deodar Cedar. There are additional concerns regarding accessibility, safety measures, insurance coverage and legal liability.”

Jeff and Don Millerick, lifelong metal workers and rail fans, have done much of the No. 9 restoration at their business in Sebastopol, according to the Times Standard.

“As a fourth generation Mill Valley resident, I understand the importance of honoring our history,” Mayor Jim Wickham said. “We are happy to have been able to find a temporary home for the locomotive that will help future generations learn about Mill Valley’s rich past.”