Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway (1898)

Synopsis

This historic, silent film showing the Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway was compiled from paper prints at the Library of Congress in 1959. The paper positives shown here were originally filmed by cameramen working for Thomas Edison in 1898 and the Miles Brothers (filmmakers from San Francisco) in 1906. While the earlier section of the film shows wood burning locomotives with diamond smokestacks designed to capture embers, the second half of the film shows oil-burning locomotives with straight stacks. The Mount Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway was a scenic tourist railway operating between Mill Valley and the east peak of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California, covering a distance of 8.19 miles (13.18 km), with a 2.88-mile (4.63 km) spur line to the Muir Woods. The railroad was incorporated in January 1896, and closed in the summer of 1930. Originally planned as a standard gauge electric trolley line, the railroad was powered by a succession of geared steam locomotives. Billed as the "Crookedest Railroad in the World," the line was renowned for its steep and serpentine route, winding through picturesque terrain to a mountaintop tavern providing first class hospitality and striking views of the San Francisco Bay Area. Despite its popularity, the railway met its demise following a fire in 1929, and dwindling ridership when the automobile could finally drive to Tamalpais' summit. The railroad became famous for its gravity cars, four-wheel coasters that took advantage of…

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Details

Running time

13 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Periscope Film