Branch Lines Built and Planned

The Muir Woods Line

The Muir Inn at the end of the Muir Woods Line.

In 1906, a branch line to Muir Woods was built. The Valley nearby had been bought for use by the railroad, but when the local water company sought to condemn the land for use as a reservoir, the owner of the land deeded it to the United States Government -- the first deeding done under a law signed by President Theodore Roosevelt for that purpose. Some nearby land was sold to the company and soon after the branch line and Tavern were up and running.

The Lee Street Local

The Lee Street Local at the Lee Street Boarding Platform.

The Lee Street Local started service in 1905 between the Lee Street Station and the Mill Valley North Shore Railroad Depot. It was originally served by a gasoline railcar, but by 1906 it had its own steam engine.

There were plans to electrify the portion of the railroad that ran through town and turn the Lee Street Local to electric trolley operation in 1912, but service started a slow, steady downturn. Eventually the company returned to gas to power the Lee Street, but the gas service proved termpermental and unreliable. Obviously the company agreed -- by 1926 the car had its third engine, hardly a sign of quality.

The Planned Line to Bolinas

The Bolinas Stagecoach near the West Point Inn Station.

The once-planned rail service to Bolinas survived as a stage road which was built in 1902 to Willow camp, not far from Bolinas itself. Plans for a rail line were revived in 1911, running over most of the stage road and from there going on to Bolinas itself. Contracts were let on the planned route, and announcements were given to newspapers; but in the end only a few hundred feet of rail was laid -- enough to be used as a siding for the Mountain Thetare.

There was no reason given for the cancellation for the project. However, an automobile road between Mill Valley and Bolinas was built during this time, and the board of directors may have seen the road as a warning of losses to come should they actually build the Bolinas line.