Postscript

The Tamalpais Tavern and Parking Lot circa 1931,
after the railroad was torn out. Notice the cars.

The Tamalpais Tavern soldered on for a few years after the demise of the railroad, but its days were numbered. The automobile afforded the chance to visit more distant (and therefore, more seemingly alluring) attractions. Also, what was an enjoyable, leisurely ride up by train and down by gravity car became a tedious drive up and down a dangerously winding road.

The Tavern Site in 1950: dirt fire roads and a tool shed for the curious.	The Tavern Site in 1977: A touring group learns about the Tamalpais road.

Today, the train route up the mountain is hiking trails and fire roads, all now paved. The old Tavern sight now houses a kiva where people gather on hiking tours, and The West Point inn still operates, acting as a combination museum and concession stand. Locomotive Number 9 is on permenant display in Scotia, California, and there is a Gravity car on Display at the summit of Mt. Tamalpais, with a museum soon to be built for the Gravity Car.

There have been plans to revive the railroad in various guises through the years. Some were merely cable cars up to the top, others involved actual rails and rolling stock. The most ambitious, best planned and best financed plan was a 1964 plan running from the Muir Woods Inn to the Double Bow Turn to the old Tamalpais Tavern site. Despite much support, the plan was heavily opposed, and eventually the plan was quietly set aside.