SACRAMENTO – In partnership with Friends of No. 9, the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento will display the beautifully restored No. 9 steam locomotive beginning in July 2025.
No. 9 is the only surviving locomotive of the Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway, a tourist railroad in the late 19th and 20th centuries that enabled tourists to leave the city and enjoy the scenic beauty of Mount Tamalpais and, later, Muir Woods.
As background, the Heisler locomotive dates back to 1921 when it was purchased by the Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway of Mill Valley. The locomotive operated on the rails of the “Crookedest Railroad in the World,” a scenic tourist railway known for its steep and winding route between Mill Valley and the east peak of Mount Tamalpais. In 1924, the locomotive was sold and spent the next two and a half decades working for lumber companies in Siskiyou and Humboldt counties. Then in 1953, the Pacific Lumber Company bought the locomotive for display next to its new museum in Scotia, California. The locomotive was later put up for auction in 2018 when a group of dedicated rail fans joined together to raise funds to secure No. 9 and begin restoration. The dedicated group was steadfast in their focus to return No. 9 to its Mt. Tamalpais roots and viewed it as the “last piece of a lost era.”
Carefully researched, the meticulous restoration work began in 2019 and will be completed in 2025. The historic locomotive remains an important piece of logging, tourist, and rail history.
“The restoration of the No. 9 represents the very best impulses of the preservation community,” said Dr. Ty Smith, Director of the California State Railroad Museum. “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 museum features 21 restored locomotives and railroad cars, some dating back to 1862.
Changing exhibits featuring photography, ephemera, and artifacts from the museum's collection, add depth and incidental information to the overall story of railroad history. The museum has an extensive educational program for elementary students from across the region to help them learn about railroad history using re-enactments, costumed docents, and including train and handcar rides. The roundhouse area of the museum features a rotating display of locomotives and equipment belonging to the museum.
When not on display, these items are stored and worked on at the nearby Sacramento Railyards in the remaining buildings that were part of the original Southern Pacific Shop complex. A large 3-rail O scale model train layout is also located in the museum.
Adjacent to the main museum building is a reconstruction of the 1870s-era Central Pacific Railroad passenger station and freight depot on Front Street, which houses historic and contemporary railroad equipment. In early 2011, the interior remained closed to public use, but is occasionally open for special events. Between April and October, the Sacramento Southern Railroad, operated by the museum, takes passengers on a 40-minute, 6-mile (9.7 km) roundtrip route along the Sacramento River on a portion of the Walnut Grove branch of the former Southern Pacific Railroad. The Sacramento Southern Railroad owns the Walnut Grove Branch right-of-way that extends south from Sacramento along the eastern bank of the Sacramento River. Past plans for the excursion ride included expansion on its former right of way to Hood, CA, but were scrapped in favor of a mixed-use paved recreational trail known as the Del Rio Trail project.[2]
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., regular admission to the California State Railroad Museum is $12 for adults, $6 for youth (ages 6 to 17), and are free for children five and under. For more information about the California State Railroad Museum and Foundation, please visit www.californiarailroad.museum.
