Best Rail Museum Richmond Near Me

4worldlovers:
A visit to our 10,000 square foot Museum of operating model trains provides an inexpensive, fun-filled outing for young and old, with plenty of room for youngsters to stretch their legs and expend energy as they follow trains along the 200+ feet of public walkway.

4worldlovers: More than a pretty waterfront town, Tiburon has a rich railroad and maritime history, which is captured in the Railroad & Ferry Depot Museum. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Museum rests on Shoreline Park with priceless views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Angel Island.

OPEN – April thru October, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 pm (OPEN on Sunny Sundays, 1-4 pm, April – October)

Spanish explorers named the area Punta de Tiburón (Point Tiburon) in 1775. One hundred years later, due to its the proximity to San Francisco, Point Tiburon became a major railroad and ferry terminus, maintenance yard and industrial town. In 1884, Peter Donahue, Irish immigrant and industrial tycoon, completed the extension of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad to Tiburon with a ferry fleet to provide faster passenger and freight service between the City and Northern California. Twenty-three years later, the Donahue Line merged with competitors to become the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The last train left Point Tiburon September 25, 1967.

With trains no longer running, Southern Pacific deeded its shoreline property and the depot building to the Town of Tiburon for open space and a museum as a condition of redevelopment. In 1995, Tiburon and the Landmarks Society entered into a 99-year lease, and Landmarks became responsible for the care and preservation of the building and installation of a museum. By 1999, the structural work was complete and construction of permanent exhibits began.

The lovely restored gray building at Shoreline Park captures the past in two museums. On the ground floor, a detailed operating HO-scale model shows Tiburon, the railroad town c.1900 to 1910. The model’s scale (1:87) is accurate so sizes of landscapes, buildings, trains and boats are accurate when compared to one another. The only exception to authenticity is the palm tree, which was planted twenty years later. It is included in the model as a point of reference.

The three ferryboats in the model were part of a large fleet that operated between San Francisco and Point Tiburon. The Ukiah was built at the local yard and the Donahue was named for Peter’s son, who succeeded him as president of the railroad company. The Ukiah originally carried railroad cars but was rebuilt after World War I to ferry automobiles across the bay — although not to and from Tiburon. Later renamed the Eureka, it is preserved at the San Francisco Maritime Museum’s Hyde Street Pier.

Upstairs is the Depot House Museum, where the stationmaster’s family lived. Restoration was based on the memories of Florence Bent Palmer, the daughter of the last stationmaster, William Bent, who served from 1913 to 1940. Bent’s family included three children and a dog, as well as his wife, Ann, who sometimes milked cows that had to spend the night in the railroad yard before continuing the journey to San Francisco. School children frequently visit the museum to learn about typical middle-class life in the early 20th century. Among the period details are hanging light bulbs and a coal/wood-burning stove in the kitchen, an ice box and wringer washer in the pantry, a gramophone and several original pieces of furniture from the Bent family.

Items in the museums are donations to the Landmarks Society’s History Collections. Donors also underwrite the cost of scale models, which is based on the square footage of the footprint of original full-size buildings.

Private Group Tours: Landmarks offers group tours for all of our historical properties. Whether for senior excursions, school visits, or just large groups (10 or more) from out of the area – our docents teach the exciting history of this beautiful area and each Landmark. The easiest accessible sites are the Railroad & Ferry Depot Museum and the China Cabin. (Old St. Hilary cannot accommodate large buses; therefore, groups need to walk about 100 yards uphill to gain access.) We ask for a donation of $5 per person/per site to be paid in advance to help defray the operating and maintenance costs of each of the sites. For more information, please call Landmarks at 415-435-1853.

We are actively working to complete the Railroad Museum and if you are interested in sponsoring any of the remaining models or rooms upstairs, please contact Landmarks at 415-435-1853.

4worldlovers:
Point Richmond.....once an island on San Francisco Bay, is now a neighborhood of Richmond, California is that city's birthplace and today is it's "old town". The Point Richmond History Association was founded in 1979 by Donna Roselius and is dedicated to promoting awareness of the community's exciting and colorful history. To this purpose, we maintain a small museum on the downtown Point Richmond Triangle that is housed by the oldest commercial building in Richmond. The little museum was saved from destruction and moved to its current location in 1990 under the PRHA leadership of Jerry Cerkanowicz. It is open on Thursdays 11:30 am to 2:00 pm and Saturdays 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. We invite you to join our organization, with your membership you will receive a subscription (five issues) to "This Point...in time", our entertaining and informative newsletter. Membership categories include Senior (65 or older) ($15.00/year), Single ($20.00/year), Family ($25.00/year), History Preserver ($50.00/year) or History Maker ($100.00/year). Checks should be made to the Point Richmond History Association and mailed to Pam Wilson, 521 Western Drive, Point Richmond, CA 94801.

4worldlovers:
Welcome to the Crockett Museum, located in the former S&P Railroad Station.


Visitors to the Crockett Museum are often charmed by the unique nature of the displays; many exhibits remain from the original ones created 40 years ago this September. The town of Crockett has been heavily influenced by C&H’s presence since 1906, and that influence is felt in the display of the evolution of sugar products and the sugar industry. Citizens of Crockett have enjoyed a proud connection with their local schools, and trophies and photos abound.

Other exhibits share information about the history of the town/area, businesses, churches, the Carquinez Bridge(s), fraternal/social clubs, and military service members.

One of the more popular artifacts in the Museum is an enormous 468 lb. taxidermied sturgeon (caught on a rod and reel), the likes of which will never be caught again! A complete collection of the Cubelet Press (the house organ of C&H from 1936-1992) is available for research, as well as Crockett Signal and Crockett American from 1908 until 1976 and Crockett Signal magazine 1989 to present day.

If you are interested in sharing a talent, spending some time among artifacts, learning about the history of your town, or welcoming visitors, please call or stop by during open hours!

Visitors are always admitted for free and docents are available for questions.

For more information on arranging tours or planning your visit, call (510)787-2178.

Masks are encouraged for the safety and comfort of visitors and volunteers.