Tiburon Railroad & Ferry Museum Depot

The Tiburon Railroad & Ferry Museum Depot is a treasure hidden in plain view. It sits isolated on one of the most scenic locations in all the North Bay. I was delighted to see the model of what the town of Tiburon looked like back in the early 1900s with actual running trains. Upstairs, to see the Railway Manager’s living quarters, was also a very special aspect of the tour. The docents were terrific and able to answer all of my questions.
It is particularly fun and interesting to study the railway and why it disappeared as the railroad is being re-​installed now again in 2015! I took home books and videos to better understand and on my way home, there was an actual train on the brand new tracks that replaced the originals up near Novato!
I am particularly excited to include this museum on our Tiburon Food & Wine Tour. It will add the historic layer on the cake in 3D!

Great place to visit if interested in history of the area, also very kid friendly. Wish it was open for more days /​hours.
The depot contains a working model railway layout of Tiburon rail yard in 1909. You can look out the window and see how the very same land lies now. Also fascinating artifacts and dvds related to rail in the area and the NWP railroad. Worth lingering and chatting to the knowledgeable and friendly docents.
TIP: If there are two docents there ask to see the resident’s quarters upstairs, it is really interesting.
The location on the waterfront in Tiburon is stunning — a beautiful park next door and expansive views of the bay.

We have seen this building probably twenty times before, but I guess we had never been here on a Sunday afternoon between 1 – 4 pm when it is actually open! Wow! I am not even a big olé train fan, but I AM a fan of history and love to know the story behind any place I am visiting. The museum contains hundreds of pictures from old Tiburon and Belvedere. Also, you will find in the middle of the room a giant model of an old train going through Tiburon back in the day. It was cool to see it and hear it and imagine when it actually existed over a hundred years ago in the neighborhood I was visiting. Along the walls, you will find old relics and artifacts from the Tiburon and Belvedere railroads. I bought a couple of very reasonably priced little books ($ 2.50 each) containing more pictures and text telling the story. I love that they offer memorabilia for just the cost of producing it. The docents who work here know their history, and I could tell they really loved their town and their story. I would like to be able to go back some time when I can have a docent all to myself to walk me through everything and provide an explanation. Loved it!!!

The nicest volunteer explained a little bit of Tiburon history to us this fine afternoon. Wonderful to see how industrial Tiburon actually looked inside the historic Donohue building, which was erected late 1800’s.
The model of train depot Tiburon was striking, and given that I’m reading about historic 1850’s SF and its historic fires via the story of volunteer firefighter Tom Sawyer in the book, Black Fire, it was truly amazing to witness a historic fire extinguisher inside the museum.
Aweome!!! Love history, love museums, love friendly and informative peeps.

The location is just wonderful, particularly on a sunny day. The suggested donation amount is $ 5.00 but don’t feel obligated. The docents are very friendly and will go out of their way to personally show the visitor the residence upstairs. The star of the of museum is the model of the historic Tiburon wharf/​railroad terminus; it is hard to believe that the exhibit is a work in progress and all scratch built except for the railroad equipment. Also the docent can control any number of trains on their way in and out of the terminal/​wharf. In a small room is a screen set up to show one of two dvd’s. There are a number of historic black/​white photos and several display cases showcasing railroad items and models of the a few of the the historic ferries. Because the area is very popular, visitors constantly come and go. To further add to your interest, there is a bookstore.

Very simple museum, from a much simpler time. It’s a wonderful quick excursion on your Tiburon visit, or just a place to park on a weekday when it’s not too crowded, eat lunch, enjoy the views, and think about how the Golden Gate Bridge destroyed the Tiburon economy, when the North Pacific rail line terminus went away. Yup, that’s the truth. You will sort of easily infer that from this museum. I am sure Tiburon will be fine, don’t fret. But do try to go upstairs, they have an old apartment set up like it would have been back in the day. Cheers! =)

Beautiful views of the water and city make this a great location to park yourself and ponder the meaning of life.