Tiburon in Marin County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
NWP Gallows Frame Wheels
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, April 30, 2023
1. NWP Gallows Frame Wheels Marker
The San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad (incorporated as the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in 1907) established its southernmost terminal in Tiburon in 1884. To improve freight handling facilities, the SF & NP built the ferryboat Ukiah, launched in May of 1890. This ship contained rail tracks for standard and narrow gauge rail cars but needed a special slip to load the cars. In 1890, the SF & NP built a slip in Tiburon with a set of tracks on an apron that could be raised and lowered to adjust to the tide level.
Two very large and six smaller wheels (four on display here) carried cables to support the apron. The initial construction had the wheels enclosed within two towers. As the slip was updated and moved over the years, the wheels were left exposed in an open framework called a gallows frame. When the slip was removed in 1974, the wheels were donated by the Southern Pacific Development Company to the Town of Tiburon as artifacts. These wheels are displayed to show their size and mass. In their operational state, they were mounted on their framework some thirty feet above the tracks.
Erected 2015 by Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars
this page online
Location. 37° 52.353′ N, 122° 27.14′ W. Marker is in Tiburon, California, in Marin County. It can be reached from Paradise Drive south of Main Street, on the right when traveling south. The plaque is mounted in the hedges along the Shoreline Path behind the Tiburon Railroad & Ferry Depot Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1920 Paradise Drive, Belvedere Tiburon CA 94920, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, in the North Coast, and specifically on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 1884 San Francisco & Northern Pacific Railroad Depot (here, next to this marker); Tiburon Railroad & Ferry Depot Museum (a few steps from this marker); Northwestern Pacific Railroad (a few steps from this marker); Tiburon Was a Railroad Town (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Northwestern Pacific (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dr. Lyford's Stone Tower (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Tiburon Peninsula (approx. 0.2 miles away); Samuel Blake Chapman (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tiburon.
Also see . . .
1. The Saga of the Gallows Wheels (PDF). The Landmark Fall 2015
"Now that the gallows wheels are back as close as(Submitted on May 12, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)possible to their original location, we would like to trace their journey from their lofty original home by the Bay to potential scrap to an historic monument."Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, April 30, 20232. NWP Gallows Frame Wheels & Marker
2. Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on November 5, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, April 30, 2023
3. NWP Gallows Frame Wheels
via The Landmark, unknown
4. The proposed display that never was
It would have closely followed the appearance of the original gallows frame.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 12, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 225 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 12, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 4. submitted on November 5, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.
