Phase one of the Railway History Center: The Conservation and Restoration Center, a facility to perform collection care to the high standards prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior.

The Railway History Center 

The Northwest Railway Museum has been developing a plan to build a Railway History Center for several years.  The project is divided into two phases:

Conservation and Restoration Center - to perform collection care on railway transportation artifacts including locomotives, passenger and freight cars, and special maintenance vehicles such as snow plows.

Train Shed - to store and exhibit vulnerable and endangered railway artifacts, especially those constructed of wood.  Initial construction of facility will also include provision for library & archives vault.

The Museum has completed phase one, the Conservation and Restoration Center (CRC).

The Conservation and Restoration Center

The Conservation and Restoration Center (CRC) is a specialized building for performing collection care on historic railway transportation artifacts including steam and diesel-electric locomotives, passenger coaches, freight cars and maintenance of way vehicles such as cranes and snow plows. Construction began October 5, 2005 and was dedicated on August 5,  2006.  The CRC allows all types of collection care to be performed inside a heated building, including preservation, restoration, reconstruction and maintenance.  One or more steam locomotive will be restored to operation in this facility. Completion of the CRC is allowing expansion of museum programs and is facilitating improved collection care practices.

The CRC is an 8,200 square foot facility constructed adjacent to the main track, approximately 1.5 miles east of downtown Snoqualmie. The project includes 1,600 feet of additional track to access the building and to store cars and locomotives. A staff and volunteer parking area was also built. The development includes a visitor gallery; beginning in 2007 visitors will travel by train to this facility to receive a presentation and tour.

The Train Shed

The Train Shed will be a large structure to house locomotives, passenger cars, freight cars, and maintenance-of-way cars.  It will provide fundamental protection against rain, rapid changes in humidity or temperature, and light.  These environmental factors present some of the greatest threats to the Museum's collection of railway artifacts. 

The Train Shed will also allow public access in "open storage" that is enclosed and secure, but is accessible to the public.  Scheduled tours will allow visitors to see the locomotives, passenger cars, freight cars and maintenance equipment stored in the Train Shed.  Limited contextual exhibits will also be possible within the scope of this project and broad use of signage will provide additional interpretation.

Also included in plans for phase 2 is accommodation for a Library and Archives to house the Museum's paper-based collection of published and unpublished material.  This collection is focused on the history of the railway in the Northwest, railroad technology and related material.  Its primary purpose is to support collection care and interpretation however there is significant demand from students and researchers for access to the unique collection.  The new Library and Archives will provide a reading room for public access to this collection of non-circulating material.  The Museum's administrative functions will also be housed in this facility.

Historic reconstruction of Caboose 001 takes shape inside the CRC.  001 was built at Enumclaw, Washington in 1944 by and for the White River Lumber Company.  It also operated with the Museum's former Weyerhaeuser Timber locomotive 1.

The Northwest Railway Museum's locomotive 4024 inside the Umatilla Army Depot locomotive shop in Oregon, circa 1983.  The new Conservation and Restoration Center will be very similar to this facility.  

Note the depression between the rails. This area is called the inspection pit and allows workers to get under a car or locomotive.  It is a feature essential for restoration, operation, and maintenance of a steam locomotive.  It is also important for maintenance of diesel-electric locomotives and for passenger cars.

Operation of a steam locomotive is just one of many things the Conservation and Restoration Center will allow the Northwest Railway Museum to do that it cannot do now.

Funding 

The first two phases of the Railway History Center will cost a combined $6.5 million.  Phase one, the CRC cost $1.9 million.  Phase two, the Train Shed is estimated at $3.2 million.  The Library and Archives is projected at $1.4 million.

The first phase is complete and in operation. The second phase has secured over $2.2 million.

CRC plan view

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The Northwest Railway Museum is located in Snoqualmie, Washington.

Please call us at (425) 888-3030, or email