Museum Collections

Trains and So Much More

While the locomotives, railcars, and the Historic Snoqualmie Depot often attract the most attention from visitors, the Northwest Railway Museum’s collection expands much further. Alongside these large objects, the Museum has an extensive collection of small objects weighing less than one ton. The Museum also offers opportunities for visitors and researchers to deepen their understanding of the many peoples, places, and events that have shaped the development and impact of railways in the Pacific Northwest through its Library and Archives Collection.

In addition to supporting restoration, the Museum cares for its multifaceted collection through preservation, conservation, and restoration. As the largest museum in East King County and the largest Railroad Museum in Washington State, the Museum strives to help share the history of the impacts of the railways for future generations to come.

Connect with the Collection

The Museum loves to learn about the ways its community connects with its collection. Please feel welcome to reach out if you have used the Museum’s collection in your research or creative project, or if you have discovered more about its collection that you would like to share. Sharing user stories that illustrate the value of the collection and research services is an important tool as the Museum advocates for future funding and program development. Please contact us at info@TrainMuseum.org if you have something to share.

To help support the Museum’s Collection

Contact the Northwest Railway Museum’s collection team.  The Northwest Railway Museum is currently accepting donations to the library and archives, or donations of small artifacts via a pre-approval process*. Please contact us with a description of the item or items, why they are significant to Pacific Northwest Railway History and should be preserved in perpetuity by the Museum, and ideally current photographs of the item or items.

* The Northwest Railway Museum does not accept donations sent through the mail or delivered in person without prior authorization by Museum collections staff. The Northwest Railway Museum is not obligated to retain or return unsolicited donations. We are unable to accommodate drop-in visits to review potential donations. Please contact the collections staff in advance to discuss your donation offer and schedule an appointment for review and delivery. Please note that Visitor Service staff are not authorized to receive any donations and must refuse them.