The Snoqualmie Depot is receiving new shingles and gutters.
The Snoqualmie Depot is the Northwest Railway Museum’s centerpiece, and is the oldest continuously operating train station in the State of Washington. Located in historical downtown Snoqualmie, this 1890-built train station is receiving some important collection care work, which was described in our recent blog post, and is all being performed in accordance with the Secretary of Interior Standards. The work on this City of Snoqualmie Landmark includes a new decorative shingle roof, renewed dormer barge boards, and gutters. The project has received funding from many individuals including from the GiveBig 2024 campaign, and from institutions including King County 4Culture, and the Third Places Fund of the Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation with funds passed through from the National Park Service – yes, funding projects like this can be complicated!
July and early August 2024 have been very eventful with workers dodging events including Day Out With Thomas, but a lot has got done. Some unanticipated work was added to the scope, too: sometime in the last Century, about six inches of rafter tail was cut off from the front of the building. This complicated installation and function of the new gutter system so a plan was hatched to add extensions and restore the rafter tails to their original length.
Josh from Skilfab installs new half round gutter sections on the Snoqualmie Depot.
The depot was last re-roofed in 1995. At that time, the gutters remained functional and in good repair. This time, however, the gutters require a complete replacement. Snoqualmie’s own Skilfab received the gutter contract and is applying new half-round gutters and downspouts. The work requires a number of special considerations, including soldering short sections together to circumnavigate the round end of the structure, including a high back on the gutter to protect the roof in the event of gutters overflowing, and expansion joints to allow for the contraction and expansion of the sheet metal between winter and summer. This work also required some remedial repairs on the ends of several rafter tails, and the replacement of several dozen feet of roof decking.
Barge boards are another detail this project is addressing. These decorative features are applied to the dormer faces on three sides of the building. Years of weather exposure had caused the paint to peel and the wood to deteriorate. Efforts expended by volunteers and staff in the Museum’s Conservation and Restoration Workshop returned the barge boards to near-new condition. Elite Roofing is reinstalling the boards and then overlapping the new shingles by approximately 3/4 of an inch.
Elite Roofing reinstalled the renewed decorative barge boards on the south dormer of the depot.
The roof and gutter work is one of the largest projects the Museum has undertaken in the last year. valued at nearly $400,000, the roof work will allow the depot to continue serving as a “Third Place” where families, friends, and individuals can gather and meet, usually without charge or unreasonable restriction.
Caring for a wooden structure is a continuing challenge and support from public and private sources is vital to the continued upkeep of this regional treasure. Earlier this year, the Museum gratefully received a contribution from All Weather Heating and a rebate from Puget Sound Energy that together facilitated installation of a new heat pump. This summer, the Museum is honored to have received support for this roof and gutter project from nearly 100 individuals and two public sources. Please consider helping support completion of this roof and gutter project on the most distinctive building in the upper Snoqualmie valley; contributions are gratefully received on the Museum’s web site. And please plan a visit to see the new roof!
The Snoqualmie Depot roof consists of fancy butt square, diamond, and round shingles. All are being replaced “in kind” in this summer 2024 project.
