Clampers with a Messenger of Peace

Late last month The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (“ECV”) gave a day of service to the chapel car Messenger of Peace rehabilitation.  The Doc Maynard Chapter 54-40 brought 14 member volunteers to sand windows in preparation for shellac, move the kitchen stove in, prepare moldings for installation on the outside of the car, strip paint from the interior floor, prepare castings for paint, and remove some of the last interior panels for refinishing.  Chapter 54-40 contributed 54 person hours to the project and the group retired to the Snoqualmie Falls Brewery for a late lunch. 

ECV is a fraternal organization dedicated to the preservation and study of western heritage.  They are often known as simply "Clampers", and are also a group of folks who know that 54-40 could have been a real fight! 

Clampers have four objectives and the third is quite interesting: they cannot remember if they are a drinking historical society or an historical drinking society.  In other words, just like this blog post, they don't take themselves all that seriously.  Regardless, the Museum was honored to welcome them for their third visit to the Northwest Railway Museum and hope they will be back again soon.  Thank you Clampers!

Looking back at 2011

2012 has started out with heavy weather including heavy rain, over 9 inches of snow and an ice storm.  So as we complete our latest storm recovery, it is appealing to recollect some of the achievements for 2011.

In February 2011, rehabilitation of chapel car 5 Messengerof Peace began in earnest.  A crew of three worked full time on the car and completed all the car body structural repairs.  By year end, more than 7,000 hours had been invested in the project and all the exterior cladding was being applied.  Other highlights include manufacture of replacement windows and the draft and platform sills.

In March and April, a major track rehabilitation project was performed.  Back in August 2010 an engineering decision made by another local company caused the railroad at Snoqualmie Falls to shift.  The rehabilitation project was funded by that company and removed the affected track that parallels the Snoqualmie Falls Generating Station plant.  The underlying soils were excavated and new railroad ballast was placed and compacted.  Then, the track – along with about 30% replacement ties - was reconstructed, aligned, leveled and tamped.   

In June, Cristy L. joined the Northwest Railway Museum as the full time volunteer coordinator.  She has volunteer and collections management experience, and degree in history & historical archeology.  She has already made a huge difference during events, regular train operations, in the CRC and with apply volunteer skills to the Museum's many other needs.

Also in June, the Museum participated in the Seattle Foundation's first-ever GiveBig event and raised almost $19,000 in support!  Many donor funds were matched by their employers such as Boeing and Microsoft.  All donor's funds were matched by the Seattle Foundation's match pool further leveraging their gifts.  (Watch for GiveBig again in 2012!)

In July, the Meadowbrook Way SE railway crossing was reconstructed.  Funded by the City ofSnoqualmie along with generous support from the Snoqualmie Casino this two lane crossing was rebuilt with welded rail, oak ties, new ballast and concrete crossing panels.  The City of Snoqualmie then repaved the entire road, which is the secondary gateway to downtown Snoqualmie and the Northwest Railway Museum. 

In August, the Museum unveiled locomotive 1, a Fairbanks Morse model H 12-44 that was used by the White River Lumber Company (Weyerhaeuser) at their Enumclaw operation in east King County.  This project was funded by the National Railway Historical Society and private donors.  Volunteers performed most of the work.

The highlight of the year was the grand opening of the new exhibit building at the Railway History Center.  This followed construction – largely by the Museum’s volunteers - of more than 1,000 feet of track and five turnouts allowing the first rail cars to be moved into the building.  On September 17, invited guests joined the trustees, volunteers and staff to formally open the building to the public.

In October, the Museum's Facebook page received its 1,000th like!

2011 was also a successful year for attendance too.  11,039 people – a Museum record – attended Santa Train, and impressive numbers were recorded for Railroad Days in August, Day Out With Thomas in July and Halloween Train in October.

Another successful Santa Train event

Zoe (Santa's oldest elf) and Ms. Claus

joined Santa in greeting children and

preparing the list of who is naughty

 and nice.        

         Santa Train is the Northwest Railway Museum's premier event; it has been a Northwest tradition for 43 years.  Visitors travel on a 2 hour excursion on a century-old train from North Bend to Snoqualmie, visit with Santa and enjoy refreshments prepared in an authentic railway kitchen car.

        In 2011 trains ran for eight days and served 11,200 visitors.  The kitchen car stoves baked more than 24,000 cookies and Kris Kringle distributed nearly 7,000 small gifts to children.  Factors in a successful event include the 57 dedicated volunteers and permanent staff that hosted the event, and awesome community support from the Snoqualmie Valley. 

       Volunteers crewed the train, helped guide people around the depot, assisted Santa, served refreshments in the kitchen car.  They decorated the Snoqualmie Depot, the kitchen and the train.  They baked cookies, sold and mailed tickets, cleaned the coaches, and set up craft tables.  More than 1,600 hours were invested in preparing and hosting Santa Train.

24,000 cookies were rolled and baked
in the railway kitchen car. A dedicated
 team of volunteers served them too!  

        Continental Mills contributed Krusteaz® cookie dough and North Bend's John Day Homes provided monogrammed cups for hot cocoa and coffee.  The City of Snoqualmie Parks Department cleaned and maintained the restrooms in the Snoqualmie Depot.  They also did an outstanding job of decorating Railroad Park in downtown Snoqualmie.  The North Bend Public Works Department cleaned and maintained the North Bend Depot.

        2011 brought several important improvements to the kitchen car too.  The demise of Borders Books provided an opportunity to acquire and install an SBC Coffee machine.  New 300 ounce insulated beverage dispensers were acquired to improve cocoa service.  A new dough mixer has improved the quality and consistency of cookies. And a new cookie flavor was introduced: lemon!

        Santa Train is a wonderful event and all of us here at the Northwest Railway Museum really enjoy hosting it. Wishing you Happy Holidays from all of us at the Northwest Railway Museum.

Families young and younger rode in century-old coaches.

Seasonally decorated coaches greeted Santa Train passengers.

Locomotives featured wreaths and Santa's own class lights.

Excited children arrive in Snoqualmie.

As he rode back to the North Pole, Santa reviewed his "nice" list. 
Santa was very pleased to note that none of the children who visited
him in Snoqualmie were on the naughty list.                                   

Recollections of a Santa

The Patron Saint of Children has been a frequent visitor to the Northwest Railway Museum ever since seasonal programming began in 1969.  He is an integral part of Santa Train and has brought joy to generations of children.

Santa Train is in its 43rd season and will serve more than 11,000 visitors during eight days of sold-out operation.  The event is an important opportunity to attract a diverse audience to the Museum where they ride on a 100-year-old train, visit a Victorian-era depot, and experience a working railway kitchen car.  And the Snoqualmie Depot remains an important stop for Santa as he collects lists from children around the world. 

To remain a successful event, a very special person is required to "stand in" for such a famous man.  From 1979 through 1999, Santa was portrayed by local resident Frank Webb who played this role purely for the joy it brought to children and their families. Now retired and living in South Dakota, Mr. Webb recently visited the Snoqualmie Valley and shared some of his fondest memories of being the Northwest Railway Museum Santa.

Perhaps you visited Santa Train years ago and were once a child on his lap? Regardless, his recollections should bring a smile to your face too!

Pew with a view: seats for the chapel car

Chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace was built with a full complement of pews. Unfortunately changes in use and 113 years of history resulted in the loss of all the originals. But the Messenger of Peace had four “siblings” - they were other chapel cars built to the same plan by the Barney and Smith Car Company. And as fate would have it, a pew from Herald of Hope was donated to the American Baptist Historical Society (“ABHS”) and is held in their collection at Mercer University in Atlanta, GA. So after a recent effort to measure, photograph, and make cardboard templates, there is a “herald of hope” that Messenger of Peace may soon again have pews.

Herald of Hope was the chapel car built two years after Messenger of Peace, and in 1900 was also the last such wooden car constructed. It was called the “Young Men’s Car” because it was funded as a project of the young men of the Woodward Avenue Church in Detroit, MI. Even though early Twentieth Century Detroit was a very prosperous industrial center, fundraising to purchase an entire railroad car was a remarkable achievement. This stands in contrast to the Messenger of Peace, which was known as the “ladies’ car” because it was funded by subscriptions purchased by ladies from across the entire country.

Herald of Hope served the Baptist Publication Society and Home Mission Society for 31years. In 1931 it was moved off the rail to continue as a church, but finished out its days as an office at a coal mine in West Virginia. Fortunately, its final days as a chapel car were attended by its last parson’s widow. Mrs. Newton gave away many of the car’s furnishings including two portable organs and at least one pew. Later, one of the organs and a pew were donated to the ABHS and are today held in their archives at Mercer University.

Examining a 111-year-old pew so that construction plans can be created is a delicate operation. Gloves are worn to protect the object from the acidic affects of bare hands. It cannot be disassembled - this is so the object may continue to serve the needs of researchers - and this makes it challenging to discover the type of joinery and the true profile of hardware. Photography occurs with available light only. Pencils are used to sketch and take notes. Calipers, a measuring tape and protractor are carefully applied to the artifact to take measurements. Acid free card stock is carefully cut to make templates of the curves and shapes. Five pages of sketches and notes, 100 photographs and 11 cardstock templates are now available to support construction of replica pews.

Perhaps it is a coincidence that the “young men’s car” would help the “ladies car.” Notwithstanding, the helpful staff at the ABHS allowed the pew to be examined, dimensioned and photographed so that replica pews can be created for the Messenger of Peace. Special thanks to Archivist Jan Ballard and Associate Archivist Clarence Brown Jr. for their assistance with the rehabilitation of chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace.

Photos (top to bottom)

Messenger of Peace interior with pews, May 1898. Image courtesy of the Adair County (MO) Historical Society.

American Baptist Historical Society archives at Mercer University, Atlanta, GA.

Hinge and seat support for chapel car pew. There are a few challenges in reverse engineering something that cannot be taken apart but these have been overcome.

American Baptist Historical Society Archivist Jan Ballard and Associate Archivist Clarence Brown Jr. pose with chapel car Herald of Hope pew held in their collection.

Chapel car milestone

Chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace has been undergoing rehabilitation for over 9 months. A full time crew of carpenters and other preservation specialists has been reversing the effects of 112 years of deterioration and decay. Considering the car is just 78 feet long, the scope is massive. Frame repairs, new or repaired exterior cladding, new windows, repaired interior paneling and new trucks are just a few of the work categories underway. And to undertake the work, wood species were identified and replacement material sourced, fasteners duplicated, and cutting jigs prepared.

The most intensive aspect of the rehabilitation project is the frame (side sill) repairs, including the replacement of over 60 feet of sill material, 16 feet on the right side and over 45 feet on the left. This work required the car to be extensively jacked and blocked up to restore it to its original profile. The roof and walls were supported with false work installed in the car’s interior and supported by the center sill.

Work began with removal of the exterior cladding and the underlying blocking. Braces, ties rods and compression trusses were removed to provide access to the side sill. New sections of sill were created while the southern yellow pine timbers were supported by saw horses. After machining window post mortises, holes for tie rods, and a rabbet for the truss plank, the sill was installed. Then the real work began: installing window posts, fitting the compression and auxiliary compression planks, reinstalling the belt rail, and fitting and installing old and new blocking. Months of work later, the car superstructure is back together again and it can support the car’s weight. With this category of work completed, the car has also had its "camber" restored to a condition not seen for more than 60 years.

The chapel car rehabilitation will be continuing into 2012. Work is being funded by Save America's Treasures, Washington State Historical Society, 4 Culture, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express.

Images (from top to bottom):

Carbody together again. Right side received 16 feet of new side sill.

Left side sill repair began with removal of cladding, blocking, compression planks, and the damaged side sill.

Meg G. begins installing bracing in the new side sill. A missing section of the truss plank evidenced in the foreground will be spliced in. The truss plank is made from Douglas fir and was the only Northwest wood used in the 1898 construction.

New section of truss plank mentioned in previous photo caption is shown in place along with new section of side sill.

Duane S. installs the last of the screws in the compression plank on the left side of the car.

1,000 likes and climbing

Milestones. Sometimes we celebrate them with great fanfare. Sometimes with quiet delight. For the Museum, both kinds of milestones happened one day recently.

THE FANFARE

Train whistles. Trumpets. Remarks by People with Titles. The Northwest Railway Museum celebrated the Grand Opening of the Train Shed September 17 with a happy crowd of members, donors, volunteers and other supporters. It’s a special milestone, because some of the organization’s earliest supporters have envisioned this day for 50 years. The Museum’s most vulnerable large artifacts now have a place of refuge, where the public can soon step inside an illustrated story of how the northwestern United States was settled and civilized.

View a bit of the fanfare here:

A POWERFUL COMMUNITY

Something else happened at the same time we were whooping it up in the Train Shed. With a quiet click, our Facebook page climbed to 1,000 “likes.” No trumpets. No speeches. But a big deal nonetheless.

In one way or another, community has played a role in every milestone the Museum has reached - from the launch of the Railway History Center in 2006. . .to the hosting of Santa Train, Day Out With Thomas and Snoqualmie Railroad Days. . .to awards recognizing Museum Collections, personnel, restoration achievements and interpretive efforts. Our tremendous community comprises volunteers, members, donors, heritage and train enthusiasts, families, City partners. . .and now, Facebook users and followers of our blog.

It's because of you, our online community, that Chapel Car 5 Messenger of Peace received enough votes to earn a large grant in the Partners for Preservation campaign last year. It's because of you that the Northwest Railway Museum experienced the single most successful day of giving in the Museum's history during The Seattle Foundation's one-day GiveBIG campaign in June. With you, we're achieving entirely new milestones.

So to celebrate 1,000-likes-and-climbing, we're giving Jessica H., our 1,000th Facebook fan, a free train ride for a party of six. Congratulations, Jessica! The railroad built our community, and our community is building the railway museum. A big thank you to each one of you.

Visit the Northwest Railway Museum on Facebook