The sights we saw along Railroad Avenue!

Snoqualmie Railroad Days was so much fun this year, we can’t wait to give you a sneak preview of Railroad Days 2010.

August 2009 was the first time the Northwest Railway Museum hosted Snoqualmie’s annual festival. Thanks to all who helped! The Field of Fun transformed the Snoqualmie Depot grounds, where hundreds of children bounced themselves silly in inflatables, raced bananas in North Bend Theatre’s Banana Boogie, and laughed and sang along with Nancy Stewart, Eric Ode, and Clay Martin’s Puppet Theater. 877 runners completed 1k, 5k and 10k courses in the Snoqualmie Fun Run. View results and a gallery of photos. 65 vendors sold paintings, crafts, insulated glass, you name it. 44 Grand Parade entrants marched, danced, rode and unicycled through Snoqualmie. Congratulations, winners! View parade and festival photos. The police department estimates 3,500 festival-goers, which nearly quadrupled downtown Snoqualmie’s population for a day!

Snoqualmie Valley Railroad trains sold out. Fair-goers also rode the rails aboard a railway motorcar. The Museum demonstrated a tie spacer, which is a diesel-powered machine for aligning railroad ties; a Pettibone Speedswing, which is a small crane that operates on roads and railroad tracks; and a winded museum director showing tamping techniques and rail spiking. Don’t know what those are? Well, that’s what the demo’s are for! We’ll see you next year, when the Museum will feature additional demonstrations and activities throughout 3 festival days.

That’s right, we’re back to a full-sized festival in 2010, beginning Friday, Aug. 20, 2010. You can look forward to the Legends Car Club Classic Car Show on Sunday, Aug. 22. RunSnoqualmie will host the Fun Run Saturday, Aug. 21, and the Northwest Railway Museum will dedicate its new Train Shed exhibit building. Should be about triple the fun!

Thomas the Tank Engine thrills thousands

Day Out With Thomas has been a successful event at the Northwest Railway Museum for eight seasons. This past weekend was the first of two for this year's event and by all accounts it was a roaring success.

Of course Thomas the Tank Engine was the star. He pulled trains for three days - July 10 - 12 - and posed for photos with children of all ages. But the event is so much more than a visit with Thomas.

This year, the friends of the Northwest Railway Museum built a new HO scale model railway custom designed to fit the Snoqualmie Depot freight room. Of course, the children can run the trains around the loop just like the old train layout. And it will also be set up for Railroad Days, and possibly travel to some off-site events later this year or early next year.

Day Out With Thomas also features live entertainment. Singer Nancy Stewart appeared again this year, but also Eric Ode. What would Day Out With Thomas be without "B-A-R-N-C-A-T I'm a barn cat?" And Clay Martin's Puppet Theater presented Punch and Judy.

What else? Dan Parker's Lego Thomas and Friends, a visit with Sir Topham Hatt, temporary tattoos, train tables, Thomas and Friends videos, and of course motor car rides!

Day Out With Thomas is a family event that the Northwest Railway Museum really enjoys hosting. There are still a few tickets available for next Friday and a few for 5:15 on Saturday, but otherwise you will have to wait 'til next year! Check out the Museum's web site for more information.