Railway Education Center form-setting event

Period clothing worn by guests at the

form setting event.

It was a bright and sunny morning in May when a steam train full of supporters pulled away from the Snoqualmie Depot.  And many on board were dressed in Depot-appropriate period clothing dating from the late Victorian era, too.  Headed east, the passengers soon arrived at the Railway History Center campus.  That day's event was the official concrete form-setting for the new Railway Education Center, the third building planned for the museum campus, which is designed to provide preservation and access for the collection.

Snoqualmie Mayor pro

tem Bob Jeans.

More than 100 guests filed into the Train Shed.  Presentations by Snoqualmie Mayor Pro Tem Bob Jeans, King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert, Museum Board of Trustees President Dennis Snook, and Museum executive director Richard R. Anderson recounted just some of the efforts required to get the project under construction.  Getting to this day took the efforts of many people more than ten years, and required support from hundreds of individuals, Foundations, Corporations, and local, regional, and State government!

In commemoration of the event,

visitors were able to sign their them on

a concrete form board.

While attending the form setting, the guests had an opportunity to sign their name on a concrete form board, which will be preserved after the project is completed.  They also had an opportunity to experience the new Train Shed exhibits, which were added earlier this year, and are part of every regular schedule train excursion.

Supporters aboard the

steam train traveling to the

form-setting event.

Kirtley Cole and Associates is constructing the new Railway Education Center that will feature public restrooms, a library and archives vault, a classroom, admissions, and program offices.  Construction is expected to continue through September, and the Museum will officially move in during winter 2017. Expanded hours of operation for the exhibit building being made possible by this new Railway Education Center will begin in 2017.


Thank you to Mitch Barchi for providing the photos used in this post. 

Technical issues prevented this post from appearing in early May as intended.

 

Setting concrete for the REC

The third phase of the Museum's campus is the Railway Education Center, and construction has been underway since March.  The new center will include public restrooms, a classroom, and an archival vault for the Museum's collection of small objects, photographs, published works, maps, drawings, and more.

General contractor Kirtley-Cole and Associates of Everett have been proceeding at a rapid pace.  Since completing the GeoPier foundation supports just before GiveBig event earlier this month, concrete foundation work has been progressing. 

Concrete pours require careful planning.  Forms are constructed to the shapes and sizes stipulated on the drawings.  Reinforcing steel is wired together inside the forms.  A concrete pumper under the control of a skilled operator delivers concrete into the forms. 

A concrete worker vibrates the freshly-poured concrete to remove any air pockets, and ensure uniformity throughout.  After the concrete cures for a day or so, the forms are removed, which reveals the finished casting. 

The steel rebar extends out the top or side of the pour so that it can interlock with the next pour, the grade beams and interior floor.  The interior of the stem wall receives foam insulation to help keep the floor warm in the winter. And speaking of floor, the next report on construction progress should detail the new concrete floor.