Curve at Snoqualmie Falls

The Museum's railway extends between Snoqualmie Falls and North Bend, but the most spectacular view is at Snoqualmie Falls.  A tight 11 degree 30 minute curve thrusts the railroad out onto a bridge high above the Snoqualmie River.  Yet this curve - and others no longer in place - represented significant maintenance efforts for the track workers on the Northern Pacific Railway.

This tight curve is built with 100 pound per yard rail last renewed in the 1950s. Tight curves create resistance, and that means wear.  When a wheel set navigates a curve this tight, one wheel - the one on the outside of the curve - has to travel further than the one on the inside.  That extra motion causes wear, which widens gauge and reduces the size of the rail head.  Despite the light and infrequent use the Museum makes of this curve, after more than 40 years and at least 500,000 passengers, the high or outer rail was completely worn out.

In a project planned out in 2019, RailWorks was hired to replace the outer rail with relay rail the Museum acquired from Union Station in Seattle in the early 1980s.  The 100 pound rail pulled from those platform tracks once supported Milwaukee Road electric locomotives and Union Pacific stream liners. Like all rail replacement projects, work began by pulling spikes. 

The relay rail had worn bolt holes so the project included cropping and drilling the rail ends.  This work was performed as each length of rail was laid.

  

The project also included replacement of 25 cross ties, important in ensuring the curve maintains gauge.  A hyrail excavator aided the work, which was completed in one day.  The new ties were cut from Douglas fir, treated with creosote, and cost more than $60 each.  They are physically similar to the ties they are replacing, which are an average of fifty years old.  New ties are expected to last at least 25 years.

This major capital project was planned and initiated prior to escalation of the Covid 19 crisis, and represents one of the Museum's major 2020 projects, and an investment of more than $20,000.  Donations to the Museum's general fund help support this important work and are gratefully accepted.  When the Museum is able to reopen after expiration of the Governor's Executive Order closing public venues including Museums, service to Snoqualmie Falls will be able to immediately resume.  Monitor the Museum's web site at www.TrainMuseum.org for updated information about when the Museum will be able to reopen.  

New exhibit installed in Snoqualmie Depot



Dark wood frames

were chosen to blend

with the existing

wood work.

The Museum has just completed and installed the “Depot RE-Interpretation project” in the Snoqualmie Depot’s men’s waiting room. The 4Culture-funded project is an eight-panel exhibit on the history of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway – the company that built both the original rail line to Snoqualmie and the Snoqualmie Depot.

Using historic photographs, maps, and railroad documents, the exhibit describes the process of building the railroad from Seattle to Snoqualmie, as well as several other lines, and the eventual absorption into the Northern Pacific Railroad. The final exhibit panel is all about the Snoqualmie Depot construction.

A combination of vertical and hori-zontal panels were used to get the most out of the available wall 

space.

The challenge with any exhibit is finding a balance between too much and not enough information. There is always more that can be said, but all authorities on exhibits say, “less is best.” So how do you tell the story without too many words? The strategy used with this exhibit was to utilize large font (48pt) for the key points of each panel and smaller font (22pt) for supplementary information for those interested in knowing more. Part of that strategy is also to use only around 50 words to make main points, so the bulk of your text is in the supplementary section of content.

Seating was removed from under 
the exhibit panels to encourage guests to walk up to the panel to investigate the small details and images up close.

The exhibit is in the men’s waiting room at the west-end of the Snoqualmie Depot and can be viewed Monday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Guests arriving to purchase train tickets on the weekend can enjoy the exhibit while they wait in line. In addition, since the Depot is free to visit, so is the exhibit. The companion website for this exhibit will be available by September 1^st at TrainMuseum.org.

A 4Culture Heritage Special Projects Grant funded this exhibit. 4Culture is the Cultural Development Authority for King County, Washington. Using Lodging Tax and 1% for Art funds, 4Culture has four program areas to serve the county: arts, heritage, historic preservation, and public art. For more informaton on 4Culture, visit their website at 4Culture.org.

Thomas we love you . . .

 The Northwest Railway Museum's annual Day Out With Thomas 2017 is underway!  Thomas the Tank Engine is visiting the Museum this week and next, and more than 16,000 people will see the Really Useful Engine as he pulls the Museum's train to Snoqualmie Falls. Tickets are available at TicketWeb!  Check out some scenes from the first day, and as always click on the image to enlarge:

The train passes Puget Sound Energy's Hydro plant museum.

Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies!

Visitors arriving at Day Out With Thomas.

Ready, set, go!

Locomotive 4024

Thomas the Tank Engine

Will call tickets

Engine drivers

Thomas the Tank Engine in depot square park

Motor car rides

Eric Ode

Train tables

Thomas the Tank Engine arrives at the Snoqualmie Falls depot

A final train excursion

On Memorial Day , everyone here at the Northwest Railway Museum honors, remembers and respects all those who lives were given in the service of our Nation.  This Memorial Day, the Northwest Railway Museum had the honor of providing a last train excursion for the memory of Marine LCPL Adam James White (ret.), who passed February 14, 2015. 

LCPL AJ White spent his senior year of high school in the Puget Sound area, and graduated from Skyline High School in Sammamish.  AJ enlisted with the Marine Corps in 2008 and received a medical discharge in 2011 as a result of injuries sustained in Iraq. He passed suddenly on Feb 14, 2015 leaving his wife Jessica and 3 small children, Addison, Mackenzie and Camden.

AJ's grandfather was a railway conductor who instilled a love of trains in him.  He received a military funeral at Marion National Cemetery in Indiana, and during the service, family and friends heard a train whistle blow in the distance. His aunt Rebecca McCauley appreciated that the Museum was operating Memorial Day trains and wanted to honor AJ with a Memorial Day train ride.  She arranged for a photo montage of the Marine to be placed in the window of Spokane, Portland and Seattle Coach 218.  That 1912-built coach carried the memory of LCPL White and traveled to and from Snoqualmie Falls on the last train of the day, Monday, May 25, 2015. 

Marine, thank you for your service to a grateful Nation. To LCPL AJ White's family, our sincere condolences for your loss.

Railroads built the Pacific Northwest

There is a fairly new exhibit on display in the foyer of the Train Shed. Railroads Built the Pacific Northwest was designed by the Webb Group and fabricated by Artcraft Display Graphics Inc. Deputy Director Jessie Cunningham curated the exhibit, which included content development and image selection. Images came from either the Museum’s collection or were purchased from other local sources including Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum and UW Special Collections. The companion webpage is available on the Museum's website.

The display is the Phase 2 exhibit for the Train Shed Exhibit Building and focuses on the role of passenger service and freight shipment in the early years of railroading here in the Pacific Northwest. Want to know more? The exhibit is now on display every Saturday as part of the Tour Package program!

The Tour Package is a docent lead experience that begins at the Snoqualmie Depot. Your docent will give a brief tour of the Depot before you board the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad for a short ride to the Train Shed Exhibit Building. Detrain and enjoy a 30 minute tour of the 25,000 sq. ft. building that includes large and small artifacts and several exhibits including the award-winning Wellington Remembered exhibit. Re-board the train and travel west to the top of Snoqualmie Falls where you will view water going over the top of Snoqualmie Falls and a beautiful view of the valley and river below the Falls. Your docent will stay with you during your trip to the Falls, interpreting the scenery and providing both historic and contemporary context. The Package ends when the train returns to Snoqualmie Depot. The round-trip experience lasts approximately 2 hours.

The Tour Package is available every Saturday (except July 11 & 18) at 12:30pm. Tickets may be purchased ahead of time through the Bookstore, 425/888-3030 x 7202, or on the day of through the ticket window. 

The exhibit was made possible with generous grants from 4Culture and Humanities Washington. 

Flood waters, but no damage

Bridge 32 in downtown Snoqualmie is

quickly engulfed in water.  Normally,

Kimball Creek is 18 inches deep and
about ten feet wide.

The Northwest Railway Museum is located in the urban flood plain.  That really isn't something the Museum has any choice about because it is built on and around a 19th Century railroad, and most mountain railroads are either along the river or on a hillside.  Last Monday, January 5, 2015, heavy rain combined with melting snow to create a rapidly rising river that crested at one of the highest flow rates ever recorded. Fortunately, the Museum avoided any significant damage.
 

The Salish Lodge and Spa keeps watch

over an angry river as it plunges over

the top of Snoqualmie Falls.

The Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway arrived in Snoqualmie in 1889 (the Museum commemorated the 125th anniversary of passenger service to Snoqualmie Falls with a special train on July 4th, 2014) and the civil engineer  - Charles Baker - that designed the line chose the best possible grade and location.  Interestingly, the Snoqualmie Depot in downtown Snoqualmie is the highest point in downtown (it is unlikely that was by accident) as was much of the line but encroaching development has brought structures and significant changes in surface water management. So now some of the railroad grade is susceptible to flood damage because adjacent development constricts water flow and generates scouring velocities that have in the past removed vast quantities of railroad ballast from under the track. 

Bridge 35 is just a few feet above the

water in this image taken four hours

before cresting.,

Several projects in the last ten years have reduced flooding impacts.  First, a flood reduction project by the Army Corp of Engineers widened the river at Snoqualmie Falls to increase capacity of the river.  Second, Puget Sound Energy's rehabilitation of the Snoqualmie Falls hydro electric development removed the permanent weir (dam) across the river, but also other obstructions that were close to the river's edge including the remains of Bridge 5.46.


The flood waters get dangerously

close to the deck of the bridge.

Last Monday's flood was the first major event since completion of all the construction projects.  Naturally, when water flow rates approached those of prior major events including 2011 and 1996, many thought the Museum would sustain damage.  Fortunately, they were wrong.

The floor reduction projects appear to have made a difference.  Despite more than 51,000 cubic feet per second (normally it is about 2,000) of water flow over Snoqualmie Falls, there was no water over the track.  There was some minor scouring around bridge 35 in North Bend, but no damage that requires repair at this time. 

The flood reduction work that has spared the Museum damage during this recent event is not without controversy.  Spike cannot attest to the downstream impact in Fall City, Carnation and Duvall, which is a matter of considerable debate and has generated at least one lawsuit.  However, conditions for Snoqualmie and the Museum have improved dramatically, and bode well for the overall improved sustainability of the community. 



More Railroad Days steam testing!

 

For the first steam operating in 25 years - and during the annual Snoqualmie Railroad Days on top of that - there were lots of variables to resolve.  A test train was the solution Museum staff chose to identify obvious issues or concerns.  So on August 13, SCPC 2 was steamed up and operated to Snoqualmie Falls without passengers so the route could be evaluated, and yesterday's post revealed a few more details about the planned operation. 

 

Now a day later, we can say that number 2 performed beautifully without any difficulties pulling the train up a 1.5% grade without assistance, posing for photos in all the right places - check it out for yourself in the video included with this post! Or why not come up and take advantage of this extremely rare opportunity to ride behind it to experience for yourself?  Tickets may be purchased in advance on the Museum's web page, or 30 minutes prior to departure from the Snoqualmie or North Bend depots.

 

Steam for Snoqualmie Railroad Days 2014 is being made possible in part by a grant from the Snoqualmie Tribe, GiveBIG! contributors, sustained support from 4Culture, and a lodging tax grant from the City of Snoqualmie. If there are any proceeds from the event, they will be used in the development of the Museum's new steam program that will restore one or more locomotives to operation.

 

Steam test for Snoqualmie Railroad Days!

August 13 marks the first run of a steam locomotive to Snoqualmie Falls in 25 years.  Only the crew is on board this "extra" train for a run just to make sure all the operating procedures, appliances, and other equipment works as planned before Snoqualmie Railroad Days begins.  The steam locomotive is known as SCPC 2 and is owned by Stathi Pappas.  It will be the star attraction of Railroad Days 2014 and is being made possible in part by a grant from the Snoqualmie Tribe, GiveBIG! contributors, sustaining support from 4Culture, and a lodging tax grant from the City of Snoqualmie.

After everything checks out, this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 15 - 17, 2014, will see the first scheduled steam train in 25 years will operate between Snoqualmie Falls and North Bend and you can ride!

You can purchase your tickets in advance on the Museum's web site or in the depot 30 minutes prior to departure.  Please note the "extra" 5 PM departure available on Saturday, August 16, and on Sunday, August 17 on the 12:30 train you can get off at the Snoqualmie Falls Depot and get a tour of the new Snoqualmie Falls Historic Area Museum, but only with a special ticket available here.  People taking the Sunday tour will be on board the first scheduled steam train to stop at the Snoqualmie Falls Depot since passenger service ended in the 1920s - all aboard!

Snoqualmie Falls historic area museum open

A new museum at Snoqualmie Falls is opening to the public this month.  The exhibits are housed in the historic carpenter shop and Snoqualmie Falls depot, and chronicle the Charles H. Baker's 1898-1899 development of the world's first underground power station.  The Museum will be open for just 12 days, a trial that is allowing owner Puget Sound Energy to evaluate and refine the program. (More information is included at end of this post.)  A more comprehensive operating schedule is being planned for summer 2015.

So why is there a power station in Snoqualmie Falls?  Charles H. Baker was a civil engineer who built the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway to the Cascade foothills, and platted the town of Snoqualmie.  While surveying and constructing the track at Snoqualmie Falls, he recognized the tremendous hydro electric potential and pursued its development. Having a key role in building the railway, creating the town and developing the power station, Baker had a truly remarkable impact that continues to define the community. And adding to the railroad history connection, is the significance of one of the power company's most important customers: the Puget Sound Electric Railway, the electric interurbans that operated between Tacoma and Seattle for 26 years.

Baker convinced his well-healed father to underwrite construction of the Snoqualmie Falls Power Company. 268 feet of vertical drop is greater than Niagara Falls and offered some generation economies.  All the supplies and machinery arrived by rail, which was by then reorganized as the Seattle and International Railway. 16 months of construction were required to build the plant, including excavation of the cavity right behind the base of Snoqualmie Falls.  It was carved out of andesite, the remains of an ancient volcano's caldera. 

Late in 2013, owner Puget Sound Energy completed a major rehabilitation effort on the original power station.  Many components including the four original generators are continuing in service, producing power more than 114 years after entering service.  A component of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission re-licensed project adaptively reused the original carpentry shop and train depot as interpretive centers.  This new museum tells the story of the power station.

Saturdays and Sundays through the end of August offer free guided tours of the new museum. In addition, Friday, August 15 and Monday September 1 will also offer public access. Saturday and weekday tours are being offered at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:30 PM and are scheduled to last 90 minutes; they are free.  On Sundays tours are offered at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM.  All tours depart from the Snoqualmie Falls park Upper Plaza at the sandwich board kiosk titled "Snoqualmie Falls Historic Area Museum Tours" and last a total of 90 minutes. Tours accommodate a maximum of 14 people and are recommended for ages 12 years and older.

A special additional tour option is also being offered: a train excursion followed by the museum tour.  This two hour 30 minute tour costs $20 per person, which includes the train excursion, and departs at 12:30 PM from the Snoqualmie Depot at 38625 SE King Street in historic downtown Snoqualmie.  With space for just 15 participants per tour, the Northwest Railway Museum recommends advance purchase of train and tour combination tickets, which will be available at will call in the Snoqualmie Depot at least 30 minutes prior to departure.