Happy 20th, Meadowbrook Farm!

The Northwest Railway Museum shares borders with many fabulous individuals and organizations. One of the largest neighbors is the Meadowbrook Farm, a public open space that preserves a prairie dating back prior to European/American settlement, to Native American settlements of the Snoqualmie Tribe.  By 1890, this prairie had become the world's largest hop ranch.

Meadowbrook Farm is central to the Snoqualmie Valley and incorporates land in both the Cities of Snoqualmie and North Bend.  A variety of public and private funders and organizations contributed to the assembly of more than 400 acres of public open space, which today is best known as the signature open space between Snoqualmie and North Bend.  It is also the open space that borders the Northwest Railway Museum, and helps preserve the context of this representative Washington State branch line.  Consequently, more than two miles of right of way will continue to border open space rather than housing developments.

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the public open space purchase that created today's Meadowbrook Farm. The Northwest Railway Museum congratulates Local, Regional and State officials who cooperated to create this jewel of the Snoqualmie Valley, and the many local volunteers who contributed their time an talent to make this dream a reality!

Railroad Days 2014

Snoqualmie Railroad Days 2014 was a spectacular success, featuring the first operating steam locomotive in 25 years, the Santa Cruz Portland Cement 2.  More than 2,000 people took an excursion or tour, and an estimated 12,000 visitors attended at least one event or activity.  A grand parade, fun run, Legends Car Show, live music, history reenactors from Fort Nisqually, timber sports demonstrations and more made this Snoqualmie Railroad Days one to remember! 

Snoqualmie Railroad Days is a community event managed and hosted by the Northwest Railway Museum.  This 76th annual festival was held August 15 - 17, and was made possible by the generous support of the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, City of Snoqualmie, All Weather Heating, Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District, and Carmichael's True Value Hardware.  And support from the YMCA and their awesome volunteers made the Children's Field of Fun truly successful.

Among the many events and activities were the history reenactors from Fort Nisqually, the recreated Hudson's Bay fort in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park.  Volunteers provide living history demonstrations at the fort and graciously agreed to visit Snoqualmie Railroad Days. These dedicated volunteers demonstrated how rope was made, gave cooking demonstrations, displayed children's vintage games, performed blacksmith demonstrations, and more.

Art in the Park, supported by Snoqualmie Arts Commission, featured Arts and Craft demonstrations, displays of artwork, and live music at and Redmond Ridge Winery stage. Local artists including carvers, painters, quilters, and potters were on hand throughout the event.  

The Legends Car Show was held on Sunday, August 17 during Railroad Days.  More than 100 classic and antique cars were on exhibit all day, staged along Railroad Avenue in the center of historic downtown Snoqualmie.  This remarkable show was the largest-ever in Snoqualmie, and featured a wide variety of vehicles.  A variety of awards were made to exhibiting autos too, and visitors helped choose the winners.

Many other activities contributed to the success, and the very essence of Snoqualmie Railroad Days.  A variety of craft and home-based vendors exhibited and marketed their unique and interesting products.  Local honey producers, clothing, and even book dealers were set up along Railroad Avenue.

One of many highlights was a concert by Spike and the Impalers, (no connection to this author!) and their well known members Bob, Spike, and Joe.  These gentlemen were the talent behind the Bob Rivers Show, which recently retired from Seattle's KJR-FM. Awesome sound that this Spike can still feel!

For the City of Snoqualmie, forest products had the greatest economic impact of the 20th Century.  So how appropriate would a timber sports demonstration be in celebrating the community's history? Quite!  The Moses Family and many others put on an awesome demonstration of logging skills in the park adjacent to the Snoqualmie River. Featured events included axe throwing, and whip saw and chain saw competition.

Trains and engines were also part of Snoqualmie Railroad Days.  The United Northwest Model Railroad Club set up model trains and operated throughout the event. Coach 218 operated all weekend allowing hundreds of people to experience an authentic excursion in a 1912 coach complete with mohair-covered seats, mahogany paneling, and a hardwood floor.  And of course all the trains were pulled or pushed by steam locomotive Santa Cruz Portland Cement 2, courtesy of owner Stathi Pappas and event sponsors.

A floor for coach 218

Rehabilitation of coach 218 is involving nearly every aspect of the car. This fall, the focus has been returning the floor to its former grandeur. The solid maple floor was badly deteriorated and the decision to completely replace it was made early in the project.  The completed floor is now ready to receive its first guests!

New sugar maple flooring was supplied by a regional wholesaler and installation began in late August.  (A botanist confirmed that samples of the original flooring were hard or sugar maple.)  A layer of roofing felt was applied below the flooring.  To help stabilize and strengthen the floor, a 3/8 plywood underlay was installed over the sub floor.  This feature was a departure from the original design but was added to improve stability over the bolsters at the car ends.

Each 1x4 was carefully positioned and hand nailed.  Then, many hours of sanding ensued to assure a smooth, even and attractive surface. To finish the floor, the Glitza floor finish system consisting of two seal coats and a semigloss top coat was applied. Funding of this work was made possible with the generous support of the Snoqualmie Tribe and 4Culture.  

A day of firsts

Coach 218 pauses outside the Train Shed prior to being switched onto the train.

The first passengers since the 1940s and the first five-coach train since 1988!  On July 13, 2013, coach 218 was marshaled into the passenger train in Snoqualmie creating the Museum's first five-coach passenger train since 1988.  Coach 218 then carried its first revenue passengers since the 1940s! 


218 prepares to depart for Snoqualmie

Falls with 30 passengers, its first

revenue run since the late 1940s.

Coach 218 first entered service in August 1912 for the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.  By 1948 it had been replaced by more modern cars and relegated to work train service where it served as rolling accommodation for railway workers.  It was purchased at auction by Museum supporters in the early 1980s and stored.  In 2007 the Museum made the decision to rehabilitate the car and work began soon after.  The primarily volunteer-led effort completed much of the carbody work and beginning in March 2013 several grants have funded two full time carpenters to continue work on the car, but with continued substantial volunteer support.  Support from 4Culture, The Snoqualmie Tribe, the Nysether Family Foundation, proceeds from GiveBIG! 2013, and other private funders is helping advance this important project.



Temporary "parlor" seating is in the

coach 218 to allow Day Out With

Thomas visitors to ride inside.  An on

board docent explains the state of the

project and a diagram shows the name

and function of all the exposed wooden

parts.

A project of coach 218's complexity always involves a few surprises.  On July 1 the Museum learned that the paint supplier "lost" the formula for the deep coach green paint that had been accurately matched from original samples.  To move the project forward, the car has been temporarily painted with a similar color created from one part jet black and five parts jade green.  The correct color will be matched and applied later this summer.

After years of effort, 218's carbody rehabilitation was substantially completed earlier this month.  Considerable effort remains to complete the interior appointments and lower window sashes, but with a visit from railroad royalty (Thomas the Tank Engine) it was difficult to resist the opportunity to "try out" the 218!  And after Thomas departs for his next museum venue, coach 218 will return to the Conservation and Restoration Center where work will resume on the interior.