Working on the Railroad success

Many charities run benefits that are designed to just make money. Others run events that inform, educate and entertain, but also support the institution. Working on the Railroad 2011 was the latter.

The Northwest Railway Museum hosted its second annual benefit dinner on Friday, March 4, 2011 at the Salish Lodge and Spa in Snoqualmie. A total of 90 people were on hand for an evening themed around chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace, the National treasure now being rehabilitated in the Museum’s Conservation and Restoration Center. Proceeds will benefit the chapel car rehabilitation effort.

Guests were treated to a splendid meal prepared by the Salish’s executive chef. Each table was adorned with a collection plate loaned from Snoqualmie United Methodist Church, Mt. Si Lutheran, and North Bend Community Church. A short three item live auction conducted by Phil L. followed (a silent auction operated during the cocktail hour) with great items including the opportunity to be a locomotive engineer for an hour. Then, local actors Gary Schwartz and Denise Paulette took on the roles of Reverend and Mrs. Neil, the first missionaries assigned to chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace. They dramatized several notable moments in the car’s early history and talked about what it was like to live on a railroad car for two years with just 200 square feet of personal living space. The evening finished off with a lovely cake prepared by George’s Bakery in North Bend.

Thank you to the many donors including North Bend Theatre, Salish Lodge and Spa, North Bend Bar and Grill, Charmichael's True Value, Hit Entertainment, Think2a, Down to Earth Flowers and Gifts, Boxley’s, Down to Earth Photography by Mary, the Museum of Flight, Bob M., Rocky B., Allan W., James D., Rocky B., Russ S., & Jon B.

Working on the Railroad 2011 was a successful event raising awareness of the chapel car project and helping support its rehabilitation. Thank you to all the wonderful businesses and individuals in the community who made it a success!

Photograph: Guests at Working on the Railroad included (L to R) North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing, Gary Schwartz portraying the Reverend Neil, Denise Paulette portraying Mrs. Neil, Museum Executive Director Richard R. Anderson and Snoqualmie Mayor Matt R. Larson.

"The scenes of the last few days haunt me"

I don’t know about you, but I grew up thinking history was all dates, wars and Important Names. But the word story is in there for a reason.

In college, my American Westward Movement professor radically transformed my tinder-dry concept of history. He sat back, put his feet on his desk and filled the hour with stories. The voices of nameless, lonely women going crazy on the Great Plains where the wind never ceased, and of countless families mournfully giving up their most cherished objects to lighten their load as they rolled west, have never left me.

So it’s pretty cool when a museum finds just the right object to ignite interest and, better yet, insight into the lives of those who came before us. Chapel Car 5 Messenger of Peace is one such object. It’s not that Important Names weren’t associated with this railway car. They were. Thomas Edison provided phonographs for most of the chapel cars - attracting even the non-religious. And W.C. Coleman (an Important Name to the campers among us) installed his new lighting system free of charge when he saw for himself the need for brighter, more reliable light.

But they’re not what make Chapel Car 5 Messenger of Peace nationally significant. The car’s uncelebrated role in “taming the West” - the number of ordinary lives touched and townscapes altered - infuse it with enduring meaning.

“The scenes of the last few days haunt me,” wrote Reverend Neil in 1900. Rev. Neil, accompanied by his wife Nellie, was the first pastor aboard Chapel Car 5. He was in Missouri, stunned by the superstition, drunknenness and lack of education prevalent there. Rev. and Mrs. Neil’s work not only resulted in the establishment of Sunday Schools and churches. Secular schools were erected in at least two Missouri communities as well.

Further west, the chapel car attracted people who as a rule never set foot inside a church. One pastor said, “...this is the story everywhere. The compactness, the dignity, the simple beauty of the car wins the people."

Well, maybe dignity wasn’t always what drew people. "I've been to a good many circuses, and I've seen all the grandest exhibitions that have come west,” said one man, “but this is the biggest show yet."

Chapel Car 5 has carried many things. Now it’s carrying stories into the 21st Century. You’ll have an unprecedented opportunity to hear stories of Rev. Neil and those whose lives the chapel car touched, during a theatrical presentation Friday, March 4, at the Salish Lodge & Spa. Hosted by the Northwest Railway Museum, “Working on the Railroad” includes chapel car stories, a delicious dinner and a small silent auction, all near the famous Snoqualmie Falls, from 6:00-9:00 PM. Tickets must be purchased in advance; proceeds benefit Chapel Car 5.


Illustration above of Thomas Edison speaking into phonograph courtesy FCIT

Chapel car rehab begins

The chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace’s rehabilitation has begun in earnest. The Museum has been fundraising for this long-planned project for over three years. On January 31, 2011 a crew consisting of a project manager, lead restoration woodworker and restoration woodworker began working fulltime. Clark M., Kevin P., and Meghan G. work on the chapel car 5 days a week. Already, progress is apparent on this 1898-built National treasure.

All the original wood siding – or cladding - has been carefully removed and stored for repair and reinstallation after structural repairs are completed. (Watch the video at the end of this post to see cladding removal using a slide hammer.) Some sections of cladding are being set aside for preservation, specifically those pieces that that carry the faded but discernible lettering: "Entrance" on the kitchen stove (right) side and "Messenger of Peac" (sic) on the Baker heater (left) side. Both lettering examples date from circa 1924 and have survived because at that time the car was “modernized” with light sheet metal. These pieces of car siding are extremely delicate and have been treated with ‘Smith’s Penetrating Epoxy’ to stabilize them; they will become permanent objects in the Museum’s reference collection and will not be reinstalled on the car.

It has been over 60 years since the Messenger of Peace was deconsecrated but it continues to reveal rich heritage. Some newly uncovered evidence suggests that the car cladding was made of catalpa wood, aka catawba wood, and not the yellow poplar commonly used in the construction of passenger cars during the wood era. Samples have been sent to a forest products lab for positive identification, but so far the evidence is pretty compelling. Catalpa speciosa is native to the upper Mississippi valley, was readily available, machines well and is decay resistant. In 1906, the Messenger’s builders, Barney & Smith Car Company of Dayton, Ohio built two entire sections of a railroad passenger car out of catalpa wood, including the furniture.

The chapel car rehabilitation will continue for the next 18 months, but on Friday, March 4, 2011 at 6 PM you have an opportunity to learn more about life on the rails in chapel car service as well as an update of the rehabilitation process. Please join us Friday evening March 4, 2011 for a Working On The Railroad benefit dinner theatre for the Messenger of Peace at the Salish Lodge and Spa. Tickets are $75 and are available here.

Thank you to chapel car project manager Clark M. for writing content for this post and providing photos.

Working on the Railroad success

The Museum hosted its first Working on the Railroad benefit dinner at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Attended by 137 people, the March 5th event was an unqualified success. Great food, entertainment, and an insightful historical talk filled the evening. It was a fitting way to remember the Wellington Disaster and a great way to support a new museum exhibit building.

Co-hosts Bob Jeans and Cindy Walker welcomed everyone and introduced several key people. 4Culture Executive Director Jim Kelly made additional introductions and spoke of the role and importance of historical organizations in preserving and interpreting American history, and the importance of culture and cultural organizations in a healthy community. A wonderful dinner was served by the TPC kitchen and the Issaquah Singers serenaded the patrons with a medley of railroad songs. During the evening a series of unique items including copies of photos from the Museum’s Oberg Collection were offered in a silent auction. Several items including an opportunity to run a locomotive were auctioned off. Following dinner, Gary Krist, author of The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway and America's Deadliest Avalanche, presented a gripping presentation about the Wellington Disaster. (More about Gary Krist here.) Rare photos and an incredible narrative captivated the audience for nearly 45 minutes. The evening concluded with an informative question and answer session.

The Working on the Railroad benefit dinner in part commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Wellington Disaster, an avalanche that occurred March 1, 1910 at Wellington in Stevens Pass. (The disaster killed 96 people and is the most deadly North American avalanche.) The evening was also the formal launch of the Wellington Remembered exhibit and web site, an initiative to remember the community that was far more than the site of a disaster; it was a company town and a community from 1892 until 1929. Excerpts from the exhibit were on display in the TPC foyer and engendered considerable interest. (The exhibit itself appears in the Snoqualmie Depot freight room inside a model of a snow shed; shown at left is Executive Director Richard Anderson, Author Gary Krist, and Educator Jessie Cunningham as they toured Mr. Krist through the new exhibit.)

Working on the Railroad was made possible with the generous support of the community. We are grateful to Gary Krist for donating his time to speak about the Wellington Disaster. We also give thanks to the many businesses and individuals who contributed goods and services to the auction and dinner: Salish Lodge and Spa (overnight stay with breakfast), Jim M. (wine from the Bookwalter Vineyard), Allan W.(Hand-made candle box, wine butler & coaster holder), Cindy W.(Cedar River Watershed tour + gourmet lunch basket), North Bend Theatre (Evening at the theatre for you and your 250 closest friends), Infinite Possibilities (life coaching sessions), Betty L. (Leavenworth condo stay), Snoqualmie Falls Golf Course (round of golf), Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad (steam locomotive cab ride), Russ S.(hand-made wine rack), Down to Earth Photography (portrait session, photo of Snoqualmie Falls, & photos of the event), Carmichael's True Value Hardware (metal truck planter), Phil L. (auctioneer), Issaquah Singers (evening of railroad songs), THINK2A (graphics and marketing), ColorGraphics (printing), Thom W. (graphic design & layout), & Birches Habitat (photo frame for Gary Krist).

The Museum is very pleased with the results of the evening; proceeds will help support construction of the new Train Shed exhibit building now under construction in Snoqualmie. Support from the community and an enjoyable evening combined to create a memorable and repeatable event. We are all looking forward to another Working on the Railroad event this fall.

Wellington Remembered

Today - March 1, 2010 - is the anniversary of a northwest tragedy: the Wellington Disaster. On March 1, 1910, at about 1:15 AM, an avalanche over ½ mile in length began high above the town of Wellington. The town itself was spared, but two snow-bound trains just west of the depot were swept into the valley below. At least 96 people perished, most of them railroad workers.

Several great authors have written insightful works about the avalanche, most recently Martin Burwash with his release of Vis Major. Gary Krist wrote The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America’s Deadliest Avalanche and an excellent profile of Gary and what precipitated his writing adventure was detailed by Phoebe Snow. And Gary will be making a presentation at the Museum’s Working on the Railroad benefit dinner this Friday, March 5, 2010.

Without question, the Wellington Disaster was a tragedy, but it tends to overshadow the importance of the town of Wellington, and even why it existed. In 1910 transportation in and out of Northwest was in its infancy. Just 27 years prior, the Northern Pacific Railroad had connected Puget Sound with the eastern railway network. The Great Northern Railway – whose tracks passed through Wellington – drove its last spike just a few miles from Wellington (near Scenic) in 1893, and that had been just 17 years prior. And to the north, arch competitor Canadian Pacific completed its transcontinental in 1885 and therefore had got a running start on the Great Northern. Railway transportation empowered the industrial revolution. It was vital for the development and settlement of the Northwest, and to connect trade with the Far East.

Wellington was a company town that supported the operation of the railway, in fact a vital link in the railway machine. For 37 years, from its founding in 1892 until its end in 1929, Wellington was indispensible to the operation of the mighty Great Northern. In Wellington alone, nearly 100 men were routinely required to build and repair track, build and maintain snow sheds, clear snow, service locomotives, maintain tunnels and bridges, maintain telegraph lines and of course run the trains.

So what was it like to live in Wellington? We know surprisingly little about life in Wellington, but some of its stories are probably similar to those of other nearly forgotten yet once vital Western Washington towns such as Cedar Falls on the Milwaukee Road and Lester on the Northern Pacific Railway. In 2010, just as the last living memories of Wellington have passed on, we are scrambling to learn what we can about this town.

The Northwest Railway Museum recently accepted the Oberg Collection, 60 glass negatives exposed in and near Wellington by Casper Hansen in 1913 and 1914. They offer some insight into life in Wellington and have provoked a broader study of the town. So on this anniversary of a tragedy, the Northwest Railway Museum is launching Wellington Remembered, an initiative featuring images from the Oberg Collection. As this project develops, we hope to hear from descendants, friends and acquaintances, and history fans. This project will result in a permanent exhibit in the new Railway History Center Train Shed, and the companion web site Wellington Remembered.

Wellington Disaster too dramatic for fiction

The story behind the storytelling is unexpected. Gary Krist didn’t start out to write a narrative nonfiction book about the Wellington Disaster. For one thing, he wrote novels and short stories. For another, he had never heard of the Wellington Disaster.

In an interview with Failure Magazine, Krist explains that a total fluke inspired him to write The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America’s Deadliest Avalanche. “I was researching a different topic—the Duke of Wellington—and the Google result included something about a Wellington disaster. I had never heard of it so I clicked on the link and started reading. It turned out to be this incredible story that—except for a couple of privately or regionally published books—had not been written about.”

In fact, in an original essay called “A Fresh Chapter of History,” Krist says that a few minutes after clicking on that link, he “knew exactly what [he] would be doing for the next three or four years of [his] life.” He speaks of America’s forgotten stories—the Wellington tragedy in particular, which demonstrates the courage and sacrifice that helped shape the country.

Early in his research, he realized that fiction wouldn’t do the story justice. The bare truth was too dramatic. Plus, the facts needed telling since historians had not written much about the event. The result is narrative nonfiction (not a historical novel) free of invented dialogue and characters. Krist’s careful research encompasses not only the event, but the period in which it took place, the “Golden Age of Grand Disasters.”

In an interview with Boise State Radio’s Bob Kustra, Krist says that the March 1, 1910, avalanche that swept two trains off the tracks occurred during “an era when our technological reach exceeded our grasp. We knew how to put trains in these mountainous places. We knew how to build these big ships that supposedly were unsinkable. We. . .did know how to do them, but we didn’t know how to do them safely yet. So this is kind of a transition era when technology was leaping forward at a furious pace, but the safety element was a little bit lagging.” Consequently, the Wellington Disaster was part of a process evolving at that time that led to greater corporate liability, responsibility and safety. Listen to the radio interview here.

Krist’s second narrative nonfiction book, American Colossus: An Epic of Chicago, will be published in 2010 or 2011. It portrays an extraordinary 12-day period in the Chicago of 1919. Before writing The White Cascade (published in hardcover in 2007 and paperback in 2008), Krist wrote three novels—Bad Chemistry, Chaos Theory and Extravagance—and two short story collections—The Garden State and Bone by Bone. In addition he has written op-eds for The New York Times and Newsday, articles for a number of publications including National Geographic Traveler and The Wall Street Journal, and book reviews for The New York Times Book Review, Salon and The Washington Post Book World. He has received The Stephen Crane Award, The Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Lowell Thomas Gold Medal for Travel Journalism, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Gary Krist lives in Bethesda, Maryland. He explored Washington, including the Iron Goat Trail along the railroad grade where the avalanche occurred, while researching The White Cascade. He returns to Washington to speak at “Working on the Railroad 2010,” a benefit for the Northwest Railway Museum March 5, 6:00-9:00 PM, at Snoqualmie Ridge TPC Golf Club, 36005 SE Ridge Street, Snoqualmie. You may purchase tickets ($100/ticket or $700/table for 8) by phone at 425-888-3030 ext. 202 or in person at the Depot Bookstore, 38625 SE King Street, Snoqualmie.

Museum Director Richard Anderson read The White Cascade out of personal interest last year and got in contact with Gary Krist through Skykomish Historical Society’s Bob Kelly. The Northwest Railway Museum is looking forward to welcoming Krist to Snoqualmie. You’re invited to hear firsthand his adventures in researching and writing about a significant event in railroad and Washington history.

Wellington, WA

March 1, 1910 was a disastrous day in King County. Two occupied trains - a mail train and a passenger train - yarded at Wellington, Washington, near Stevens Pass, waiting for the tracks ahead to be cleared of snow, were swept away in the worst avalanche in American history. 96 people were killed with countless others injured; most were railroad employees but many passengers were victims too. Though tragic, this is a fascinating story and an important chapter in King County and Northwest history.


The Northwest Railway Museum is pleased to announce it is hosting a Working on the Railroad event at the Snoqualmie Ridge TPC on Friday, March 5, 2010 at 6 PM. A gourmet dinner will be followed by a presentation from noted author Gary Krist, author of the White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche (available in the Depot Bookstore). The evening will also feature the Issaquah Singers performing a medley of railroad songs, and a silent auction with some memorable items including photos from the Wellington (Tye) area taken circa 1913. Proceeds benefit construction of the new Train Shed exhibit building. Tickets are $100 and are available from the Depot Bookstore in Snoqualmie in person or by phone (425) 888-3030 Extension 202.

(Photo depicts steam rotary x808 and crew circa 1913 at Wellington (Tye), WA.)