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.

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. 

Exhibit companion website launched

The Museum has launched the companion website of the new exhibit: Railroads Built the Pacific Northwest. The exhibit is a free-standing display of 4 double-sided interlocking panels highlighting early passenger and freight service in the PNW. The companion website features content and images from the exhibit, plus a little extra that didn't fit into the panels!

The exhibit 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 Museum is excited to offer the companion webpage, since it makes the exhibit accessible to those that cannot travel to the Museum to see the exhibit in person.

The display, Railroads Built the Pacific Northwest, is the Phase 2 exhibit for the Train Shed Exhibit Building. The exhibit will be stored during Santa Train but may be in the freight room over the winter. It will be installed in the Train Shed next spring along with the Phase 1 exhibit. Tour Package program participants will have more to see and experience in 2015!

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

All images from the Northwest Railway Museum Collection.

Washington Steam Railroads and Locomotives

May is National Historic Preservation month and it seems fitting to end the month with the re-launch of Washington Steam Railroads and Locomotives. Conceived by Brian Fritz in the mid 1990s, the site has been commonly known as WASteam and is dedicated to surviving Washington railroad history. [The attached photo shows Brian working on caboose 001 in 2002 at the Northwest Railway Museum.]

Brian Fritz was a local rail historian who was active in several regional railway heritage groups including the Northwest Railway Museum. Brian passed away unexpectedly in March 2007 and his family donated the web site to the Museum to perpetuate. This updated version of the site incorporates all of the original material that Mr. Fritz assembled but provides a newer, more browser-compatible design. Architecture is based on Plogger, web-based open source photo gallery software that was customized by NDC Web Design.

WASteam began as a site to highlight park and other steam locomotives preserved in Washington State. Later, Brian with the help of Roger Kirkpatrick, added a roster of surviving cabooses. (Roger authored "Captive Cabeese in America.") And the site also eventually included pages for most of the major heritage rail operations in the state. And as when Brian was with us, the site will continue to evolve to best meet the needs of the audience.

WASteam is hosted by Railfan.Net as a service to the railfan community. Railfan owner J. Henry Priebe, Jr. has been very generous in his support of the site, and he also provides similar support to other sites. Mr. Priebe has offered to continue hosting the site and the Northwest Railway Museum has gratefully accepted.

WASteam is continuing as a program of the Northwest Railway Museum. Material will be updated and newly identified resources will continue to be added. But its success is somewhat dependent upon its users. Without advice and input regarding Washington’s rich railroad heritage, this site cannot succeed. So the staff and volunteers of the Northwest Railway Museum look forward to hearing from you about resources in your Washington community.

Check out the new WASteam today!