Hot riveting

Traditional methods and materials are essential to good collections care at a railway museum. So over the last nine months, Volunteers and full time staff at the Northwest Railway Museum have been learning to hot rivet. Hot riveting was (is) used to attach two or more metal parts and was widely used in car and locomotive construction prior to the widespread introduction of electric welding. It is labor intensive and is almost a lost art.

The riveting crew recently had an opportunity to try out their skills. The Museum has contracted to perform some rehabilitation work on Issaquah Historical Society’s former Weyerhaeuser caboose. A damaged section of side sheet needed to be reattached to the side sill. So approximately 36 replacement rivets were required.

A gas-fired forge was moved from the Conservation and Restoration Center to the Issaquah Depot. An air compressor, a rivet gun, and some hand tools also made the trip. And on a cool September morning, all the tools were set up to begin riveting.

The replacement section of side sheet was welded to the existing car side a few days prior. Holes were predrilled and aligned with the side sill. The gas forge was lit and rivets were set inside to begin heating. Meanwhile, the rivet gun was oiled and connected to the air supply. Allan W. volunteered to do the honors and climbed under the caboose to operate the gun.

When the rivets were orange, Roger S. picked up a rivet with the tongs and inserted it into a hole in the caboose side. Clark M. alternating with Bill W. “bucked” the rivet with a second unpowered rivet gun while Allan W. operated the powered rivet gun. The die in Allan’s gun shaped the now red hot end of the rivet into an oval head to secure it on the inside of the caboose frame. As the rivet cooled, it shrank and pulled the side sheet very tightly against the side sill.

Check out this video showing the process:

Dining by rail

The shelf labeled “Dining on the Train” is always a big draw for browsers at the Northwest Railway Museum's Depot Bookstore in Snoqualmie, WA. With a couple of recent additions, the selection has broadened, ranging from serious biography to cookbooks, and from the East Coast to the West.

The biography is the newly published Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West by Stephen Fried. Fred Harvey created the best-known food service operation in America, encompassing restaurants, hotels and dining cars on the Santa Fe Railway from Chicago to the West Coast. Fried details Harvey’s creation of “the first national chain” – a chain that, unlike modern-day chain stores and restaurants, was known for raising, rather than lowering, quality standards when it arrived in a new town.

The Fred Harvey phenomenon has inspired more than one book (not to mention a Judy Garland musical). The Depot Bookstore also offers the popular Harvey House Cookbook: Memories of Dining Along the Santa Fe Railroad by George H. Foster and Peter C. Weiglin, which combines history with recipes from various Harvey venues. Then there’s When Molly Was a Harvey Girl by Frances M. Wood, a novel about the adventures of a teenage (13 pretending to be 18) Harvey House waitress in New Mexico, written by the great-granddaughter of a Harvey girl.

Moving on from the Santa Fe, the latest addition to the dining shelf is Dining on the B&O by Thomas J. Greco and Karl D. Spence, a handsome volume of recipes and menu reproductions from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad published in association with the famed B&O Railroad Museum. And from the other side of the continent, the bookstore has Dinner Is Served: Fine Dining Aboard the Southern Pacific by Jim A. Loveland, a former public relations manager for the SP.

Two items in the store offer looks at a variety of railroad dining experiences: Dining Cars and Depots: Train Food in America by Patricia B. Mitchell, with recipes from regional carriers such as the Georgia Southern and the Missouri Pacific; and the Great Recipes From Great Trains notepad, with two dozen recipes from the likes of the Twentieth Century Limited and the Super Chief.

Finally, Dining Car to the Pacific: The “Famously Good” Food of the Northern Pacific Railway by William A. McKenzie, tells the story of dining service on the Snoqualmie depot’s own railway, and concludes with more than 150 recipes. Written by a former public relations manager for the NP, it includes photos of the line’s dairy and poultry farms in Kent, and its Seattle commissary. The latter, when constructed in 1914, featured a 40-foot representation of the NP’s famous “Great Big Baked Potato” on the roof, complete with a glowing cube of butter and a spoon.

The recipe for those famous potatoes is included, but if you’re going to try one, bring your appetite – and your patience. They took two hours to cook, and ran up to two pounds each!

Train Shed substantial completion

A vision dating from the Museum’s incorporation in 1957 has been realized: construction of an indoor exhibit hall. The building has achieved substantial completion and the contractor is working to complete a short punch list of corrections. The completed structure is one of the most significant railway museum facilities west of the Mississippi River and the only facility of its type in the Northwest.

The Train Shed incorporates 25,000 square feet and when track construction is complete will have 1,130 track feet inside the heated space. Concrete walkways provide public access to all tracks as required or desired. The structure is nestled in the forest providing an appropriate and unmistakable connection with the industry that was defined by late 19th and early 20th Century railroad construction: the forest industry.

The Train Shed addresses the two most pressing needs for the Museum’s large object collection: preservation and access. The Train Shed will allow a dramatic improvement in program quality and allow services to be offered equally well in the winter and summer. Its heating and ventilation system helps preserve the large artifacts, but also makes the environment comfortable for the visiting public.

The greatest impact will be on the most vulnerable objects in the Collection, typically cars built predominantly of wood. For these objects – many of which were built in the late 19th Century or very early 20th Century – heated indoor storage and exhibit space this new facility is essential to their preservation. A notable example is the chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace, which will make the Train Shed its permanent home following completion of its rehabilitation.

Conceptual planning and fundraising for the Train Shed began more than seven years ago when permitting for the Conservation and Restoration Center was underway. Following design and permiting, a contract was awarded to Wick Constructors of Bellevue. Construction began in July 2009 and completion was projected for early 2010. Unfortunately a variety of factors conspired to postpone completion including delays in the arrival of exterior cladding, and a problem boring the augercast pilings, but the completed structure is everything the Museum’s leadership envisioned. The completed structure is stunning for its functionality and appearance.

The Train Shed has earned a temporary occupancy permit. Additional work includes construction of the railway track, landscaping, and exhibits. Track – over 2,300 feet and six turnouts – is being constructed by Museum Volunteers; materials began arriving in July. The temporary occupancy permit allows the public to use the facility however under the limited operations planned for the next few years all public visits will be guided by a museum docent.

The Train Shed is the most ambitious project in the Museum's 53 year history. It is the largest component of the planned Railway History Center and is the only railway museum structure of its type in the Pacific Northwest. Total project costs top $4.1 million; funding has been provided by individuals, foundations, regional government, state government and the US government. Additional funding is required to continue developing the Railway History Center and contributions are gratefully accepted on the Museum's web site at https://www.trainmuseum.org/nrm/ssl/Donation.aspx

Partners in Preservation funds chapel car

Chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace has been awarded funding by the Partners In Preservation (“PiP”). PiP is an initiative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Express Foundation, and this was the fifth year of the competition. The $50,000 grant has been made to support rehabilitation of car 5’s deteriorated structure, windows, assist in replacement of the special railcar pews, and other interior components.

25 projects competed for funding in a public vote. The top vote getter was awarded full funding and other projects were awarded grants by a committee based in part on the popular vote, but also on the overall impact of the project, viability, and sustainability. The chapel car was one of 11 projects funded by the program. Other notable projects competing for funding included the Kirkland Arts Center, King Street Station, Washington Hall, Point No Point Lighthouse and Ferry House at Ebey’s Landing.

Each historic site was responsible for rallying the public to vote. Techniques such as Facebook, fliers, emails, word of mouth, web site announcements, and open houses raised awareness of the projects. The public was invited to vote for their favorite project once a day for 30 days and the top vote getter was fully funded. In an interesting twist, two projects tied for first place: the Schooner Adventuress and Town Hall Seattle. Nine additional projects – including Messenger of Peace – were also funded. The remaining 14 projects received a $5,000 grant to help their projects proceed.

Chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace was built in 1898 for the American Baptist Publication Society and served until 1948 traveling through more than 11 states including Washington and Oregon. It was introduced as “a tool of modern evangelism” and its work touched the lives of thousands of people. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a City of Snoqualmie Landmark. A major rehabilitation effort is about to begin supported with funding awards from 4Culture, Capital Projects for Washington’s Heritage, Save America’s Treasures, private donations, and now Partners in Preservation.

Following completion of the rehabilitation effort, Messenger of Peace will be placed on exhibit in the new Train Shed exhibit building now under construction in Snoqualmie. It will be used in part to interpret how railroads were used to bring new ideas to communities.

Museum hosts Evening Magazine

The Northwest Railway Museum made a beautiful setting for television's King 5 Evening Magazine. The filming occurred on Monday, June 14 with host Meeghan Black. It featured the Snoqualmie Depot and the Museum's interpretive railway during introductory segments. The program is scheduled to air at 7 PM on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

Ms. Black has visited the museum prior to today's assignment and took the time to learn about the many improvements made over the last few years. She briefly visited the Conservation and Restoration Center, and had a chance to tour the new Wellington Remembered exhibit. Several clips were filmed from a moving train too.

Special thanks go out to Jason P. and Jon B. for treking up to the Museum to run the train for Meeghan, and to Sue V. and Jessie C. for setting it up! It has become a rare day when the media visits the Museum for coverage not related to a disaster and it was great to be able to accomodate their request.

Evening Magazine in the Seattle market debuted in 1986. It features stories about lifestyle, leisure, current events, and even museums! It remains a popular program after nearly 24 years on the air. Episodes often repeat on Northwest Cable News.

Improving educational interpretation

The Northwest Railway Museum’s mission places a heavy emphasis on the role railroads played in the development and settlement of the Northwest. This story is interesting with a well-written narrative, but it is much more compelling with tangible evidence such as buildings, rolling stock and locomotives. So the large objects in the Museum’s collection are becoming more relevant to many visitors with the addition of high quality interpretive signs that connect the history with the objects. Ten interpretive signs were installed along Snoqualmie’s Centennial Trail in 2008 and have been well-received. Thanks to a grant from 4Culture and their Special Projects program, three more signs were introduced earlier this month with a fourth one made possible by a grant from the National Railway Historical Society.

The White River Lumber Company caboose 001, the Snoqualmie Depot, Northern Pacific steam rotary 10, and Weyerhaeuser Timber locomotive 1 now have outdoor signs to help visitors better understand and appreciate their role in settling and developing the Northwest.

The $10,000 project was managed by the Museum’s Educator Jessie C. with research assistance from Rich W. Photos were copied from the Museum’s collection, but also from the Weyerhaeuser Company archives and Jim Fredrickson’s collection. Design and production was completed by Chinook Signs with manufacture of the digital high pressure laminate by Fossil Graphics.

Thanks to 4Culture and the National Railway Historical Society, interpretation at the Northwest Railway Museum continues to improve!

Guess Who's Back in Town

No, not Blue’s Clues or the Smurfs, but you’re getting warmer. He is big and blue.
That’s right. Thomas the Tank Engine, the No. 1, the cheeky little fellow with a heart of gold and a propensity for trouble is making his way to Snoqualmie. Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt will be welcoming 16,000 children and their adults to the Northwest Railway Museum this summer during Day Out With Thomas, The Celebration Tour. This isn’t just any old visit; this is a celebration of Thomas’ 65th birthday!

July 9 – 11 and 16 – 18 mark Thomas’ ninth visit to the Museum. Much like a small town preparing for the arrival of the circus, the Snoqualmie Depot is all abuzz with activity. Tents will soon sprout on the grounds of the Snoqualmie Depot. Those summertime scents of hot dogs and caramel corn will be in the air. Pizza, lattes and root beer will round out the offerings on the grounds. Music will be playing, balloons will loosen their strings and fly up into the sky and Thomas will puff back and forth between the Snoqualmie Depot and Snoqualmie Falls, carrying his cargo of happy children and satisfied parents.

New this year, we welcome the Sunset Valley Railroad, a live steam, G-scale garden railway modeling group to our event. And, live on our stage for the first time, Casper Babypants and Brian Vogel will be performing for your delight. They join long-time favorites, Nancy Stewart and Eric Ode. Don’t miss the HO-scale model train layout, the motor car rides, the steam engine cab tour or Clay Martin’s puppet theatre.

If it sounds like we are looking forward to it, you’re right, we are! You won’t want to miss it! Tickets are more than half sold out, so don’t delay. Visit the Snoqualmie Depot Bookstore and get your tickets today or purchase through TicketWeb.