The Northwest Railway Museum will break ground soon on its train shed, the museum’s newest and largest facility.
Pending receipt of a notice to proceed from the county, Wick Constructors of Seattle will begin work on a 25,000-square-foot exhibit building within a week. A formal groundbreaking will probably be scheduled for August, Museum Director Richard Anderson said.
The building is planned for completion in 2010. This summer, most of the work being done will be to prepare the site for the building’s construction. The new museum building will be located on museum property off Stone Quarry Road in Snoqualmie near the conservation and preservation center where the museum’s restoration work takes place.
The train shed will feature four indoor tracks for showcasing trains from the museum’s collection. Visitors can view the trains from depot-style platform access. The shed will help protect the historic trains from the elements, while allowing the public to view the artifacts and learn more about railway history.
The museum is already planning the exhibits for the shed. Plans are in the works for an exhibit on the Messenger of Peace chapel car, which is listed on the National Register of landmarks and historic places. The museum also has plans for a 1945 White River Lumber Company caboose and an exhibit on the history of how railways were a part of the logging industry. Another exhibit in the works will feature a steam locomotive that was once used to switch tracks for the King Street station in Seattle. This exhibit will describe what it was like to work inside the engine furnace in the locomotive cab.
The cost of construction is estimated to cost between $2.6-3.1 million. The museum has secured $2.7 million in funding from sources including 4Culture, the Seattle Foundation, McEachern Charitable Trust, Capital Projects for Washington’s Heritage, Schwab Charitable Fund and the federal enhancement programs.
Individuals who want to contribute to the project can visit the museum’s website at www.trainmuseum.org. Donors will be recognized on a donor board in the shed’s foyer.
Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434, ext. 248.
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