BIt’s time to train for the train.
The Northwest Railway Museum train opens its season April 2, but the museum itself won’t wait that long to train volunteer.
Volunteers hold many posts — such as brakeman, switchman and attendant — and training for the positions starts 10 a.m. March 19 at the Snoqualmie depot.
The training begins with a rules class and test, followed by an afternoon of learning about coupling and uncoupling trains, handling switches, hooking air brakes, etc.
And that’s just for starters, said Jessie Cunningham, the train museum’s volunteer manager.
“They are just beginning the qualification process,” she said. “It takes practice and experience on a running train.”
The training continues in the weeks after and it’s a good chance for active volunteers wanting to freshen up their skills and for new people wanting to lend the museum a hand, she said.
The training requires paying a $5 fee for study materials, she said.
A background in the railroad industry is not required. Being 18 is, sort of.
Minors may participate with parental consent and they can only be car attendants, she said. A person needs to be 18 years old to be a switchman or a brakeman.
A brakeman’s duties include stopping the train during an emergency and oiling wheel bearings. The switchman’s duties include switching cars around, hooking up cars and operating the train. An attendant helps people on or off the train and answers the public questions.
Interested people may apply at www.trainmuseum.org. The application process requires a background check, Cunningham said.
The museum offers the training every March and most of the time, men show up.
Other times, it’s more varied.
“We get all sorts of people,” Cunningham said. “Retired people, people working full time.”
Experienced volunteers will be on hand to teach the classes, alongside Richard R. Anderson, the museum’s executive director.
People interested in training need to like working around heavy equipment, working with the public and they need to be safety-conscious.
“Even if you are unable to make the training, you can still volunteer,” Cunningham said.
Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or [email protected]. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
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