Peggy Barchi, Marketing/Events Manager

The dedication for the Northwest Railway Museum’s new Railway Education Center building is Saturday, October 8. The ribbon cutting will be held in conjunction with the 11:00 AM train excursion. This train will take guests to the dedication ceremony on the Railway History Campus, and following tours of the new building and the Train Shed Exhibit Building, passengers will ride to the top of Snoqualmie Falls before returning to the historic Snoqualmie Depot. During the special dedication train, guests will enjoy music by members of local band “Tinkham Road.” Light refreshments will be served as well. Passengers riding during other train ride times on October 8 will also have an opportunity to visit the new building.

The new education center will take the nonprofit museum’s visitor experience to the next level when it opens for the 2017 season. It will also increase accessibility to the Museum’s collection throughout the year. The new building is one of the final planned pieces of the museum’s campus. It will offer not only restrooms and a bookstore, but spaces for learning such as classrooms and a public reading room. The latter will also safely house historical documents for the use of researchers and students. The Railway Education Center will also combine staff offices into one building. Museum staff are currently divided across the museum grounds, and look forward to a collaborative space with their coworkers.

The Northwest Railway Museum, founded in 1957, is the state’s largest and most comprehensive railroad museum. More than 120,000 people participate in its programs each year, which include the annual “Santa train” and other steam-train trips from its historic Snoqualmie depot.

The Special Dedication Train will depart the Snoqualmie Depot at: 11:00 AM (38625 SE King Street). There will be NO 11:30 am departure from the North Bend Depot that day. Other train times for viewing the new building are:

Snoqualmie Depot – 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM.
North Bend Depot – 1:30 PM (205 E. McClellan Street)
Roundtrip fares: $18/ages 13-61; $16/ ages 62 and up; $10/ages 2-12, Under 2 Free!

(Additional trains: Departing North Bend at 3:30 PM, however this train does not return to the North Bend Depot. Departing Snoqualmie Depot 4:25 PM, goes only to the top of Snoqualmie Falls & back to the Snoqualmie Depot.)