Photo by Shakespeare at English Wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
About Northwest Railway Museum
The Northwest Railway Museum operates the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad, an 11‑mile (18 km) round‑trip heritage line that runs through the historic Snoqualmie Valley in King County, Washington. The train follows 5.5 miles of the original 1889 Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, winding past the iconic Snoqualmie Falls and rural landscapes once served by the 1890 depot.
📍 SNOQUALMIE, WA 98065
History
The Northwest Railway Museum originates in 1957 when the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association is organized to preserve regional rail heritage. In September 1999 the organization adopts its present name, Northwest Railway Museum, reflecting a broader mission and expanded facilities. The museum’s historic core includes the Snoqualmie depot, constructed in 1890 by the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway, which itself laid the 5.5‑mile line used by the museum’s heritage railroad in 1889. That original line, built as part of Seattle’s response to the Northern Pacific’s selection of Tacoma as its western terminus, is acquired by the Northern Pacific in 1901. A major turning point arrives in 2006 with the dedication of the Conservation and Restoration Workshop, the first phase of the Railway History Campus, providing dedicated back‑shop space for restoring the collection.
The Trains
The Northwest Railway Museum’s heritage railroad, the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad, runs an 11‑mile (18 km) round‑trip excursion over the historic 5.5‑mile segment originally laid in 1889 by the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway. Its operating fleet includes Northern Pacific steam locomotive 924 and several diesel‑electric locomotives, while passenger service regularly features SP&S cars 213, 218, 272 and 276 together with a collection of 18 passenger cars built between 1881 and 1998.
Nearby
In Snoqualmie, Washington, the Northwest Railway Museum pairs with the Issaquah Historic Railroad Depot Museum about 10 mi away.
Where to Stay
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Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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