Northwest Railway Museum

The mission of the Northwest Railway Museum is to operate a nationally significant museum and heritage railway where the public experiences captivating exhibits and educational programs that confront the impactful and challenging history of railways in shaping the Pacific Northwest, actively engaging the community and inspiring future generations to preserve this transformative heritage.

Founded in 1957 as the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association, the Northwest Railway Museum became a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in 1961. It is the largest railway museum in Washington State and is visited by over 120,000 people a year. The Northwest Railway Museum operates a five-mile interpretive railway, the historic Snoqualmie Depot, and the Railway History Campus - a modern campus which houses administrative offices, a state of the art archive, and hosts additional public programs including exhibits, docent led tours, and other educational programming.

Volunteers play a vital role in Northwest Railway Museum's public programs, including the interpretive railway program, collections preservation and restoration, and special events support. Each year, volunteers contribute more than 14,000 hours of volunteer time.

The Northwest Railway Museum's collection of railway equipment is one of the largest in the United States and is representative of Northwest railroading and includes diesel and steam locomotives, passenger and freight cars, specialized railway equipment as well as smaller railway artifacts such as dining car china, and tools, signage and lanterns.

The Museum owns and operates 5.5 miles of main line track and the fully restored Snoqualmie Depot, originally constructed in 1890. The Snoqualmie Depot is on the National Register of Historic Places and the King County/Snoqualmie Landmarks Register.