northwest railway museum

Sadly, the engines/locomotives and various cars are in very poor shape. The passenger car is clearly being used as nothing more than a storage warehouse. You cannot get inside, but must shade your eyes the best you can and peek in through the windows, assuming you can even get up to the cars to do so. If the museum were to invest a little money into restoring the cars and locomotives, it would be something I would have paid to see. This is a huge potential that is turning into a rust bucket and junk pile. Very sad. As it is, you get as much value just driving by as you do getting out to look at them.

What fun to explore such a collection of trains and everything trains related! This extensive tree-lined park and museum borders a row of small-town shops and restaurants that together present an ambiance of slower, quieter times. We did not visit during when the schedule would allow us to take opportunity of the train ride, however we very much enjoyed exploring the station inside and out, the various rail cars along the tracks, and the little shop stocked chock full of souvenirs, toys and train history. The gentleman in the shop was clearly a knowledgeable afficionado and we enjoyed time spent with him, as well.

We visited the Santa Train with two kids, 4 and 2, on the busy Thanksgiving weekend. Its a great experience for the kids, here are a few recommendations. Purchase tickets in advance online, and pick them up at the train depot in North Bend. Trains travel from North Bend to Snoqualmie, just a few miles away. Parking in North Bend was easy, there is plenty of street parking around the block. Avoid taking a stroller, they wont fit on the train. We were able to leave ours in the depot. Although there were clearly many families who waited in line for a long time to be first on, it was not necessary for our group. We were among the last to embark and there was plenty of seating, so I recommend sparing your family a long wait. Once in Snoqualmie you have around an hour to see Santa, we were about mid-way in terms of jumping in line and wait was about 20 minutes. Hot chocolate and cookies are served at the depot and before you know it you are back on the train for the ride back to North Bend. If you are looking for somewhere to eat, the restaurants near the depot get a little crazy, however The Woodsman in Snoqualmie takes reservations and has a kid's menu. So no need to add a restaurant wait to frazzled nerves during the holidays. Highly recommend the Santa Train.

As far as railway museums in Washington State, this is probably the most comprehensive with a restored depot, artifacts, gift shop, and train rides. This museum is a must-see for any railroad buff. The collection of locomotives and rolling stock is very good, a few lovingly restored to original condition and others along a track siding awaiting restoration but slowly succumbing to the wet western Washington climate. It's a museum that is really just in its beginning stages with bold ambitions for much more. We took the last train ride of the season, the Halloween ride, pulled by the venerable little tank engine, the Santa Cruz Portland Cement #2, a genuine steam-powered locomotive. The train leaves Snoqualmie and heads east to North Bend where reverses and heads back west the same way passing the starting point and going all the way to Snoqualmie Falls for a breathtaking view of this spectacular drop. We were fortunate in that our friend and tour guide is one of the several volunteers who do all the restoration work for this non-profit museum. With that we got the cook's tour of the Train Shed Exhibit Building and the Conservation & Restoration Center. Check the website for the schedule of tours and train rides.

Visited the NRM today and went on the train with the steam engine providing the power. It was very interested waiting for the train and having it pull up in a cloud of steam with the horn announcing its arrival. We had four cars to choose from to ride in. My wife and I wanted to ride in the front car behind the engine that was uniquely restored. Our granddaughter want to ride in the care with the 1950's design and construction. Guess which one we were in. It was a nice ride, particularly riding along the edge of Snoqualmie Falls. In several cases 5-10 feet off of the track right-of-way is a several hundred foot drop. The few of the falls and the river from the South side has to far superior to the view from the North. Lots and lots of train locomotives and cars sit along side the track awaiting restoration. The cost of restoration and the time it takes to do the excellent restoration they do requires months, if not a year or more to complete. Lots of history available in the train station to see. A great day trip from anywhere in the greater Seattle area.

We took the grandkids on a train ride at the Northwest Railway Museum. The ride lasted about one and a half hours. The train was old, and not in great repair. The tracks are only used by the one train. You back up from Snoqualmie to North Bend. Then you go forward past Snoqualmie to the upper side of Snoqualmie Falls. the you back up to Snoqualmie.The ride seemed to be fun for the kids, however it was a hot day and the windows on the train don't open. There are no drinks on the train.OK for a kids day trip.

Teens will think this is lame but younger kids love the train ride.Santa train in the winter is a lot of fun.Trains are old, conductor is always fun and friendly.

We love trains so we were glad to find this little gem in Snoqualmie after our initial plans to go to the falls themselves failed, as there were way too many people trying to park in the parking lot at the falls and therefore, way to busy for our liking at the falls. We had tried to go on a Sunday afternoon in August. At the train depot, we were delighted to find out that for a nominal fee one can have about a 30 minute excursion on the train directly to the falls and back. Our children including our very young nieces had lots of fun on the train ride and I felt this was a much better way to go to see the falls. The depot was nicely maintained. It had clean bathrooms. The staff was friendly. The trains outside the depot were really nice to look at. There are a variety of restaurants very close by. Should we find ourselves in the area again, I would prefer to come here again rather than going to anything else around! It is worth a visit.

We took our grandchildren on the Santa Train that starts in North Bend and goes to the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie where Santa's Workshop is. As part of the trip we went through the museum and found it interesting. The children enjoyed the relic train cars on the grounds and of course the gift shop that had a lot of train books and Thomas the Train items for sale. There isn't a lot to the museum and it was super crowded due to the circumstances that we were there.

Loved it and so did my 2 year old. Fun all around and full of American history. 1913 train newly refurbished and knowledgeable guides. Rode the train, sat street side and saw the Snoqualmie Falls. Beautiful rail cars and view.

It was a dismal and disappointing event as it was nothing like I had imagined after seeing its photos on website. The only saving grace was the moving eyes and mouth on the engine which kind of satisfied our 4-year old son.Firstly, the 3-month wait after booking the tickets in April was unnecessary hype, which was not at all worth it (we fell for it though). Besides the wait, the cost itself was a rip-off for what was actually offered on the day.On the d-day, when we went we were ushered to a place where everyone was lined up for the scheduled time. My son just wanted to see Thomas and had imagined so many things regarding the character. The organisers could have arranged for the queue to face the Thomas at all times so that the excitement for kids is more as against behind the store from where no one can get a glimpse of the character engine. Sir Topamhatt was obscure and beyond recognition. My son just refused to believe that the person was Sir Topamhatt. Then when the boarding started, everyone was boarded from the back side so no child could see Thomas till the end of the trip. The coaches were in such shabby state and the 20-minute ride was a useless one. Just when we were reaching the station, the crew gave each child some certificate which my son did not even look at. There was nothing that could relate to what the kids watch on the videos. We thought it would have been better to just sit on the bench outside or buy the regular museum ticket and take pictures with Thomas rather than purchasing ride tickets so many months in advance and get disappointed at the end. The whole event just made no sense at all except that everything was pricey over there. I shall never recommend the ride to anyone. Videos at home are much better coupled with the toys kids play.

Coming from the UK, I am fortunate to have seen many preserved railway engines and lines - so my disappointment at the NWRM is in that context. We took our son to the Day Out With Thomas experience and for the money, it was terrible. For $21 per person we got pushed down to Snoqualmie Falls and back again, a grand total of 20 minutes. The "theme" was a 'Thomas' engine, but inside the carriages, there was nothing related to the Thomas at all. The carriages were frankly terrible and not safe for young kids (see pictures) - windows held open by pieces of wood. You could stand in the carriage but not in the vestibule to take photos? Some of the staff miserable. Not good value at all. The loco's you can see are just rusting away, a museum is surely their to preserve, but no preservation at all - apart from the lovely station building. Money needs to be found to turn these engines to their former glory and cover them from the PNW weather. All in all, VERY disappointing. Will not be returning nor will ever recommend. Day Out With Thomas was just the way to rip-off people and did not meet expectations (other people in our carriage were of same opinion "is that it?"). Finally, the toilet facilities were honey pots and stank and the only food was burgers/pizza - no healthy options whatsoever. The bouncy castle held 8 kids!!

I'm not sure if there's much to do on this museum. It's on open space and a bit limited, I'm not too much of a train connoisseur either. However, it has a very nice Twin Peaks feeling all around, since the series shooting happened in that location. Nice!

We were recently staying at the Salish Lodge and had some time to explore to venture in to this quint little town. As most Railroad town - it's small - quiet - small town America so we didn't know what to expect to find. This Museum was clean, inviting, the staff depicted the time and I'm sure the kids enjoyed the rides on the historic cars.I have to say - overall - the town's well maintained but especially this Museum! One never knows what you're walking in to when exploring small towns - especially where economics over the years have not fared well.We walked the entire town - spent hours 'window shopping' - had lunch - had dinner and just enjoyed 're-living' history - not sure when this town formed but would guess in the 1800's.Come - visit - eat - explore - enjoy!

Took my 7-y/o grandson on the train ride. He was fascinated by everything. Wonderful gentleman "conductor" onboard. Great day and plan to do it again next year. Oh, and the gift shop had great variety and prices for everyone.