Last weekend we made the long, cold trek from Southern Oregon to Western Washington for the Great Train Expo in Puyallup. We are getting ready for the Medford show this weekend so this post will be somewhat sparse, the main purpose to share some pictures from the trip. We met lots and lots (and lots) of friendly railroad-lovin’ folks, many of whom signed up for our humble newsletter.
As we traveled north, the trees got bigger….
Mmm... Trees.... - Photo by Cat Cook
Just south of Portland, we stopped briefly at the site where Boone’s Ferry used to operate across the Willamette River. The ferry began service in 1846 as a raft operated by oars pulled by members of the Tualatin Native American Tribe and operated 24 hours a day. Later the ferry became cable operated and finally was decommissioned in 1957 after the Baldock Freeway Bridge was built.
Photo courtesy of Emery D. Aden, Wilsonville-Boones Ferry Historical Society, circa 1950. Photo of a photo on a historical marker sign at a rest stop in Oregon.
Soon we crossed the Columbia River Interstate Bridge into Washington….
Crossing the Columbia River Interstate Bridge - Photo by Cat Cook
And we passed under a train beneath increasingly darkening skies….
Ominous clouds rally overhead as we pass under a train in Washington State - Photo by Cat Cook
We stayed at the Tacoma Dome Hotel which gave us a view of the Amtrak station and the freight yard with the port of Tacoma behind them both…
View of the Sound Transit Tacoma Dome Station, Amtrak's Tacoma station, and the freight yard near the Port of Tacoma - Photo by Cat Cook
As usual with Great Train Expo events the show was quite large with many clubs showing off their layouts. First up, Puget Sound Garden Railway Society….
Part of the layout from the Puget Sound Garden Railway Society - Photo by Cat Cook
Next up, Longview, Kelso & Rainier Railroad Club…
A little farm road crosses the tracks and goes under a trestle on the Longview, Kelso & Rainier Railroad Club's Layout - Photo by Cat Cook
Next we have a scene from the Mount Rainier N-Scale club which appears to feature many Classic Metal Works vehicles…
Just a small portion of the awesome layout that is presented by the Mount Rainier N Scale Club - Photo by Cat Cook
The next picture is one of the locomotives displayed by the Kitsap Live Steamers….
One of the locomotives on display from the Kitsap Live Steamers - Photo by Cat Cook
Next is the Seattle, Pacific & Eastern Railway layout (sorry couldn’t find a link to a site for them)…
Cotton used as smoke on the Seattle, Pacific & Eastern Railroad - Photo by Cat Cook
Also attending was the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington who offer scenic train rides and birthday parties. For more information or to become a member visit www.trainmuseum.org.
Northwest Railway Museum layout - Photo by Cat Cook
Next door to the museum was the United Northwest Model Railroad Club who will be hosting their 21st Annual Train Show & Swap Meet February 4th & 5th 2012 at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe WA. For more info visit: Monroe Train Show
Monroe Train Show is February 4th & 5th 2012 in Washington
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! We hope to see some of you at the Rogue Valley Railroad Show this weekend at the Medford Armory. It is open November 26th from 10am – 5pm and Sunday November 27th from 11am – 4pm.
Rogue Valley Train Show 2011 is this weekend, November 26th & 27th
P.S. If you are in the market for tools for your modelling needs you can see Galloway Tools at many Great Train Expo events plus they sell online as well at www.gallowaytools.com. Nice folks!
P.P.S. We also met a gentleman who has some very nice High Def train videos on YouTube, you can visit his channel here: YouTube Hi Def 1080p Railroad Video Channel