Saturday, Oct. 8. Former Railroad Employee’s Luncheon.

A gathering of former Milwaukee Road employees with a luncheon at the depot.  This is a good time to reunite with your former Milwaukee Road friends. An opportunity for oral history interviews and recording will be made to preserve railroad history. Watch this website at www.milwelectric.org for more information and updates.

The Cascade Rail Foundation gets together with volunteers and the public from the surrounding community every year to enjoy a potluck picnic, conversation, and name the year’s recipient for the “Volunteer of the Year” Award. And you are invited to attend!

Watch for upcoming details, but mark your calendar now.

Turn-Key Restaurant Opportunity

Depot News

The museum area of the depot reopened the weekend of July 4.  The refinished floors look great and the new interpretive panels are hanging on the walls.  See this previous blog post for more about the new interpretive panels.

The depot will be open to the public on Saturdays between noon and 4 p.m. and Sundays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Labor Day (September 5).   We also open the depot during special public events.  Please come by and visit us!

Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust 20th Anniversary Trek

Over the 4th of July weekend, we worked with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust to host a community event during their 20th Anniversary Trek from Ellensburg across the Greenway to the shores of Puget Sound.  About 60-80 people joined the trek participants for music and food at the rail yard.  Trek participants camped in the rail yard before continuing their journey west on July 4th.  More about the event has been posted on our blog here.

2011 Rails to Ales Brewfest

Our 4th annual Rails to Ales Brewfest was a success.  You can see pictures here.  Attendance was down a little from last year, likely due to the difficulty in obtaining hotel rooms because of a softball tournament in town the same weekend.  2011 Rails to Ales Brewfest t-shirts are still available.

Mark your calendars for the 2012 Brewfest on the second Saturday in July!

Concrete Progress in the Rail Yard

In June, volunteers poured concrete for a new dumpster pad enclosure.  When complete, this will make the depot parking lot look nicer.  They also put a concrete floor in the caboose shack, which brings the reconstruction of that structure closer to completion.

Above – Doug Pittis and Brian Lee smooth the freshly poured concrete for the dumpster pad.

Washington State Parks Discover Pass

Beginning July 1, visitors to Washington’s state parks will be required to purchase and display a Discover Pass. http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/ Revenue from the Discover Pass will fill budget gaps created by the loss of state General Fund (tax-revenue) support for parks and state recreation lands.  The annual Discover Pass fee is $30, and a one-day pass is $10.

Vehicles parked at the depot and all of the other parking lots operated by Washington State Parks along the trail in Iron Horse Park will be required to display the Discover Pass in the front windshield.  There is a $99 penalty for failing to display the pass as required.

Volunteers can earn a free Discover Pass with 24 documented hours of volunteer time on approved projects.

Snoqualmie Tunnel Reopens – More Tunnels to Be Repaired

The Snoqualmie Tunnel is now open again after repairs to stabilize the tunnel.  This year, the Washington State Legislature approved $1.8 million in state capital bond funds to repair additional tunnels along the trail for public access.

Now that the Snoqualmie Tunnel is open, shuttle bus service (Bus-Up 90) between the Cedar Falls and Hyak trailheads has started.

Archive

Our volunteers have been making steady progress on a general inventory of our collections.  So far they have documented the contents of 60 boxes!  The group typically meets on the third Thursday night of each month at the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive building in Burien, WA.  Contact Paul Krueger if you’d like to help.

2011 Events

August 20 – South Cle Elum Centennial

We are working with the Town of South Cle Elum to celebrate the incorporation of the town in 1911.  The depot will be open for visitors.  Food and entertainment will be available.  It should be a great family event.  Read more about the event here.

September 10 – Annual Volunteer/Community Picnic

Our volunteers and friends from the surrounding community gather every year to enjoy a potluck picnic and conversation.  You are invited to attend!  The picnic will be held at the depot from noon to 2 p.m.

September 24 & 25 – Milwaukee Modeler’s Meet

Our fourth annual fall meet features a display of Milwaukee Road models on Saturday morning as well as presentations on model, prototype and historic Milwaukee Road topics. We’ll be at the Cedar River Watershed Center near North Bend again, just a short walk from the foundation of the Milwaukee Road Cedar Falls substation.

Saturday the 24th: Modelers are invited to show their Milwaukee Road models from 9:30 a.m.– 1:00 p.m. Clinics will be presented in the afternoon unitl 5:00 p.m.

Sunday the 25th: Clincs about Milwaukee Road history will be presented from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

More details will be posted soon.

October 8 – Milwaukee Road Employees Luncheon

We’ll be holding a luncheon this fall to honor former Milwaukee Road employees and thank them for their service.  This is a free event and space is limited – only two people per RSVP and one must have been a railroad employee.  Please RSVP to Joe Bohannon.

Posted by Paul Krueger

Come join us on Saturday, August 20 as we celebrate the centennial of South Cle Elum! The town was incorporated in August 1911, two years after the Milwaukee Road opened their extension through South Cle Elum to Puget Sound.

Milwaukee Road depot in South Cle Elum, c. 1912 [Central Washington University, Brooks Library]

Cascade Rail Foundation will have the depot museum open, with volunteers on hand to talk about the history of the Milwaukee Road. There will be a 5-piece Dixieland band at the depot and we hope to have costumed reenactors dressed in period clothing from the early 20th century there as well. Cascade Rail Foundation will also host a barbecue lunch at the depot from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Costumed reenactors at Depot Days in 2009 [click to enlarge]

The centennial celebration will continue at the Town Park, located a block north of the depot. Dessert will be served in the park from noon to 4 p.m. The U.S. Coast Guard will be sending an Honor Guard to the event out of respect for one of South Cle Elum’s favorite sons, Congressional Medal of Honor winner Douglas Munro. (Douglas Munro was the son of substation operator James Munro and grew up in Bungalow #1 next to the substation.) The Honor Guard will start the formal ceremonies in the park at 1:00 p.m. by presenting the colors and playing a recording of the national anthem. At the park, children will be able to play on bouncy toys brought by the Cle Elum-Roslyn Police and the South Cle Elum Fire Department will host tours of the town’s engine.

If you need another reason to come to the Cle Elum area, the 15th Annual Cruise Cle Elum Car and Motorcycle Show will also be happening in downtown Cle Elum the same day.

Posted by Paul Krueger