Model railroad museum pitched for downtown Snoqualmie; developers say it could draw tens of thousands annually

Peter Hambling, who identified himself with the Northwest Bridal Train Museum and Pacific West Train Museum, told the Snoqualmie Planning Commission on March 3 that he and a team are proposing to move a privately built, 3,700‑square‑foot model railroad layout out of a home basement and into a new, ADA‑accessible museum in downtown Snoqualmie.

The project team described a building program that would convert the layout into an approximately 8,000‑square‑foot exhibit area with a 15,000‑square‑foot gallery, a mezzanine for viewing, event space and a plaza facing Railroad Avenue adjacent to Sandy Cove Park. “We’re a nonprofit 501(c)(3),” Hambling said; he said the project will require private fundraising and that he will lead the fundraising effort.

The project team — which includes architect Edward Lalonde of Olson Kundig, operations chief Rob Nelson and scenery artist Todd Gamble — said they are at concept design and consulting a contractor (JTM) on preliminary cost and schedule. Nelson, identified as project operations chief, told commissioners the team estimates at least 30,000 visitors…