Bellingham Railway Museum
- Welcome to the Bellingham Railway Museum!
OUR MISSION: to provide the community with an accessible and enjoyable link to railroad heritage, history and operations. We strive to do that in a safe and friendly family environment that allows visitors of all ages to look, listen and learn while having fun.
LOCATION: The Bellingham Railway Museum is located at 1320 Commercial Street in Bellingham, Washington. From I-5 take exit 253 and turn Right on Lakeway Drive. Bear right onto Holly St. at the light and proceed down the hill. Turn right onto Commercial Street and proceed down the ramp into the Parkade. The museum is located at street level and city parking is available.
HOURS: The Bellingham Railway Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12-5 PM. The museum may also open by appointment at other times for groups or special events. For more information or to make an appointment to view the museum, please contact the museum directly.
EXHIBITS
Railroad Lanterns
This exhibit features many types of railroad lanterns used in the days before radio. Some of the lanterns on display date back to before the turn of the century and illustrate railroading in the dark years, they include marker and classification lights, semaphore lights, switch lamps and others. . The items in this exhibit come from railroads all over the country, giving visitors an idea of the variety of early signaling devices.
Centennial Exhibit
The centerpiece of the Bellingham Railway Museum is our Centennial Exhibit. This exhibit, featuring historic photographs, artifacts, timetables and other items takes the visitor through the history of railroading in Whatcom and Skagit counties. Beginning with the construction of the Bellingham Bay and British Columbia in 1883, the exhibits continue through the present day. Topics include the Milwaukee Road and predecessors, The Great Northern and Northern Pacific, inter-urban and streetcar lines. We are also introducing electronic exhibits such as a railroad radio scanner so that visitors can listen in on actual railroad communication as it happens.
Train Simulator
Have you ever wanted to drive a real locomotive? Well, we can't offer that yet, but we have the next best thing! The Bellingham Railway Museum, is proud to announce an exciting new exhibit, our Train Simulator. Based on the Microsoft Train Simulator software and the Raildriver control system, our simulator features state-of-the-art technology. This innovative exhibit was made possible by a generous donation from Northwest Computer Supply & 3D TrainStuff.
Lionel and tinplate trains
Do you remember setting up the old Lionel train set under the tree each Christmas? Or perhaps it was Grandad's old Marx trains when you were a kid. The Museum's Lionel and tinplate exhibit features a collection of pre- and post-war Lionel, Marx and Ives trains and the historic accessories that went with them. Many of the items in the Museum's collection were generously donated by members of the community.
1/2 inch Scale lumber models
The museum is also proud to be able to display a series of hand built one-half inch scale (1/24th) models of antique logging equipment by Bellingham modeler Randy German. These exquisite models allow visitors to see how logging was done in the years before chainsaws and diesel equipment. Models include locomotives, a skidder, bunk cars, and other early implements. Randy also built a number of the structures and displays on the G gauge layout including the working log loader, sawmill, and coal mine.
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