Solving a puzzle called Passenger Coach No. 218

No. 218 will be the first train car refurbished in the facility that was completed this year. The $2.8 million center was built on a complex foundation of 160 piers to provide a footing in the loose soil.

The building, dedicated in August, includes a glassed-in overlook so visitors can see the restoration work and bays that give workers access to the undercarriages of train cars and locomotives.

"We've been putting the finishing touches on the building this fall," said Richard Anderson, executive director of the museum. "We've spent a few weeks on No. 218 but we're mostly doing research right now."

In order to restore the wooden coach to museum quality, all work needs to be documented.

Eventually, Anderson said, volunteers hope to restore the original maple hardwood floor and the brass hardware as well as make certain the coach is structurally sound and safe to carry passengers. The restoration will take about two years.

The car operated on several Northwest railroad lines and was considered a luxury carriage.

The conservation center also contains two other railroad cars. One, a caboose, was stripped down outside the Snoqualmie Depot some months ago. That project moved indoors when the building was completed. Volunteer crews are also doing minor maintenance work on an engine.

"Just the ability to do things without Western Washington dripping down your neck is a real joy," said James Sackey, who works at the museum. "A blue-sky garage is fine except when the roof leaks."

The conservation and restoration building is the first part of a three-phase, $4.3 million addition to the Northwest Railway Museum.

The museum was started in 1957. It owns about 35 acres surrounding the rail line that runs between Snoqualmie, Snoqualmie Falls and North Bend. Two depots in North Bend and Snoqualmie have been restored, and volunteers have kept excursion trains running by doing maintenance outdoors.

The museum is headquartered in the Snoqualmie Depot at 38625 S.E. King St., Snoqualmie. (The depot faces Railroad Avenue, which is also Highway 202.) It can be reached at 425-888-3030 or www.trainmuseum.org.

Train rides will resume in April.

Sherry Grindeland: 206-515-5633 or sgrindeland@seattletimes.com