PSMRE General Exhibit Photos
Year 1997 • Photography by Paul Rising
Note: Some of these older photos were taken with a Kodak DC-20 digital camera and may be a little blurry compared to modern standards.
Layout Overview - Left End: This photo, taken from near the left end of the exhibit, gives a good look at the size of the effort. From left to right: along the back wall, you can see the tracks up the valley to Auburn. There are two tree lines on the backdrop; the second (upper) one is for the line to Stampede Pass, which was not yet built at this time. In the middle is the bare plywood of Bayhead Yard and the Milwaukee depot. To the right, the Tacoma waterfront is partly built.
Layout Overview - Right End: Taken from the opposite end (actually 2/3 of the way to the right), the grassy area in the foreground would eventually become the NP roundhouse and service area. Along the front, various Tacoma landmarks are in stages of completion. Note the high-quality railings, glass partitions, and the step for smaller visitors. Local architect Paul Rising painted the background for the layout.
Union Station Mockup: A close-up of the Tacoma Union Station mockup, which was eventually replaced with a more detailed model. Directly in front of the model is the button visitors use to start the trains when no operators are present. Four trains run automatically in this configuration.
Tacoma Union Station Exterior: The actual Tacoma Union Station as it stands today. It is adjacent to the Washington State History Museum, home of the PSMRE layout on the 5th floor. While all passenger trains now stop at the Amtrak station about one mile away, the dusty locals and shining famous-name trains of the 1950s still arrive here within our exhibit.
The Helix
The Helix (Construction): The top photo shows the helix at the right-hand end of the exhibit. A helix is a spiral of track that allows trains to go up or down in a small area. Here, it allows trains to move between the visible tracks and the staging yards beneath the main level.
The Helix (Scenicked - May 1999): The same area covered with hard shell and track. The visible track is a two-level spiral going from the main level to the upper Stampede Pass line, with the main helix completely hidden by scenery.
The Helix (Scenicked - May 1999): This is the scene above the helix. The track is passing the Green River gorge, whith Kanaskat to the lower left and the track entering a tunnel and on to Lester.
