Railroad Camp
The Polson Museum's Railroad Camp is steadily progressing.
Designed to retain the aesthetic, material, and functional qualities of a century-old locomotive shop north of town, Railroad Camp sits in the northeast corner of our property and measures 80 feet by 40. Ribbed with 12x12s milled by our staff and volunteers towering structure house many impressive artifacts from Grays Harbor’s logging heyday.
Highlights include the Lamb SpeedTrak on the mezzanine hauling a 6’ diameter, 25-foot long, 550-year-old Douglas fir log, arguably the largest full log exhibited indoors anywhere! Our Linn halftrack, Dolbeer steam donkey, Prescott bandsaw, steam rip saw, and Hermance moulding machine also occupy this space. The centerpiece 45-ton 2-6-2 Prairie style Baldwin locomotive, bought new by the Polson Logging Company in 1906 is now in the latter stages of a full cosmetic restoration. With a newly-fabricated steel cab and sporting new paint and polished brass throughout, the 45 is the gem of our large rolling stock collection.
Our Railroad Camp Story
Since the 1980s, the Polson has tried to preserve Grays Harbor's remaining pieces of historically significant heavy equipment. Though we've been blessed with the land to display big iron, Grays Harbor's less-than-forgiving climate for things metal has corroded some of our artifacts. Better to preserve them and better to interpret their significance and use, we have developed a site plan with the aim of designing new buildings and pathways devoted to telling their story within our region's timber history.
Since 2002, our aim has been to preserve logging and lumber equipment in a manner paying homage to historic structures of the Polson Logging Company. Built in 1902 fifteen miles north of Hoquiam, Railroad Camp was originally hub for their operations (serving well into the 1960s even for their successor company, Rayonier).
On September 24, 2008, bids were opened from general contractors. We accepted one from Montesano's Bowers Construction, and Bowers' crew soon began the work, finishing Railroad Camp's new exhibit building in the summer of 2009.
To date the Polson has received major grants from the Rayonier, E. K. and Lillian F. Bishop, Weyerhaeuser, Green Diamond Resource, and Sierra Pacific foundations, as well as designated monies from the Washington State Capital Heritage Projects Fund and the City of Hoquiam's Hotel/Motel Tax Fund. Many businesses and individuals have also helped with in-kind contributions, most notably Anderson & Middleton Company, who started our initial site preparations.
Though final landscaping and a second exhibit building are still planned, Railroad Camp is open to tour daily as part of our full visitor experience.
