Northwest Railway Museum

Contributions during the Give Big 2026 campaign support Design in Motion with Cesar Vergara, a new permanent exhibit interpreting the iconic Amtrak Cascades Talgo Series VI Bistro car and the work of Mexican-American designer Cesar Vergara. The project centers immigrant contributions to design and reframes rail history to highlight Latine excellence and its deep connections to Washington State.

Located in the heart of the Snoqualmie Valley near Snoqualmie Falls, the Northwest Railway Museum is one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive railway museums and the seventh-most-visited museum in the Pacific Northwest. Each year, the Museum welcomes more than 218,000 visitors, operates hundreds of excursion trains serving over 65,000 riders, and delivers educational programming for all five living generations. As a cultural anchor for the region, the Museum is committed to inclusive storytelling, equitable access, and community-centered learning.

Design in Motion centers on Mexican-American industrial designer Cesar Vergara and his visionary work on the Amtrak Cascades Talgo Series VI trains - represented by Bistro Car 7304. It is the sole surviving example of the Talgo Series VI fleet. Designed in 1995, the car’s interior reflects Pacific Northwest aesthetics and the most significant work of Cesar’s career. Rail exhibitions often focus on engineering or westward expansion. Instead, this project aims to re-examine rail history through the lenses of design, culture, and identity - in particular spotlighting Latine excellence in public transportation and industrial design.

This exhibit debut will be accompanied by an event of the same name on July 28, 2026. Event features include interpretive panels both inside and outside of Bistro Car 7304, activation of the car’s original lighting and design features, a recorded oral history conducted by the Museum’s Diversity in Local History Intern, and a bilingual public program & keynote address delivered by Cesar Vergara himself.

This exhibit responds directly to challenges faced by East King County, including limited access to culturally reflective experiences and under-representation of Latine narratives in public history. East King County is designated a Community of Opportunity, where many families face geographic, economic, and linguistic barriers to participation in cultural life. Although the Museum serves as a regional destination, there remains a critical need for programming that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.

This lays the groundwork for an expanded, permanent exhibit within the Roundhouse Exhibit Gallery. The expanded exhibit will be bilingual, giving English and Spanish equal visibility and interpretive weight throughout the exhibit text, graphic design, educational materials, and public programming.

The cost of this exhibit is $40,000, with the Museum seeking $7,500 in donations through this year's Give BIG! Your donation will advance equity-centered interpretation that will serve more than 100,000 visitors, many of whom are school groups, during the exhibit’s initial year. Fabricated elements will be designed for long-term reuse, strengthening the Museum’s institutional capacity and setting a standard for future exhibitions.

By supporting Design in Motion, you will help ensure that the stories of innovation which shaped our region and our nation fully reflect the people who created them. This project positions the Northwest Railway Museum as both a steward of railway history and a platform for contemporary dialogue about design, identity, and American ingenuity.