Our hotel was the Marriott Delta, immediately west of Interstate 5, 10 blocks from downtown and 6 blocks from the Everett Station transit center. Amtrak’s Chicago-Seattle Empire Builder served Everett Station in both directions daily, as does Sound Transit’s Sounder commuter line and bus service from Seattle to Everett.
Downtown Everett provided a number of lovely sights, including several historic buildings, as well as many wonderful places to eat. Not far away was Boeing’s Everett factory complex (tours available) as well as other attractions, including the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum.
Tuesday evening was a welcome reception. A packed two days of presentations started bright and early on Wednesday. On Friday we traveled to the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, where we rode behind NP 924, the only NP steam locomotive operating in 2024. We also toured the historic Snoqualmie depot, museum, and restoration center. Saturday was a special joint swap meet with our friends in the Great Northern Railway Historical Society, several modeling presentations and clinics, and the closing banquet.
Here is a sampling of the 30 or so exciting presentation topics:
In conjunction with the Everett History Museum, we took a history walk near the hotel, to the former NP depot and yard site, of which there is unfortunately nothing remaining, and other nearby industrial and railroad sites, including the still-standing Milwaukee Road and Great Northern freight houses.
A few attendees participated in all-day driving tour of the Sumas Line and Bellingham, with frequent stops to explore NP-related sites in the “north end”. This excursion was not officially part of the convention.
Here are some links you can peruse to learn more about Everett history.
