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All Aboard, Here we grow!

The Healdsburg Freight Depot Museum Society (HFDMS) was formed to bring to fruition the vision of restoring the historic Healdsburg NWP freight depot and opening it to the public as the Healdsburg Depot Museum. 

The museum will be home to the NCHMRS club HO scale model railroad, exhibits by the NWP Railroad Historical Society and other historical displays along with full size railroad equipment, all to bring to the public an insight into the importance the railroad and the depot played in forming Healdsburg. The club layout will also act as an interpretive display to immerse the public, and the enthusiastic model railroader, into life along the rails in the 1950's. The layout will be the main feature in the warehouse portion of the depot and is modeled after the NWP as it ran from Schelville to Ukiah during the transition era from the late 40's to the early 60's.

The museum will anchor the North side of the proposed "Railroad" themed park located at the depot along the former Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks now the S.M.A.R.T. right of way. The south side of the proposed Railroad park will be host to the the NWP Historical Societies Train shed and Archives building housing some of the remaining original NWP equipment. The proposed greenbelt will run along the south side of the track to form a park setting that the historic railroad can be proudly displayed and also tie together via a walking path the historic "turntable" at University Ave. 

Our goals are this:

• Collaborate with the City of Healdsburg, S.M.A.R.T. and Sonoma County Transit to bring the project to fruition.

• Work within the community of Healdsburg and surrounding areas to garner the support and resources necessary to open up a world class railroad museum in the very city that the depot was once was so very part of.

• Be a vibrant part of opening the south side of the tracks into the Railroad Park.

• Provide opportunities for the public to learn about and appreciate the history of railroading along the North Coast of California.

Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about being a part of this great project. We are an all volunteer organization and will rely on both time and donations to get this museum open. We are also in search of talented individuals who know the grant writing process, civic planning process and local fund raising. Please help us get this train rollin'.