General contractor begins work

Work is now visible! Though many hours have been spent on permits, approvals, funding and more, it was hard to tell much was happening with the historic Salem Railroad Baggage Depot. Now it will be easy to see! For the next several months, General Contractor Andy Medcalf Construction crews and subcontractors will be working hard to finish restoring this Willamette Valley treasure.

Weekly meetings will offer updates Marc Burleson from Metcalf Construction explained at the June 23 weekly meeting how things are moving forward. Project team members will meet every week on site to get the latest.

Above is the latest artist's rendering of the rehabilitation depot. The architectural services contractor on this project is Nathan Good Architects.

Amtrak Cascades offering discounts and more

Traveling throughout the Northwest this summer? Don't forget about your Amtrak Cascades option! You can get 25% off with 14-day notice and other discounts, too, plus new partnerships are coming online regularly. Take it easy - take the train!

IN THIS ISSUE

What's coming up

One of the first priorities is to tap into the water main and run a new line across the Amtrak parking lot to the Baggage Depot. In addition, the existing asphalt in front of the Station Building will be replaced with a concrete pad to withstand heavy bus use. 

Winter completion

All construction projects have variable timelines but the team working on the baggage depot plans a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the end of the year. It will look a bit different from the 1913 view of the baggage depot from the south, below, but the new facility will contain many of the original building's pieces.

Re-using as much material as possible!

Siding We're restoring as much material as possible from the original building, such as the siding. That's one reason why it has taken so long to begin 'real' work: removing old-fashioned nails while trying to avoid damage to the wood is painstaking.   Earlier this year, Salem Salvage took material we weren't able to use and will make furniture and other good use of it.     Historic "barn" doors  Two sliding wooden doors will be visible inside the baggage depot when it is remodeled.     Brackets The original brackets were removed and restored. Underneath the paint, the contractor found old-growth redwood!