About The Project

The thought of a trolley line in Issaquah began in 1983 and gained momentum after the restoration of the historic train depot took place in 1994. The Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway (SLS&E) built its track into what is now Issaquah in 1888 and inaugurated freight and passenger operations. The depot was built a year later in 1889. At about that time the town was renamed from Gilman to Issaquah. The SLS&E was soon absorbed into the Northern Pacific Railway. Passenger service ended in 1922. Freight service continued, but the depot was closed in 1958.

In 2000 the Issaquah Historical Society set up a trolley committee to bring trolley service to Issaquah to attract tourists. The first Issaquah Trolley was leased from the City of Yakima in order to demonstrate the potential of trolley service here.  It landed on the Issaquah's tracks on April 14th, 2001 and operated weekends through the fall and again in spring 2002, transporting over 5000 passengers.

Our goal is to make the trolley a tourist attraction and also provide a convenient link between the historic downtown and Gilman Boulevard. We are also actively working on plans to relay the line to points north of the freeway, providing access to the East Lake Sammamish Trail, the State Park and new business developments.

Project Vision

Article updated March 2001
Over the years, ambitious projects launched by the Issaquah Historical Society have had a big impact on Issaquah.

One such project was restoring Issaquah's 1889 railroad depot. Once the most important building in town - the depot was a dilapidated warehouse by 1984 when society volunteers began their ten year effort to authentically recreate its original splendor.

At the same time, the society also saved a Victorian house on Lake Sammamish. With great effort, the Alexander house was moved, stored, and eventually moved again before becoming the beautiful Chamber of Commerce headquarters and Visitors Center we have today.

The depot, visitors center and other facilities - such as Gilman Village, the Village Theatre, the Salmon Hatchery and the Pickering Barn work together with the natural beauty of the surrounding hills to give Issaquah a special charm.

Getting between these facilities can be a challenge, but they are all within close walking distance of Issaquah’s in-tact railroad tracks, which run a scenic and rarely appreciated course through town.

The society's newly christened "Issaquah Valley Trolley" project offers an opportunity to enhance Issaquah’s charm by bringing the community’s existing assets together into something that can be enjoyed as a whole.

Volunteers on the trolley committee have made great progress in obtaining a vintage trolley that will run on weekends and for special events starting May 19th (2001) - making Issaquah's depot the oldest working depot in Washington State!

But it shouldn't stop with just occasional service. The trolley business plan also envisions a phase two, which would extend the line and introduce larger modern replica trolleys that could put Issaquah's rail corridor to work every day of the year providing residents and visitors with an attractive alternative to sitting in traffic.