Extended hours for Thanksgiving weekend

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District and Railroad Museum will offer free admission and extended hours for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The railroad museum development project will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28.

In addition, the Railroad Museum Store will be open be the same extended hours. The store features the vintage Ironhorse 1355 t-shirt, a variety of historic district logo items perfect for holiday presents and stocking stuffers; along with a selection of railroad books, including the Sioux City Railroads book authored by Dr. Rudy Daniels.

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District is home to Sioux City’s landmark steam locomotive, Great Northern Railway No. 1355. The recently restored steam locomotive will be open to the public for cab tours and photo opportunities.

Visitors to the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District are advised to dress appropriately for the weather and to be aware of vehicle traffic through the complex. The new Civil Engineering and Model Railroad Exhibition Center is under construction. When completed, this new 4,000-sq. ft. facility will feature exhibits on railroad engineering and will display the HO-scale “Nebraska Central Railway” model railroad diorama.

Volunteers with the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association will be available to provide tours and to answer questions about upcoming construction projects for the 2010 construction season.

About the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District

Nationally recognized by the White House and the National Trust for Historic Places, the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District is designated an “official project” of the Save America’s Treasures Program. The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District is located at 3400 Sioux River Road in Sioux City’s north Riverside neighborhood along the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway, Iowa Highway 12 – approximately 2 miles south of Stone State Park.

Built in 1917, the Milwaukee Railroad Shops are one of the largest remaining steam locomotive-servicing and rail car facilities left in existence within the Midwest. The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association purchased the 31.5-acre site in 1996 and opened the facility as a historic district in 1998. Over the past eight years, more than 35,000 people have visited the historic district. The renovation work is recognized as one of the region’s largest historic preservation projects involving an industrial railroad landscape. The Milwaukee Railroad Shops have been determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and were instrumental in helping Sioux City gain certification as a Preserve America Community by the Bush Administration.