Vote daily for UP Excursion to Sioux City

Reminder, please be sure to vote for Sioux City as part of the Union Pacific Excursion program. The link is as follows:

http://x.up.com/6871

Vote for Sioux City and Live Steam

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You can help bring a live steam locomotive to Sioux City! That's right. See one of the the few remaining living, breathing, giants from the past. Right here in your very own backyard. The Union Pacific Railroad is asking YOU to vote for the next scheduled stops for it's two world famous steam excursion trains. Click on the banner above, watch the short video and VOTE FOR SIOUX CITY!

Vote once --- vote often -- JUST VOTE! This is one opportunity you really don't want to pass us by.

Schedule Sneak Peek for Halloween at the Roundhouse

Here's a special sneek peek at the schedule of events that we have planned. If you're looking for something fun to do as a family this is eactly what you're looking for. We hope to see you there!

You're Invited! Halloween at the Roundhouse

It's that time of the year again. The leaves are changing, the temperatures are dropping, and the days are growing shorter. YEEAAA! That can only mean one thing. Halloween at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District is just around the corner. Save the date! This is an all out total family fun fest that you definitely do not want to miss. It's only 4 hours long! So come early and stay for the whole event, it will be over before you know it. And there is one thing for sure.... you'll be glad you did. There is more parking this year so bring your friends & neighbors we don't want anyone to miss out.

AG/RAIL 2010 REVIEW

Even with temperatures in the mid 90's and heat indexes reaching the low triple digits 2,400 visitors still came out and braved the heat and sun this year and had a wonderful time. Many of the people this year were new to the complex this year and were amased that a museum of this scale was being developed right here in Sioux City. Visitors were treated to home-made ice cream, a petting zoo, small engine displays, operating farm equipment, railroad displays, operating model railroads, live music that traveled about the complex, an antique tractor parade and tractor pull, kids activities, prizes and special visiotrs.

The newly completed Civil/Railroad Engineering Exhibit Hall was open to the public and a sneak peak of the HO scale Nebraska Central Railroad was an instant eye opener for everyone. "Stunning" and "remarkable" were the words heard most often by our volunteers. Also, history lessons and futrue plans for our 1911 St. Louis Corliss steam engine were provided in video displays and personel one-on-one conversations and tours.

Special guests were also on hand to entertain the crowds. Our Hobo actors did their best to "collect donations" and also held sing-alongs whether you wanted to participate or not (ha ha). Sir Topham Hat, Mr. Conductor, and Millie the Milwaukee Shops engine also made apperances and handed out Thomas the Tank Engine, Misty Island Rescue, activity books that were so generously donated by the Marcus Theaters Company.

44 volunteers lent their valuable time, talents and cheery dispositions to making this years AG?RAIL a success. Thank You to those that attended and those that helped out. Spread the news! Sioux City has a railroad museum in the making and will be a museum of national caliber and claim. A definite tourism draw and and economic boon to Sioux City, Riverside, North Sioux City and the Siouxland area in general.

AG/Rail 2010 - Make Your Plans to Attend

AG/RAIL 2010 is just around the corner and you sure don't want to miss out this year. Being highlighted this year is our new Civil/Railraod Engineering Dispay Hall which construction was just finished on in past couple weeks. The volunteers have been VERY busy and you'll be amazed at what you find inside. The signture display, the HO scale Nebraska Central Railroad is in place. Although not operational at this time the volunteers have been working tirelessly on making this presentalble for AG/RAIL. Although there is much to be done, you will be able to see the awesome potentail of this exhibit. When complete, it will help us to tell the story of railroad enginners and the the sciences behind building a railroad from the Plains to the Mountains. Along with this exhibit, a newly expanded and relocated childerens activty center will be in place. Bigger people mover trailers are being used this year to help transport people around the parking lots to the Main Entrance and within the complex itself. This should help with getting you around the 31 acre site a little eaier and quicker. Live music, antique tractors, an antique tractor pull (both days), tractor parade (both days), turntable demonstrations, farm diplays, railroad displays, operating model railroads and many special characters will be running around meeting and greeting the visitors. As aspecial treat (weather pemitting) On Sunday morning around 11 am we pull our pride and joy, steam locomotive Great Northern #1355 out of the roundhouse and display it on the turntable for all to enjoy and take pictures outside basking in the sunlight. This only happens a couple times a year so you diffenetly won't want to miss out.

Footings poured for new civil engineerng exhibit center

During the work week of April 5 to April 9, construction crews poured the footings for the new railroad-civil engineering exhibit center at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District.

The City Council approved two resolutions related to the building's construction. The first action approved a change order for the dirt work that was needed as a result of a unmarked sewer tile being broken and the subsequent need to put new fill that will support the 4,000-square-foot building. The second element of the resolution extend the project's completion date to May 31, 2010.

Sunsets on KD Station-Swift Plant Smoke Stack

The photo displayed on the left was taken on Saturday evening, April 10, at 7.55 p.m. The photos shows the set sun in the back ground. This was the last night of the smoke stack standing. On Sunday morning, April 11, the smoke stack is now gone.

Big Sioux River begins to recede from low-lying area

On Sunday, March 21, 2010, the Big Sioux River began to recede along the east bank, a low-lying tree-line area which forms the western boundary of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. The attached photo to the left show the river level dropped close to six feet. The ground area of the tree line is now partially visible. Yesterday, the low-lying, tree line area was under water.

SHRA breaths sigh of relief as Big Sioux River nears flood stage

SHRA volunteers are breathing a sigh of relief with the cresting of the Big Sioux River this weekend. After a winter that dropped over 3 inches of rain on the complex during Thanksgiving weekend, and several snowstorms that left over 60 inches of snow and eight-foot snow drifts through out the property, volunteers were extremely worried about the effects of snow melt on the complex, and the snow melt north of Sioux City along the Big Sioux River.

On Saturday, the Big Sioux River spilled over its east bank into the lower-lying land areas of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. The depth of the spill over is about 3 feet and about 12 feet wide. To reach that point, the Big Sioux was running at around 99 ft through Sioux City. To reach the lower Ag-Rail Heritage Festival land area, the River would need to reach a stage of 103 feet and to reach the roundhouse and other buildings, the River level would need to be around 105 ft.

Over the past few weeks, several volunteers have diligently monitored the river levels and weather. With the Big Sioux River cresting Saturday, the volunteers were breathing a big sigh of relief as they gauaged the river level. A second wave of high river water levels is expected over the next two to three weeks as snow melt continues to feed the Big Sioux from the Dakotas and Minnesota.

The photo to the left shows the Big Sioux River running water through the area adjacent to the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. A video is available at http://www.youtube.com/SHRA1355

Lt. Governor Judge will visit Sioux City on Monday to highlight Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District

Lt. Governor Judge will highlight infrastructure investment and job creation when the “Moving Iowa Forward” tour comes to Sioux City. The Lt. Governor will be highlighting the efforts to restore the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District, which received more than $266,000 in I-JOBS funds. The event is open to the public.

Lt. Governor Judge's presentation will be on Monday, March 8, 2010 at 11:15 a.m. at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.

Due to the heavy snow melt run off, high snow piles and the forecasted inclement weather causing low-level flooding and water pooling, we will be unable to host the event at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District.

The IJOBS funding will finance the construction of a new exhibit center and the rehabilitation of the machine shop building at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. The new exhibit center will house displays on civil engineering and the large HO scale Nebraska Central Railroad model railroad exhibit. The machine shop building is the new home for the Corliss stationary steam engine salvaged from the KD Station – Swift Plant by volunteers of the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association. The Corliss engine will help educate visitors on the industrial applications of steam technology in the later 19th and early 20th Centuries.

New - Corliss Steam Engine Rescue Videos

Two new videos have been posted on our You Tube, click on the link to the left and check them out. One video is actually more of a slide show and was used during our public forums to inform the public on our goals and plans for rescuing the 1913 Corliss steam engine from the former Swift & Co. pork packing plant before the wrecking ball went to work. The second video show the actual removal and transportation of the Corliss engine.

Given a 30 day in which to accomplish this task many obstacles had to be overcome. With an engine that had been left to rust for nearly 40 years nothing came easy in the removal process. Trying to make sure parts were lubricated, cleaned, tagged and documented for the reassembly process has made this quite the project.

Now that all the components are at the roundhouse complex the rehabilitation of this historic steam engine will begin. The new home of the Corliss will be the former Blacksmith/Machine shop building located just south of the roundhouse. Construction on this building will begin in late spring to restore the outer envelope of this building and pour the concrete foundation to support the Corliss.

Check out the videos, you'll find them very interesting.

Spring Melt Forces 2 Week Closure of the Historict District

The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association will close the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District for the next two weeks (Friday, March 5th through Friday, March 19th) due to forecasted inclement weather and heavy snow melt runoff from the Loess Hills and Highway 12 right-of-way, as well as the snow piles within the complex.

The decision for closure was made based upon the deteriorating conditions of the dirt and gravel entrance drive, parking areas, and walk ways throughout the complex. The snow melts are creating hazardous conditions for motor vehicles and foot traffic.

With the snow melt and water run off beginning last week, the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District is experiencing water pooling and low-level flooding throughout the complex with the snow blocking the flow of water run-off to the Big Sioux River. In addition, the complex continues to have large piles of snow and snow drifts extending from the Highway 12 right-of-way, which sits about 12 feet above the complex, to the Big Sioux River.