Thank you to all our wonderful guests, visitors, volunteers, members and donors as we are ready to close out a record setting year! Our inaugural Santa's Whistle Stop Tour was a wonderful event and provided us with some very valuable information to build on for next years event.
The first Saturday of the event proved to be very educational. As you all may remember Dec. 3rd brought us rain, sleet and snow. With some of the heaviest snowfall occurring just in time for Santa's arrival. Our train crews had their hands full operating during winter conditions for the first time, but Santa arrived (almost on time) to the cheers of many children eagerly awaiting his arrival. The next two Saturdays proved nicer with warming temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Estimated attendance figures are as follows. Dec 3rd = 100, Dec 10th = 1,100 and Dec 17th = 2,700! Santa got to talk to lots and lots of smiling children and hear their happy wishes for the holidays. The Polar Express Conductor also was on hand and when he wasn't reading stories he was helping out with the motor car rides loading and unloading passengers.
With this Christmas event drawing an estimated 3900 people (as calculated by visitor sign ins) that puts a very happy ending to a record setting year. Last year (our previous best)saw an annual attendance of 12,300. This year we completed construction on the Civil Engineering Building, began an intensive restoration of the Nebraska Central HO scale model railroad, restored the Machine Shop Building, won the Iowa State Preservation at it Best, Community Award for the Machine Shop Restoration and we have a current annual attendance of 31,800 with less than two weeks to go until the end of the year. That's a 38.7% increase in visitors over last year.
Keep your eye's and ears tuned to the local news for more exciting news about changes coming to the business side of the museum that will catapult the railroad museum into a bright new era. Sound the whistle! All lights are green! Full steam ahead!
A periodic look at the progress and events taking place at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops in Sioux City, Iowa
