Two New Events Added to This Years Scehdule!

Two great new events have been added to our schedule that will be sure to please one and all and young and old alike. These new exciting events are:

August 12, Sunday - Noon- 4 pm
1st Annual "Crusin' to Sioux City Show & Shine Car Event"
- We invite all classic car collectors to take advantage of this event to bring your vehicle to the Sioux City Railroad Museum for a great photo opportunity…your classic car alongside our classic steam engine, or any of the other pieces of railroad history on the grounds. This is a special day for camera hounds, and a fun day to capture images of your classic car and family around the many train displays.

Bring the whole family, ride the motorcar, enjoy some music, and take advantage of great photo opportunities. And if you bring your classic car to our event, you can take advantage of FREE admission to the museum for the entire family. So come on out and take new pictures for generations of America’s past.

Tell all your car collector buddies about this event. If you have any questions, please call Denny Anderson at 712-251-8266 or Matt Merk at 712-233-6996.

This event is open to all types of antique, vintage and collector cars, trucks & motorcycles.

If you don't have one of these types of vehicles come on down a check them out there are sure to be some fantastic cars, trucks and motorcycles and lots of photo opportunities for you and your family to enjoy.

September 15, Saturday - Noon- 6 pm
1st Annual "Rock n Rail Festival"
- This Rock concert event will be held in the Railfield Recreational Area behind the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. This awesome outdoor event is being hosted by Kool 99.5 FM radio and will feature 6 of Sioux Cities best musical acts.

Noon-1:00 - Kelly Glasco
1:00-2:00 - Emily Johnson and Mitch Martin
2:00-3:00 - Mat D
3:00-4:00 - Blue Moon Band
4:00-5:00 - Old School
5:00-6:00 - Premium Draft

This will be a one hot Rock n Rail day to remember. Stay tuned to our Blog and Facebook pages for more updates and as the event nears and keep an ear open to Kool 99.5 for future announcements.

Mark your calenders! Tell your friends! We can't wait to see you!

YES ... We're writing you about bathrooms

DearFriends,

Have you ever tried to use a portable toilet while changing a baby or toddler? Have you ever tried to move over 30 school kids through two portable toilets in 10 minutes?  Or, have you ever tried to usea portable bathroom during cold temperatures in the winter?

Allof these things can be done. But, none of them are graceful, dignified or verymuch fun when you are trying to enjoy a historical site with friends, yourchildren or your grandchildren.

 BATHROOMS! Really?

Yes, I am writing you about bathrooms.

Ifyou are reading this letter, it is likely that you have visited the MilwaukeeRailroad Shops Historic District and may have had to use the portable toiletswhile you enjoyed the site. While the portable toilets can meet our basic needsin the interim, they are not a permanent solution for a growing audience offamilies and school kids. They are, however, worth writing about in the hopesthat this historic railroad site might be improved with a permanent bathroomfamilies designed for families and school kids.

Themodern era has come to the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District! A newbathroom facility will be built this summer thanks to a major federal grant.Installation of the new bathrooms will eliminate the need for portable,chemical bathrooms on a daily basis. However, we need to raise matching funds to help cover the constructioncosts of the new restroom facility. Grant funds are providing only 70 percentof the total construction costs.

Weneed to raise approximately $10,000 by August 1 to help finance the building ofthe bathroom facility and to furnish it with bathroom fixtures and babychanging areas. We will let the contract to build the bathrooms by that date.

Willyou help us?  You can help us reach our goal of $10,000 with your online contribution of $5, $10, $25, or more. The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association depends upon contributions like yours to continue to make the improvements to the buildings, structures, and grounds of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops.

We will be eternally grateful to you - and – you will be happythat you did – especially the next time Mother Nature calls while you visit theMilwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District.

To make your contribution online, please click on the button above.

Withthanks for your generosity,

MattMerk

ExecutiveDirector

Trains, Tripods & Snapshots Day Recap

Wow what a day. HOT with a capital HHH. Yet, even in all the heat it was still a great day. We had 1,019 visitors stop out and pay us a visit and the folks took lots and lots of pictures. Not only railroad related pictures but many people brought out their antique cars to be displayed also which made for some interesting conversation and some great photos.

On this bright shinny sun filled day Great Northern Railways Class H-5,4-6-2 pacific, steam locomotive #1355 , Old Ironhorse, looked awesome parked on the turntable. The Glacier Park paint scheme was just shinning to every ones delight and it made a fantastic backdrop for lots of family photo's. The sight was so good in fact that even the Sioux City Fire Department sent out a fire truck to have it's picture taken with Old Ironhorse.

Many of the volunteers dressed-up in railroad worker attire to greet the guests and give tours. Special appearances by many of our railyard characters provided even more photo opportunities. Sir Topham Hatt, from the Island of Sodor, was a big hit with many of the younger railroaders. He stayed with Millie the Milwaukee Shops Marine Corp Engine and together they greeted the youngsters and Millie let each one them blow her air horn! Crazy Joe and Arlo, a couple of our resident Hobo's, were on hand trying to convince the public that President Herbert Hoover had to go and that we must all stick together and vote for Roosevelt. Many spirited discussions were brought up on this matter.  They also serenaded one young lucky lady who was celebrating her 12th birthday with a rousing violin lead Happy Birthday song. The Polar Express conductor was on hand to help keep the Hobo's under control and to assist with the on-time operations of the motor car rides.

A new addition to the event was music provided by one of our new volunteers. A nice mixture of modern hits and old time railroad songs filled the air along with the smell of fresh popcorn and cotton candy.

The model railroad volunteers were showing off yet one more new line of operation on the Nebraska Central HO Scale model railroad. This new line runs a continuous loop through the mountain area of the layout. Their spectacular restoration efforts have now brought the number of possible operating trains up to six! These guys are amazing and just keep making this wonderful exhibit better all the time.

Check out the below URL link or click on our You Tube link to see a 9 minute video of  some of the highlights of the day.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8eX1mw_3qE&list=UUHDp4FX2WMvESYWaQhOf1Zw&index=1&feature=plcp

Don't forget to check out what other events are planned this year. Click on the SHRA logo located on the lower right side of this blog to jump to our web site. Thank you for supporting the railroad museum and we hope to see you again soon!