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!