Junior League of Sioux City awards grant to railroad museum

Loyanne Jensen, a board member with Junior League of Sioux City, visited the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District on Saturday, March 23, to present a grant check in the amount of $1000 to executive director Matt Merk. The grant was awarded to help our railroad museum purchase an outdoor cinema movie screen to help with educational programming around the complex.  We wish to thank the Junior League for their continuing support of our children and family education programs.

Museum Complex Closed Due to Weather Conditions

The following message was sent out to all volunteers by Matt Merk the Railroad Museums Executive Director.

 

"Ground conditions due to mass thaw yesterday, today and forecasted throughout the weekend has created a mess on the complex grounds.  The deep ground frost under the waterlogged mud is slowing the the ability of the water to be absorbed by the ground and causing large pools throughout the complex and very soft ground.   Visitors that have come out have decided to return in a couple of weeks when the grounds are in better condition.

 

The museum will be closed beginning Noon today and throughout the weekend.  (Friday 15th, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th)  Reopening on Tuesday for our normal business hours.

 

Reaching the south end of the complex and buildings is not recommended due to the mud and damage to the grounds that vehicle traffic would cause." 

 

 We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our volunteers and visitors but, Mother Nature wins this round. There is light at the end of the tunnel though. A paved parking lot and fully paved trail system throughout the complex will be a reality in the next couple years.

Thank you for understanding.

Easter Event Cancelation

After reviewing the long range forecast and consulting about our current snow depth and the future anticipated resulting mud and water puddles. We have decided, unfortunately, to cancel this years Easter Event which was scheduled for Saturday March 23rd. This would have been our first ever Easter Event and the planning committee had some really great plans lined up for the event. However, with the last round of snows we received and the historically slow rate at which our grounds dry out in the spring it was felt that this is the best course of action at this time.

Hopefully with Easter being a little later next year we may be able to make this event happen. It has been our largest requested event and we are very excited about making this happen for our guests in the future. 

Welcome Back! We are now open!

 Yep, it’s a sure sign that spring is just around corner. The Robins are trickling back into the area. Thousands of geese are heading back north and resting in the empty corn fields around the area. And the most important sign of all is …. The Railroad Museum is back open for the year!

This is going to be a very exciting year. We have new rest room facilities being built. The Engineers Tool Shed, Car Shops, Sand House and south end Water Closet buildings will all be restored during the spring and summer. We have a full line up of events and a couple special surprise events that are still being finalized that we will tell you about a little later down the road.

This Saturday, March 2^nd kicks off our 2013 season of operations. Our hours this year are:

         Monday – Closed

         Tuesday – Saturday – 10 am – 4 pm

         Sunday – Noon – 4 pm

                                                                                        Major Holidays – Closed

 Admissions:

Adults - $5, Seniors - $4, Students - $3 (ages 6-18), Kids – Free (5 and younger w/ paid adult)

Family Package - $20 (includes 2 adults and 4 or more children of the immediate family)

New this year is a free motor car ticket with each paid admission. Additional motor car tickets can also be purchased for $2 each.

Checkout our web site at www.milwaukeerailroadshops.org for more information about the museum complex and upcoming events and keep checking in out this blog site at http://www.gn1355.blogspot.com for the latest updates about ongoing activities and events.

Also, don’t forget about the first Train Show in Sioux City in 20 years that is also happening this weekend.

Saturday, March 2nd    9 am - 4 pm
Sunday, March 3rd      10 am - 4 pm
Emma's Event Center - 3828 Stadium Drive, Sioux City
Admission $6 Children 12 & under FREE
Hosted by Sioux City Cosmopolitan Club

If you have visited our site and had a good time and would like to help, this soon to be national attraction, we would love to have you join our group of volunteers. We have many opportunities and positions available. Stop out and chat with one our current volunteer’s to get more information, pick-up a volunteer application, fill it out, return it and let the fun begin!

Thank you for your important and valued support in the past and we can’t wait to see you in the near future. Come on down and visit the Railroad Museum in Sioux City, where we are restoring the past and building new tracks to the future.