Holiday Hours - July 4, 2009

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District's roundhouse museum and gift shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 3rd and 4th, 2009.

Cameron Steam Pump donated for STEAM Locomotion Exhibit

Reporter: Odell Overgaard


A new addition to the STEAM Locomotion exhibit program was added on Friday June 19th. Mark Paulsen of Westway Terminals arranged for the donation of the Cameron Steam pump to the Siouxland Railroad Historical Association. This pump was last used to transfer Molasses from rail cars to storage tanks at the Westway terminal in Sioux City. The pump was in continuous use until three years ago when Westway discontinued handling Molasses. The 5100 lb pump has a steam cylinder is 16 inches in diameter with a 20 inch stroke. The pumping cylinder is 12 inches in diameter. The pump has a 10 inch intake and an 8 inch discharge pipe. In its previous uses, it was located at the barge terminal and used to transfer liquids from barges.

The Cameron Steam Pump likely started out being used in a large Naval ship, such as a battleship, before it was converted to transfer pumping at a local barge station and later at Westway Terminals. The steam pump’s build date is placed in the timeframe of 1900 to 1910.The pump will be joined by the KD Corliss steam engine and Ammonia compressor later this year. Its new home will be in the Former Milwaukee Railroad Machine shop. The Cameron Steam Pump will be restored to operating condition and be on display at the Milwaukee Shops Historic District for all to see. When all restoration is completed, the pump will be demonstrated at events to show how steam technology was adapted and used in the Sioux City industrial complexes.

General information on the pump:

16” cylinder

12” water cylinder

20” stroke

Weight: 5100 pounds

Floor space: 102 in. X 41 in.

Boiler Horsepower needed: 4000 psi

Railroad museum receives major gift from Union Pacific Railroad

The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association (SHRA) announced a gift of $15,000 from the Union Pacific Foundation for the reconstruction of roundhouse bay 1 as part of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District preservation project in Sioux City. The gift from the Union Pacific Railroad is one of the largest corporate gifts to the SHRA. In recognition of the contribution, the newly constructed roundhouse bay 1 exhibit area will be named the Union Pacific Gallery.

“The gift is a generous contribution from the Union Pacific Railroad,” SHRA president Jon Wagoner said. “The contribution demonstrates the Union Pacific’s commitment to commemorate and educated the public on North American railroad history and the science and technology associated with the industry.”

According to Wagoner, the Union Pacific contribution was made on behalf of past, present and future employees of the railroad and their families. During a recent ceremony held at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District, Sioux City Mayor Mike Hobart accepted the contribution from Brenda Mainwaring, director of public affairs for the Union Pacific Railroad. Others participating in the gift acceptance ceremony were representatives from the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, City of Sioux City, Siouxland Historical Railroad Association, and the Union Pacific’s operating department. Approximately 15 individuals attended the awards ceremony that was held at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District.

Built in 1917, the Milwaukee Railroad Shops are being renovated for reuse as a railroad science and industrial heritage museum. This historic preservation project is a collaborative effort between the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association and the City of Sioux City. The City of Sioux City acts as public sponsor and project administrator for many of the federal statewide transportation enhancement funds the SHRA has secured through competitive grant cycles. The gift from the Union Pacific Foundation serves as matching funds for a federal statewide grant that is funding 70 percent of the total estimated cost of $426,000 to renovate and rebuild bay 1 of the roundhouse buildings.

The Union Pacific Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of Union Pacific Corporation. The Foundation has distributed funds since 1959 to qualified organizations in communities served by Union Pacific. The Foundation is not endowed, but is funded each year from the operating profits of Union Pacific Corporation.

Union Pacific Corporation owns one of America’s leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country and serves the fastest-growing U.S. population centers. Union Pacific’s diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy, Industrial Products and Intermodal. The railroad offers competitive long-haul routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways. Union Pacific connects with Canada’s rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major gateways to Mexico, making it North America’s premier rail franchise.

The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association is a nonprofit museum and historic preservation organization founded in 1984. Since its founding 25 years ago, volunteers have collectively contributed over 250,000 hours of labor to restore the City’s landmark steam locomotive No. 1355 and the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. Last year the Milwaukee Railroad Shops historic preservation project attracted nearly 10,000 visitors/visits to the historic district. The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District and Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1355 are designated “official projects” of the federal Save America’s Treasures Program.

Gift shop gallery named for local philanthropist

The Edna M. Groetken Gift Shop Gallery in the new bay 1 area of the roundhouse building was officially opened during the sixth annual Ag-Rail Heritage Festival held during Saturday and Sunday, August 16 and 17, 2008.

The new gift shop area, named for the longtime Sioux City resident, is an area where visitors can purchase gift and souvenir items, including railroad books, as a token of remembering their visit to the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District, or to continue their learning experience about the railroad industry through the books and educational toys available in the gift shop. The new gift shop area is furnished with glass display cases donated by the Sioux City Public Museum and display gondolas and racks purchased during the closing sale of Linen and Things in Sioux City.

Miss Groetken passed away Monday, May 7, 2007, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She bequeathed nearly $125,000 to the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association for construction work to preserve and rebuild the roundhouse building. The gift from Ms. Groetken was the largest bequeath in the SHRA’s history. “We are incredibly grateful,” stated Jon Wagoner, SHRA president, “for the untold benefits countless visitors and local residents will receive from the remarkable generosity of Miss Groetken, not to mention the ripple effect this contribution will make in preserving the Milwaukee Railroad Shops for current and future generations to enjoy as a railroad industrial science and heritage museum.”

Her bequest was used to help finance the construction of the bay 1, a two-level area of the roundhouse building that houses the gift shop gallery, atrium welcome center, exhibit gallery and administrative center. The costs associated with this project were approximately $450,000. Her bequest helped match the federal/statewide transportation grant of $266,762.

Miss Groetken served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following her military service, she worked as a secretary in several Sioux City medical offices. She was an active volunteer with the Sioux City Police Department, where she helped in the investigative department working with fingerprinting. She was one of the Police Department’s first civilian volunteers.

She was a life member of the American Legion Wasmer Post 241 of Le Mars and was the first female state commander of the American Legion of Iowa. She also was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Miss Groetken was often a visitor to the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. She had fond memories of trains traveling through the Le Mars area and Sioux City.

Railroad museum offers extended summer hours

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District, a regional historic site and museum focusing on railroad history and science, is offering extended summer hours during the months of June, July, and August. For this three-month period, the railroad museum shop will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; and Noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Admission to the railroad museum is $4.00 for adults; $3.00 for senior citizens (age 50 and older); $2.00 for children and students (age 6 to 18); and free for children under age 5 accompanied by an adult. A portion of the admission fee that is collected is earmarked for historic preservation work on the buildings, locomotives, rolling stock and artifact that form the railroad museum’s collections and exhibits.

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District features an excellent collection of historic steam locomotive-era buildings dating from 1917. This historic collection features a restored roundhouse with turntable, machine shop building, carpenter shop, sand drying house, and wood sand tower. The historic district is home to the National Register-listed steam locomotive Great Northern Railway No. 1355, a Pacific-style 4-6-2 wheel arrangement passenger train locomotive.

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District is located along the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway, State Highway 12, in the north Riverside neighborhood of Sioux City. For more information visit the railroad museums website at MilwaukeeRailroadShops.org or call 712-233-6996.

SHRA will implement admission fee at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District, a railroad museum development project of the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association (SHRA), will implement an admission fee to assist with operating costs and financing the reconstruction of the historic buildings.

Jon Wagoner, SHRA president, said the $4.00 admission for adults will start Saturday, May 30, and that reduced admission will be given to seniors, students, and children. The admission fee will be collected through an honor vault system where visitors deposit their admission in a locked, secure collection vault. “We are adopting one of the methods used by the National Park Service to collect admissions,” said Wagoner. “The payment of the admission will be totally on the honor of the visitor; we will not have a volunteer gatekeeper for collecting the admission.”

The American Association of Museums reported in its most recent museum financial information report that, nationally, the average adult admission fee is $6 for museums and $5 for historic sites. Wagoner stated that last year, the SHRA surveyed visitors and the vast majority of visitors supported the enacting of an admission fee to help support the Milwaukee Railroad Shops redevelopment as a railroad museum.

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops, which is home to the recently restored Great Northern Railway steam locomotive and other railroad artifacts, is undergoing a decade-long historic preservation effort. This summer’s historic preservation work will include the construction of a new exhibit building for a model railroad display to interpret civil engineering; the installation of a “green” pre-manufactured bathroom facility; and the reconstruction of the machine shop building for the display of the large Corliss Stationary Steam Engine that will be salvaged from the KD Station.

“We’re looking at over $1-million in site improvements within the next two years,” Wagoner said. “While the vast majority of the funding is through competitive federal and state grants, we still have a need to raise local matching funds in order for us to secure the grant funds.”

Wagoner states that the admission fee enables the SHRA to meet the requirements of the grants. “When we submit our funding requests, sustainability is a major issue we address, in addition to how we will pay ongoing operating costs,” said Wagoner. “Many of the funding agencies have requested we initiate an admission fee because we receive no ongoing public funds (city or state) for operational costs. They have also suggested that we bank a portion of the admission fee in an endowment fund targeted for future building renovation work.”

Wagoner doesn’t feel the admission fee will hurt attendance, which grew to nearly 10,000 people last year. “Most of our visitors have been amazed that we’re not collecting an admission,” said Wagoner. “Many visitors felt the admission fee was a way they can contribute to the preservation of this unique historical treasure.”

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District is open to the public for tours on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. The historic district is located at 3400 Sioux River Road, State Highway 12, adjacent to the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway and the Big Sioux River.
Built in 1917, the Milwaukee Railroad Shops originally served as a steam locomotive servicing terminal and rail car repair facility. At its peak of operations, the Milwaukee Railroad Shops employed over 500 railroad craft workers in the trades of boiler maker, steamfitter, machinists, and several other occupations. The facility, on average, repaired and serviced 850 steam locomotives a month for the Sioux City and Dakota division of the Milwaukee Road. The shops were abandoned in 1980 and sold to a salvage yard operation. The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association purchased the complex in 1996 and began the railroad museum development project. The Milwaukee Railroad Shops are determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and are designated an official project of the federal Save America’s Treasures Program. The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District is home to Sioux City’s recently-restored landmark steam locomotive, Great Northern Railway No. 1355 – Ironhorse.

GN1355 displayed to the public to kick off historic preservation week

After twenty-five years of restoration work, Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1355 was displayed outdoors on Saturday, May 2, 2009, to kick off historic preservation week in Sioux City. This public display was significant as it marked the "near completion" of this historic preservation project. The locomotive's cosmetic and basic mechanical restoration is 99 percent complete with some minor details to be completed by October 16, 2009. In making its public appearance, the locomotive sported its heritage "Glacier Green" paint scheme and graphics. Over 500 visitors took advantage of the sunny Saturday to stop by the Milwaukee Railroad Shops to see the locomotive. The attached photo is illustrative of the grounds that formed around the locomotive through out the day.