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.

Happy Anniversary Siouxland Historical Railroad Association (SHRA)!

Happy Valentines Day and Happy Anniversary to the SHRA and all of our friends, staff, Board of Directors and our extremely valuable past and present volunteers!

On this date in 1984 our Founder, Larry Obermeyer Sr. and our charter members convened the first organizational meeting of our corporation. As we begin our 30th year of work the SHRA Board of Directors wish to thank each of you for your dedication, commitment and perseverance in helping our organization and museum grow.

Our future as a local, regional, and national tourist destination/science and technology railroad museum is becoming brighter and clearer all the time. We had another outstanding attendance year in 2012 with a 46% increase in visitors, 45,725! We had an economic impact of over $2 million on our community and the local shops and business's are noticing. This increase could not have happened without our spectacular volunteers engaging with our visitors and making their visit a happy and emotional experience. 26% of our visitors were new, so that means 74% are repeat customers! That says volumes toward the experience they receive when visiting our museum complex. Thank you to each and everyone of our volunteers, you are AWESOME and we are so lucky to have you.

Happy Valentines Day! And Happy Anniversary!

Railroad Museum Changes and Schedule of Events for 2013

As the spectacular year of 2012 comes to a close and we prepare for an even busier 2013 the Board of Directors have made some changes that I would like to pass on to all of our valued friends, guests and volunteers.

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District and Railroad Museum will be closed from December 22^nd through January 8^th to all personnel.  After the busy and hectic year we had we thought our volunteers and staff could use some well-deserved down time from the railroad museum operations and enjoy the holidays with family and friends as they should be. Thank you to all of our volunteers and staff, our success this year could only have happen because of you. Your dedication, hard work and playfulness with our visitors gives them the fun, educational family experience that keeps them coming back for repeat visits. You are all outstanding people and we are so lucky to be working with you all.

Changes for 2013

A Time to Build New Exhibits – The Railroad Museum complex will be closed to the public from December 22, 2012 through February 28, 2013. The museum will be open to volunteers and staff from January 9, 2013 through February 28, 2013. This time will be used so that we can build new exhibits, work on old exhibits and catch up on maintenance and housekeeping. Parking for volunteers and staff will be allowed in-side the Historic District fence during this time frame.

Hours of Operation – We will maintain our 6 day work week that we started this year, however we are changing the day we are closed. To put us in line with the other museums and tourist attractions in town we are changing our closed date from Tuesday to Monday.

Beginning March 1^st                                                                        

Monday – CLOSED

Tuesday – Saturday – 10 am - 4 pm

Sunday – Noon – 4 pm

Major Holidays - CLOSED

Admission Rates

Adults -$5

Seniors - $4

Students (6-18) - $3

Kids 5 and younger - Free

Family Package (2 Adults and 3 or more childern) $20.00

New for 2013: Each admission ticket will include a free motor car ride ticket. (Additional motor car rides can be purchased for only $2 each)

Please contact us for special rates on tour groups, birthday parties and special events (weddings, family reunions, business meetings, etc..)

2013 Schedule of Events

• Founders Day – Saturday, March 2^nd (Spring Time Reopening)
• Easter at the Roundhouse – Saturday, March 23^rd (1^st Annual Easter Event) – This event has been scheduled due to numerous visitor inquiries and requests.
• National Train Day (Sioux City Historic Preservation Week) – Saturday, May 11^th 
• Ironhorse Day – Saturday, June 8^th  (moved from October and combined with Trains, Tripods and Snapshots Day)
• Ag/Rail Heritage Festival – Saturday and Sunday, August 17^th  and 18^th 
• Rock-n-Rail Music Festival – Saturday, September 14^th 
• Smithsonian Day- Saturday, September 21st 
• Halloween at the Roundhouse – Saturday, October 26^th 
• National Model Railroad Month Event – Saturday, November 16^th 
• Santa’s Whistle Stop Tour – Saturdays – December 7^th, 14^th, and 21^st

 Web site updates will be occurring in January with new information and updated photos of events. Please return to this Blog or check us out on Facebook and You Tube for the latest updates and information.  

Thank you for your support. Thank you for your time. We have really enjoyed meeting each and everyone of you this past year. We wish and your family's the best for the new year and hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season.

SANTA’S WHISTLE STOP TOUR 2012 - FINALE - SATURDAY, DEC 15TH

Have you heard all the noise coming out of the north Riverside part of Sioux City the past two Saturdays? It’s all the excited children yelling and screaming as Santa arrives on our caboose. Santa has been so thrilled at the 1,600 people he has been able to visit with over the last two Saturdays that he has told us how excited he is to come back for one last visit this Saturday, Dec 15^th at 1:15 PM.

All of our visitors have been very happy with the way we have the old rail yard and all the buildings decorated. We take great pride in offering a true family experience and our volunteers are honestly excited and happy to meet and greet each and every one that comes out. If  you have been to the event you know what I say is true, if you haven’t been out …. You’re really missing out on a wonderful time.  Santa’s is only here from 1:15 until 3:30 so make your plans and bring your family and friends. Be sure to arrive early so you can welcome Santa and the Polar Express Conductor when they arrive.

There are lot's of other activities going on at eh Railroad Museum also so take your time and take a look around and see everything that we have to offer. Admission is FREE!

Also, don't forget about our Bake Sale of holiday goodies. Home cooked with lots of TLC and very fresh. If you have an office function or a church/family get together coming up ..... let us do the baking for you. Not to mention, 100% of the sales for these items will go directly to our bathroom fund raising campaign.

For more detail about this event and other future events please visit our website at www.milwaukeerailroadshops.org for directions and other information and our Blog site at http://www.gn1355.blogspot.com  for the latest in up-to-date information. Visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milwaukee-Railroad-Shops-Sioux-City/341261424245 to see pictures and comments from our volunteers and friends or on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/SHRA1355 for some interesting video of the railroad museum complex.

Happy Holidays to All!

Santa’s Whistle Stop Tour – UPDATE!

Santa’s first of three visits to the Railroad Museum is just a couple days away and the volunteers and staff have been busy little elves getting everything set-up for his arrival. He and his special guest will spend a couple hours at our location visiting with anyone that would like to see him during the next three Saturdays on Dec 1^st, 8^th and 15^th. Admission to the museum complex will be FREE on these days.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Santa and his special guest the Conductor from the North Poles most famous train the Polar Express will arrive via caboose at 1:15 PM each day. 
•  He will meet with all of our visitors in the Machine/Blacksmiths Shop building located just south of the roundhouse. 
•  Pictures can be taken with your youngster and Santa or purchased for $5.00. ** 
•  Kids’ games and activities will be held in the back room of the Civil Engineering Exhibit Hall which also houses the famous 75’ x 18’ HO scale Nebraska Central Model Railroad. Children are asked to bring a donation of a nonperishable food item or paper product such as paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. to participate in these activities. ** 
• Complementary refreshments will be available in the Preservation Gallery located next to the gift shop in Bay 1 of the roundhouse. 
• Also located in the same room will be seasonal decorated baked goods for sale that are made by our volunteers. Individual items and some packaged assortments will be available making it a great treat or gift for someone. 100% of all the money raised through these sales will go directly to our fundraising campaign to install modern bathroom facilities on the museum grounds. 
•  Railroad and Charles Dickens characters will be on hand to interact with the guests and sing Christmas songs. 
•  The Polar Express Conductor will conduct special readings of the book the Polar Express at 1:30 and 2:30. 
•  Motor Car rides will also be available for only $1.00 each. This is a special 50% discount from normal pricing just for this event. 
•  Hay rack rides will also be available for your families’ enjoyment. A suggested $1.00 donation on boarding is requested.
•  Santa and the Conductor will depart via caboose at approximately 3:30 PM.

** Funds from the $5 picture sales and donated items used to participate in the children's activities will go toward the Kristen Polley Scholarship program and Hurricane Sandy relief.

Make your plans and come on down to The Railroad Museum located at 3400 Sioux River Road, Sioux City, Iowa. We can’t wait to see you!

ALL ABOARD! Santa's Whistle Stop Tour is coming to the Roundhouse.

Funds from the $5 picture sales and donated items used to participate in the children's activities will go toward the Kristen Polley Scholarship program and Hurricane Sandy relief.

We will also be sponsoring a bake sale during each of the event days. 100% of the bake sale funds will go directly toward our bathroom fundraising program currently in-progress. So, if you were thinking of baking some goodies to take to work, friends, relatives or church why don't you take a break and let us do the cooking and baking for you.

Save the date(s) and make your plans. Dress warm and have a good old fashioned family Christmas outing. We can't wait to see you!