Omaha Train Show - Sat & Sun April 20 & 21

If you happen to be in the Omaha area this weekend and are looking for something train related to do, stop by Bruke High School near 120th & Dodge for the Western Heritage Division & Model Train Show Swap Meet. We will have a booth set-up at the show all weekend so please stop by and visit with us. We will have some of our most popular gift shop items (t-shirts, books, photo's and more) on hand for sale.

If you've never been to the Railroad Museum in Sioux City this will be a great opportunity to stop by ask questions, watch some slide shows and see what we have to offer.  We also have $3 million dollars in construction planed over the next few years to finish rehabilitating our 1917 built buildings and add in visitor comforts such as restrooms, paved parking, paved trails throughout the 31 acre complex and a 16" gauge train that will move people around the complex and provide a nice ride experience as well.

If you're not going to be in Omaha, stop on out to the Railroad Museum in the north Riverside area of Sioux City on Hwy 12 just 2 miles south of Stone State Park and give us a visit.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the recent snows and rains please call ahead (712-233-6996) of your visit to check on conditions and possible closings due to the muddy and puddling conditions. Hopefully warmer and drier conditions are just around the corner.

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.

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.