Newsletter summer 07 - Sioux City Railroad Museum

Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
Published by the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association ~ Sioux City, Iowa
City Council Approves Construction
Plans: Sets Bid Letting Dates
Fundraising Campaign
Progress

Over 50% of the $115,000 goal
has been pledged and/or in-hand

Construction Documents
completed.

City Council will set bid letting
date for November.

are
Construction will begin by the
end of the year.
Contents
Canadian National Grant...........2
What Defines GN 1355..................3
Roundhouse Bay 1 Plans..........5
Contributors.........................................6 - 7
GN 1355 Progress Report.........8
New Marketing Campaign.......9
Motor Car Trailer # 2......................10
Rick Mach, special projects manager
for the City of Sioux City, presented
construction plans to the City Council
for the roundhouse renovations and
sand tower preservation work. The design plans, which were drafted by RML
Architects of Sioux City, were submitted for Council approval and to allow
the setting of a bid letting date.
The construction documents call for the
demolition of the interior spaces that
form the two-level bay 1 area of the
roundhouse building. A new bi-level
area will be constructed. The lower
level will contain spaces for a visitor
welcoming atrium, exhibit gallery, and
volunteer workshop. The upper level
will consist of an administration center,
volunteer training classroom, and a library and archive area.
When the reconstruction is completed,
new ground-level amenities will include an open storage area converted to
a 350 square-foot exhibit hall, a 200
square foot office converted to an entrance atrium to give a sense of orientation to the roundhouse’s original
functionality, and a 300 square foot
enclosed workspace for volunteers to
restore artifacts and build exhibits.
Three-fourths of the original second
level will be reconstructed. By limiting
the square footage of the second level,
a new entrance atrium will be built to
give a sense of orientation as visitors
enter the roundhouse. Removing the
floor structure in the atrium area allows
for using the large bank of windows as
daylighting to bring natural light into
the area. The new entry atrium will
feature a reception area to greet visitors
and record visitor registrations.
The second-level renovations will add
a large open space of about 350 squarefeet for an administrative suite and a
docent training classroom designed to
accommodate up to 30 volunteers. An
enclosed, environmental controlled
area of approximately 1000 square-feet
will be devoted to the organization’s
growing archives and library.
The wood sand tower will be completely dismantled with new wood installed to replace any damage caused by
wood rot. The sand tower will be reassembled with all its original components to allow for the interpretation of
the tower’s functionality in railroad operations. As one of the defining characteristics of the historic district, the sand
tower and the use of sand by the railroad are often a source of visitor questions.
The construction documents were originally approved by the Council on September 17 and subsequently reapproved
on October 22. A bid letting date was
set for November 20. Unfortunately, a
minor font size error was found in the
plans and a new public hearing accepting the construction plans and setting
the bid letting date for November will
be held by the Council in October. A
copy of the new floor plan for bay 1 is
presented in this newsletter on page 5.
Milwaukee Railroad Shops Receives
Canadian National Grant Award
Comments from the Visitor
Registration Book
“Educational, unbelievable. We
had no idea this was in Sioux
City ... Authentic!!!”
David, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
“1355 is a beauty!”
Eric, Reno, Nevada
“My kids love this place.”
Heather, Sioux City, Iowa
“Wonderful history. Thanks for
keeping alive!”
Jim, North Saint Paul, Minnesota
“Thanks for all your work to
make this possible!!”
Todd, Sioux City, Iowa
“Thank you for your work - my
children enjoy this part of history”
Robert, Salix, Iowa
“Great place to learn - good stuff
and very informative”
Chris, Surry, North Dakota
“It’s a great thing to keep history
alive for today’s youth ... Thank
you!”
Donald, Troutville, Oregon
The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic
District has been awarded a $2,000 grant
from the Canadian National Railway Corporation that will assist with the rehabilitation of the historic site’s roundhouse
building. Joe Ihede, Illinois Central Railroad trainmaster, presented the grant
award check to Jon Wagoner, president
and chief executive officer of the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association, during a recent Saturday volunteer work
session at the historic district.
The grant from the Canadian National
Railway Corporation (CN) was awarded
through the company’s community investment program focusing on heritage
initiatives. Through this focus area, the
railroad supports projects and programs
that encourage awareness and understanding of North American history, with
emphasis on projects relating to the role
of railroads in the formation of communities and countries on the North American
contentment.
Wagoner states “The grant funds will be
used to renovate bay 1 of the roundhouse.
This two story section will be gutted with
a new floor and drywall structure installed. Once the renovation work is completed, bay 1 will house an exhibit
gallery, volunteer work shop, and a library and archive area.” Wagoner anticipates that the construction work will
begin in late summer 2007.
CN is the only transcontinental railroad in
North America whose network spans
Canada and mid-America, from the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of
Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver,
Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax,
New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the
key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago,
Detroit, Duluth, Minn., Green Bay, Wis.,
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St.
Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with
connections to all points in North
America. Iowa communities served by the
CN through its Illinois Central Railroad
division include Sioux City, Le Mars,
Council Bluffs, Fort Dodge and Waterloo.
“This grant award boosts our efforts to
raise local matching funds for a $263,782
transportation enhancement grant,” states
Wagoner. “We need to raise $113,000 to
receive the federal funds, and this grant
puts us near the $60,000 mark.”
Photo Caption:
CN trainmaster Joe Ihde, left, presents a contribution check to Jon Wagoner, SHRA
president, during his recent visit to the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District
(Photo by Ed Sibley).
Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
What Defines Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive
No. 1355? New Exhibit to Highlight Significance
When Doug Bemrich and Larry Obermeyer began their efforts in 1987 to write
the National Register of Historic Places
nomination for Great Northern Railway
Steam Locomotive No. 1355, they knew
they would have a difficult time achieving the listing. Not many steam locomotives have meet the significance criteria
to be listed on one of three levels: local,
regional or national. Staff with the State
Historical Society of Iowa confirmed the
challenges the two would be facing. Doug
and Larry knew they had to find something special that defined the steam locomotive.
With the help of Ken Middleton and
Norman Keyes, members of the Great
Northern Railway Historical Society,
Doug and Larry were able to piece together a historical sketch of the steam
locomotive and its service history. They
also learned that what made the steam
locomotive so unique was it rebuilding
from a 4-6-0 ten-wheel configuration to a
4-6-2 Pacific-style locomotive.
During its rebuilding the steam locomotive was upgraded with many of the new
steam technologies of the day. This discovery led Doug to write a Reference
Sheet on the Class H-5 steam locomotive
for the Great Northern Railway Historical
Society.
The technological and mechanical aspects of the steam locomotive soon became the thesis of the National Register
nomination. Additionally, Doug and Larry
learned that the locomotive was used to
pull many of the Great Northern
Railway’s named passenger trains and
carried the famous Glacier Park paint
scheme – which was uncovered underneath eight coats of black paint.
Over the next eight years, both Doug and
Larry would continue to research the
locomotive in hopes they could eventually make a strong enough case to list the
locomotive on the National Register of
Historic Places. During this time, Doug
passed away and his research materials
and the original draft of his section of the
nomination were forwarded to Larry in
1998 by Doug’s mother. Larry continued
to research the locomotive’s history and
submitted a rough draft of the nomination
to the State Historic Preservation Office in
1999. Upon review by the State, the locomotive was determined to meet the National Register criteria for local
significance and was awarded the status
of “eligible for listing.” The State Historic
Preservation Office requested more research and documentation.
Finally, in spring 2005, Larry submitted a
final draft of the nomination, along with
the appropriate documentation, to the
State Historic Preservation Office. After
its review, the nomination was forwarded
to the Department of the Interior and the
National Park Service for final determination. On December 13, 2005, the Secretary of the Interior formally listed Great
Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No.
1355 and Tender 1451 on the National
Register of Historic Places with the status
of nationally significant.
When the SHRA board of directors realized there were many challenges preventing the SHRA from operating the
steam locomotive, the National Register
nomination became a new source of inspiration for the restoration project. Volunteers realized the locomotive could
play a significant role in educating the
general public on thermodynamics and
the role of steam locomotives.
As a result, a new signature exhibit is
being planned that will use the steam
locomotive as the main artifact. The exhibit will be titled STEAM Locomotion:
Exploring the Science, Technology, Engineering, Architecture and Mechanics of
Steam Locomotives. The planned exhibit
has caught the attention of many individuals. As the SHRA continues to develop
the exhibit plans, periodic updates will be
provided through this newsletter. .
Canada Geese Make a Whistle Stop at the Milwaukee
Railroad Shops Historic District
During August through October, Canada Geese often make a whistle stop at the
Milwaukee Railroad Shops for the purposes of feeding on oats that are planted on
the historic district’s farmland area. Several hundred geese will feed and nest on
their migratory flight slow. Photo by John Schultz.
New Steps allow the Public access to Steam Locomotive
Governor’s Office Recognizes
SHRA Secretary and Volunteers
Before leaving office last year, Iowa
Governor Tom Vilsack and Lt. Governor
Sally Pedersen took the opportunity to
honor hundreds of organizations and
their volunteers for preserving the cultural heritage of the state.
On September 30, 2006, the SHRA was
one of the organizations that was honored during a reception in the
Governor’s Office at the State Capitol.
During the ceremony, the Lieutenant
Governor took the opportunity to present SHRA secretary Larry Obermeyer
and volunteer John Obermeyer with a
Certificate of Appreciation from the
State of Iowa.
Thanks to a very generous donation from Wil Gerkin and the labors of Phil Neri and
Paul Sipes, visitors to the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District have the
opportunity to safely climb into the cab of the steam locomotive. During the spring,
Phil and Paul used lumber donated by will to construct two sets of stairs. Visitors now
have full access to the cab of the locomotive. This type of access is generally not
allowed at most museums. With the stairs, volunteers can now safely conduct
educational tours of the steam locomotive and explain the various components of the
backhead. It’s not uncommon for visitors to photograph kids sitting in the engineer’s
or fireman’s seat. Photo by Ed Sibley.
News Brief: Ag-Rail Heritage Festival Draws 4,000
About 4,000 people attended the 2007 Ag-Rail Heritage Festival at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic
District on Saturday and Sunday, August 18th and 19th. This year’s attendance was a festival record.
Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
Roundhouse Bay 1 Project Scope of Work and Benefit:
This project will demolish, reconstruct, install, and modify the physical spaces within bay 1 of the roundhouse, which are
currently inadequate to meet the educational demands of visitors and volunteers. The renovation work addresses needed
mechanical upgrades and building improvements to house educational programs and display exhibits.
Every effort has been made to accurately list contributors to the Save Our American Treasure
fundraising campaign. We apologize for any omissions or misrepresentations.
Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
The 1917 Heritage Society
Named for the year the Milwaukee Railroad Shops were constructed, The 1917 Heritage Society honors benefactors to
the Save American Treasure Fundraising Campaign who made a one-time contribution of $19.17 or more; and are residents from the neighborhoods and communities surrounding the railroad shops and Sioux City.
For further information on becoming a member of The 1917 Heritage Society, please write to the
Siouxland Historical Railroad Association, P O Box 1355, Sioux City, Iowa 51102-1355 or e-mail
us at [email protected].
Chamber Transportation Committee
Meeting held at Milwaukee Railroad
3 Big track jacks
4 baby track jacks
4 adz handles
1 dump truck ( 2 !/2 ton, all wheel drive
in good to excellent working condition)
1 ballast regulator
1 construction air compressor
1 air gun with various heads ( chisel, cap
end for spiking)
4 air tamping guns
Members of the Siouxland Chamber
of Commerce transportation committee visited the Milwaukee Railroad
Shops Historic District for a business
meeting on June 14, 2007. Volunteers
gave members a chance to learn
about the historic districts history and
the future plans to develop the site as
a railroad-themed science and industry museum. Approximately 20 committee members enjoyed the
luncheon meeting. Members of the
transportation committee include local business leaders, transportation
planners, community planners, engineers, architects, government officials, and other interested individuals.
The Siouxland Historical Railroad
Association thanks those Chamber of
Commerce members who participated in the luncheon meeting and
site tour. .
Siouxland Chamber of Commerce
Transportation Committee members
received a train ride aboard the motor
car express. The motor car express
consists of an eight-person motor car
pulling two trailing cars equipped with
seats. The trailing cars were reconstructed by Bud Smith, Jim Lipinski,
and Dan Dandurand, along with several other volunteers.
Transportation Committee members
were provided a guided tour of the
roundhouse building and the site. Pictured to the left is one portion of the
group listening to a short presentation
on the history of the steam locomotive
and future plans to develop the roundhouse as a railroad science and history
museum.
Photos by Chet French.
2 claw bars
1 guard rail spike starter *
1 backhoe ( with "thumb" and cribbing
bucket)
2 track levels ( wood or aluminum) *
2 wooden track gages (one set for 56 1/2"
the other set at 57") *
2 "Olson" bars ( used to Gage track) *
1 "Olson " cart (a "fold up" track cart) *
1 rail drill, with bits
1 18" abrasion saw, with rail clamp and
blades, storage box for same
2 clear plastic face shields *
1 separate oxygen/acetylene set up for
the boom truck
Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
Railroad-theme Places to visit
Planning Committee Seeks Input
through Survey of Members
Santa Express Train Ride
Over the next several weeks, the volunteer members of the planning committee
will be preparing and submitting several
grant applications seeking funds to continue the restoration work at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. As
part of the two applications that will be
prepared, the grant writers need to provide some basic information on the demographic make-up of the supporting
membership base
One-hour ride while kids hear the story of “The Polar Express.” Kids can ride in
their pajamas. 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Saturdays from November 24 through December 13; and 1:30, 4, and 6:30 p.m.
December 15. Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, 225 10th St. Boone. $14 for ages 1
and older.
Source: Des Moines Register
Iowa Museums utilizing Historic Railroad Structures
At least 60 former railroad depots, many beautifully restored, are in use around
the state of Iowa as local history museums or for other purposes. Iowa also has a
number of railroad attractions devoted to model railroading, and a number of sites
where antique railroad locomotives are displayed, or where excursion rides are
provided. Listed below are a few of Iowa’s railroading attractions.
Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad in Boone
Burlington Northern Depot and World War II Memorial Museum in Red Oak
C.B. & Q. Restored Depot in Creston
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Depot in Wilton
Delmar Depot Museum
Depot/Caboose Riverfront Park in Parkersburg
Dows Depot Welcome Center
Eldora Welcome Center and Railroad Museum
Fort Madison, Farmington and Western Railroad near Donnelson
Gowrie Depot Historical Museum
Grafton Heritage Depot/Museum
Historic General Dodge House in Council Bluffs (national historic landmark)
Historic Valley Junction in West Des Moines
Hobo Museum and Hobo Gift Shop in Britt
Hub City Heritage Railroad Museum in Oelwein
Illinois Central Railroad Depot in Independence
Kate Shelley Railroad Museum and Park in Moingona
L. M. & O. Railroad Museum in Marathon
Midwest Central Railroad in Mount Pleasant
Milwaukee Railroad Shops in Sioux City
Moravia Wabash Depot Museum
North Lee County Historic Center and Railroad Depot
Oelwein Railway Museum (Hub City Heritage Railroad Museum)
RailsWest Railroad Museum and HO Model Railroad in Council Bluffs
Red Barn Model Railroad Museum in Dundee
Restored Railroad Depot in Clarion
Santa Fe Depot Museum Complex in Fort Madison
Trainland U.S.A. in Colfax
Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs
Vinton Railroad Depot and Museum
Source: http://www.iowarail.com/history/attractions.htm
Iowa Department of Transportation
Office of Rail Transportation
To help the planning committee with
obtaining this marketing information, the
Northwest Iowa Area Education Association has allowed the SHRA to obtain
feedback through an on-line, secured,
survey instrument. The survey will allow
the planning committee to obtain feedback on several membership issues in
addition to obtaining basic socio-demographic information.
Responses from the membership survey
will help guide our educational programming and communication to better serve
you. If you have access to the Internet,
please take a few minutes to fill out the
membership survey at:
http://survey.aea8.k12.ia.us/
survey/92262/4f10/
Visitor Survey Being Conducted
by SHRA
The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association is surveying visitors to the
Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic
District. The purpose of the survey is
to gather baseline information and to
measure perceptions and expectations
visitors have for developing the historic site. The survey is being conducted through the end of the year .
Results of the survey will be published
periodically in the SHRA newsletters.
A memberships survey and community questionnaire will also be developed to assist the SHRA with future
planning activities. An on-line version
will be available in the near future.
Please visit the following website to complete your Survey of the Members:
http://survey.aea8.k12.ia.us/survey/92262/4f10/
Work Report: GN 1355 Project
By Ed Sibley, Project Manager
Simply stated, we have come a long way
in this process of getting GN 1355 back
to resembling a steam engine. The ongoing assembly process is steadily reducing
the number of parts that are spread out on
the floor of Bay 6.
We have completed the reassembly of
the smoke box including reinserting the
super heater tubes. The smoke box is
ready for surface preparation and painting. We are planning to use the silver
paint that the GN’s “Glacier Park” paint
scheme requires. We are missing one
marker lamp and if any one can get one
for us it would really be appreciated.
One of our long time supporters donated
the metal sheeting for the outside jacket
of the engine that would have covered
the lagging on the boiler. The sheeting
work has progressed to the point that the
under belly of the boiler is now being
covered. This has been a long hard job,
but will allow the boiler to painted a dark
green, which will match the paint scheme
mentioned above. Special thanks must
be given to Bob Sweeney and his crew in
their efforts to do this difficult and demanding work.
The floor in the cab has been installed on
both sides and the seats that I redid last
summer have been bolted down and are
being used. The arm rests for the windows are in place and the bell can be rung
from the fireman’s side of the cab. Our
two carpenters, Phil Neri and Paul Sipes
have built solid wooden steps up to the
cab on both sides of the engine.
With additional work from all the “boys”
the whistle was connected to the air compressor via a blue tank and it sounded for
the first time in 52 years! The Great
Northern Historical Rail Road Society
donated the air compressor with help
from a local supporter.
The injectors have been found, mounted
and connected to their respective valves
in the cab.
The sanding pipes were identified and
partially connected since they will have
to be put on after the sheeting is installed.
Again, we are missing some of these
pipes and will need to make new ones to
replace those missing pieces.
Major work has been done by me to
identify the valves on the back head and
what they operated. I have developed a
detailed list of the valves from pictures I
took as the back head valves and piping
were identified and assembled. A lot of
help was received from Norm Priebe and
Odell Overgaard in the process of getting
this extremely difficult puzzle sorted out.
There are no fewer than 25 valves on the
back head and there are still some functions that have not been identified as to
how they would have been controlled.
Special caps had to be machined so that
the piping could be fitted to them. All
the identified valves have copper name
tags on them thanks to Don Dandurand.
Odell Overgaard acquired a small booklet on the Great Northern oil firing system and brought it in. It fit our engine
exactly and we were able to assemble the
oil firing system and actually connect it
to the oil firing lever in the cab along
with connecting the dampers.
I have received a lot of help from a
number of members, but special mention
should be made of Steve Doughtery, Ron
Hayden, Jon Wagoner, Bud Smith, Jim
Lupinski, and Randy Bradley, Skip
Quady, and Ken Brown. (Ken and Bob
got the automatic bell ringer to work after
53 years of inactivity.) At the time of this
writing, Don Dandurand is meticulously
painting the locomotive’s undercarriage
and running gear (see photos to the right).
The photos to the right illustrate the pain-staking details for perfection the GN
1355 restoration crew is taking in rebuilding the locomotive. Many hours are
spent in scrapping the old paint and applying the new coat. Additionally, the
crews have spent enormous hours in measuring, cutting, and installing the new
boiler jacket and reassembling the backhead.
Photos by Don Dandurand
Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
State Grants Help Launch New Marketing
Campaign: History Under Construction
The Western Iowa Tourism Region today
awarded a $1,021 grant to the Siouxland
Historical Railroad Association for advertising the 2007 Ag-Rail Festival and
the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic
District. The grant was awarded in cooperation with the Iowa Tourism Office, a
division of Iowa Department of Economic Development.
The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association (SHRA) will use the grant funds
to place three display ads in the Sioux
City Journal prior to festival activities
that will be held on Saturday and Sunday,
August 18th and 19th on the grounds of the
Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District.
The grant project will include a 13-week
sponsorship of Nostalgia Theatre, which
is broadcasted on KSCJ Radio 1360 every Saturday morning. As a special event,
Nostalgia Theatre will have a live remote
airing from the Milwaukee Railroad
Shops Historic District on Saturday, August 18. Tentative plans call for a special
broadcast of an episode from the Railroad
Hour that aired during the 1940s and was
sponsored by the Association of American Railroads.
According to Jon Wagoner, SHRA president, the advertising grant is part of a
multi-phased project that will roll out the
Association’s “History under Construction” campaign that is designed to build
the image of the Milwaukee Railroad
Shops Historic District as a place to enjoy
railroad history while the buildings under
go extensive renovation.
“Through this particular grant project, we
will focus on family activities the historic
site offers that are educational and entertaining,” states Wagoner. “And our annual Ag-Rail Festival is one of those
events to learn about agriculture and the
railroads.”
In 2006, the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association began its branding campaign of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops
as a historic district. This former steam
locomotive servicing facility, which includes a roundhouse with turntable, is
emerging as a destination attraction along
the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway,
Iowa Highway 12. Last year, over 7,000
people visited the historic district.
The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association was one of ten organizations to
receive advertising funds from the Western Iowa Tourism Region for tourism
projects located in Western Iowa.
The Western Iowa Tourism Region
serves 36 counties in the western onethird of Iowa. Organizations, events and
attractions within this area are eligible for
$38,000 in grant funds for tourism promotion, advertising, and education.
“Selection of grant recipients is an increasingly difficult task,” stated Dawn
Cundiff, Shelby County Chamber and
advertising grant selection committee
chairman. “Western Iowa continues to
see an increase in private and public investment in tourism related projects and
services, and we are pleased that grant
dollars can assist the Siouxland Historical
Railroad Association with improving
their Western Iowa attraction and events.”
“The Western Iowa Tourism Region has
been excited about the interest in promoting tourism in Western Iowa and will
continue to work with the Iowa Office of
Tourism to encourage funding programs
for local projects,” said Jim Robbins,
Monona County Tourism and president
of Western Iowa Tourism Region.
Michele Walker, Executive Director of
the Western Iowa Tourism Region, reported that consumer interest in Western
Iowa is increasing each year and that
cooperative advertising and increased
funds for advertising and promotion will
continue to add to the visitor numbers in
Western Iowa.
SHRA Receives Economic Development Grant
The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association (SHRA) has been awarded an economic development grant from the Loess
Hills Alliance Economic Development
Committee. According to Jon Wagoner,
SHRA president, the grant monies will be
used to develop a public education and
awareness program that will focus on attracting visitors to the Milwaukee Railroad
Shops Historic District and building the
SHRA’s member and volunteer base to road Association was one of nine grants
help support its educational programs.
ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 spread
throughout the seven-county Loess Hills
Gary Tucker, Loess Hills Economic De- region in Iowa. In total, the Loess Hills
velopment Committee chairman, recently Alliance Economic Development Comannounce that the Siouxland Historical mittee awarded $50,000 in grant funds.
Railroad Association will receive $3,145 Since 2003, the Loess Hills Alliance Ecofrom the Loess Hills Alliance Economic nomic Development Committee grants
Development Grant Program. The grant have funded nearly $2 million in projects.
awarded to the Siouxland Historical Rail-
Did you know the Milwaukee Railroad Shops were one of the signature historic preservation
projects earning Sioux City’s designation as a federal Preserve America Community? For
more information, please visit: http://www.preserveamerica.gov/iasiouxcity.html
Entrance Beautification
Project Takes Shape
During 2006 Mid American Energy and the Keep
Iowa Beautiful Program administered by the Iowa
Department of Transportation, provided over $2,000
in grant funds to jumpstart tree, flower, and shrub
plantings along the entrance drive into the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. In 2007, Mid
American Energy provided another $1,000 grant to
continue Blue Spruce tree plantings next to the
entrance flag court.
Many visitors are commenting on the new appearance; which is making the historic district more
aesthetically pleasing to travelers along the Loess
Hills National Scenic Byway, Iowa Highway 12.
Volunteers participating in the project are Bud Smith,
Jim Lipinski, Jack Rippey, Nikki Campbell, and Ron
Heydon. Bud and Jim are project directors.
Coming Soon: Motor Car Passenger Trailer #2
By Ken Brown, Volunteer Reporter
Over the past few years we’ve had a number of open houses,
special tours, conventions and our annual Ag-Rail festivals and
while it may look like we are having a good time (which we are)
we are also observing and listening to our guests to try to
improve their stay with us and make the visit as enjoyable as
possible.
months working on the new car. Our new car will look very
similar to the first with the exception that the entrance will be
wider and a spot will be left open in the seating arrangement to
park a wheel chair. This new car will also feature an overhead
awning to provide shade relief from the sun on those hot summer
days.
Since we started giving motor car rides, its popularity has grown
in leaps and bounds. Originally it was just the US Army, 1941,
8 man motor car and our guests and driver squeezed in semicomfortably and everyone had a good time. As the popularity
grew and the lines got longer we realized that we needed to do
something different. We converted an old Maintenance of Way
equipment flat car into a passenger carrying trailer. Adorned
with bus seats, all facing inward, it added a nice smooth ride and
a comfortable setting to carry on conversation with other guests
while taking a trip on the rails.
Plans have been drawn up and a search for funding and/or
donations to build a metal passenger loading ramp/platform with
drawbridge walkways is underway. If you can help or know
someone that can, please contact us. We are trying very hard to
be able to have everything up and running by Ag-Rail in August,
so that EVERYBODY has a chance to enjoy a short little ride on
the rails.
While this has been a big success and added to the number of
people we could give rides too, we soon realized that we weren’t
able to give everyone the same opportunity to enjoy a ride.
Some of our older quests have had problems getting up and
down out of the car and we’ve noticed a marked increase in the
number of handicap, and in particular wheelchair bound guests.
Our volunteers decided that it was time to remedy that problem
and let EVERYBODY be able to enjoy a motor car ride.
The prime manufacturing crew of the first trailer car, Bud Smith
and Jim Lepinski, has been busy at work for the past many
Photo Caption:
SHRA volunteer Bob Sweeney assists complex visitors with boarding the motor car
trailing passenger cars, constructed out of former maintenance of way flat cars,
during a recent trial run (Photo by Nikki Campbell).
Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
Great Northern 1355 Rings in Blizzard of 2007
By Ken Brown, Volunteer Reporter
Saturday March 1, 2007 Chief Ironhorse
rang it’s bell automatically for the first
time since it’s arrival to Sioux City in
1954, coincidently it just happen to ring
in the Blizzard of 07 at the same time. The
culmination of a series of unrelated
events, lead to the completion of this remarkable milestone and the successful
sounding of the bell just hours before the
blizzard stuck.
It all started a few months ago when a
couple of ladies (whose names are in the
quest book specifically calling out their
donation, but slip my mind) came to visit.
One of the ladies husband’s had worked
for the railroad and she brought in four
volumes of a series of textbooks © 1910.
These books specifically explained back
shop tools, how to make them, various
theories and schematics of steam locomotive systems and a whole wondrous treasure of knowledge into the long lost art of
steam railway maintenance practices,
rules and procedures. A few weeks after
the books had been dropped off a group
discussion was going on about the location of the automatic bell ringer and how
we had all sadly thought that somehow it
had been misplaced and was lost forever.
Well, after lunch one of the volunteers,
Ken Brown happened to be skimming
through those books and happened upon
a chapter on the automatic bell ringers.
Intrigued by the earlier conversation he
read on and studied the pictures showing
these items and explaining their operation. Suddenly he realized he had seen a
part similar to one of the pictures in the
book. He went out to the bench full of
Photo Caption:
unknown (yet to be discovered or named)
steam engine parts and started searching.
When he found the suspect component he
cross referenced it with operational pictures of GN1355 and then joyfully announced his finding to Ed Sibley our
resident steam engine restoring ramrod.
After some debate and consultation with
other volunteers it was determined Ken
had actually found only half of it! We had
the housing but were missing the piston
rod for this air operated cylinder. Odell
Overgaard then stated he thought he
knew where the piston rod was and set off
in search of the missing half. Soon he was
successful and we had a complete set.
The parts were tagged and duct taped
together and placed off to the side to work
on at a latter date.
Well that date came at the end of February
when Bob Sweeny took it upon himself to
clean up the cylinder in preparation to
restore it. During his work Ken and
Randy Bradley stuck there noses into his
business and they all started to brain
storm on the operation and whether it
might actually work again. One thing
lead to another and Bob’s diligence and
attention to detail got the cylinder so
clean that it was thought it might actually
work. Ken took the cylinder back to
Omaha to the hydraulic store he works for
and rigged up a test bench, installed some
o-rings and figured out how the cylinder
worked and tested it successfully.
The following Saturday (March 1st) Ken
raced back to the roundhouse hoping to
deliver, install, and operate the automatic
bell ringer and get back out of town be-
fore he got snowed in. Work started at
8:45 with Ken, Randy, and Bob trying to
get this thing to work. Installing it was no
problem but trying to figure out the correct indexing took awhile. Randy found
some old peen marks that we thought
were leftover clues from mechanics of the
past. Bob searched old photos for clues
and Ken played with various adjustments
to the air system to get the correct and
most efficient operating pressure. Finally
by noon the team had succeeded and the
bell was ringing under its own power for
the first time since 1954. Everybody was
excited and broke for chow while Ken
raced back to Bellevue, NE to get home
before the storm hit.
While the volunteers are working the
best they can to restore the complex this
one situation also demonstrates that our
visitors can play just as big a part. Had it
not been for the books that had been donated none of this would have been possible. So to all of our visitors and
donators THANK YOU for your support!
Later this summer when we get some
more plumbing and painting accomplished our plans are for the visitors to
be able to actually ring the bell using the
same valves and mechanisms just like
the fireman did when the engine was in
operation. While the engine may not be
able to come to life in its entirety the volunteers are struggling every week to
bring at least some of its parts back to
life.
This photo captures a panoramic view of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District in 2006.
The original photo was taken as a series of four photos by Todd Schultz. These photos were then
digitized and combined into a panoramic view by graphic artist Kerry Vondrak.
This article is courtesy of:
John W. Barriger III, National Railroad Library
St. Louis Mercantile Library, University of Missouri - St. Louis
Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
Did you know ... The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association’s website is undergoing an
extreme makeover? Our new web site address will be: milwaukeerailroadshops.org. Todd
Schultz is our new webmaster and is working with Jacomic Technologies on the new site design.
Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
Next Newsletter Publication Date:
The next issue of Milepost 518 will be printed and distributed in November 2007.
SHRA Board of Directors Unveils Named Gift
Opportunities for Buildings and Exhibit Galleries
The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association (SHRA) board
of directors has announced the Naming Rights Program for the
Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District in Sioux City.
Individuals, organizations or businesses now have an opportunity to purchase twenty-five year Naming Rights to the historic
district’s roundhouse and machine/blacksmith shop buildings as
one of the key components of the SHRA’s fundraising campaign. In addition, there are opportunities to acquire twenty-five
year Naming Rights to the physical spaces within the historic
buildings that will house exhibit galleries, a library, meeting
room, and restoration shop.
“The SHRA board of directors is very excited to announce the
new Naming Rights Program,” stated Jon Wagoner, SHRA
president. “The Naming Rights program provides individuals,
families, businesses and organizations with the opportunity to
make a legacy gift to the community by providing the financial
resources to preserve one of the largest remaining steam locomotive-servicing roundhouses in the nation.”
As the signature structure in the Milwaukee Railroad Shops
Historic District, the Naming Rights for the roundhouse building
are available for a $150,000 contribution. Wagoner stated that
all Naming Rights contributions will be recognized with a
plague engraved with the contributor’s personal or business
name, as well as their town and state. The plagues will be placed
in locations highly visible to visitors as they tour the historic
district and exhibits that will be built.
The roundhouse building is being renovated for reuse as a
railroad science and technology museum that will feature exhibits on thermodynamics, steam locomotives and other large locomotives and rolling stock. As an example of how the naming
rights will work, the roundhouse building will be labeled
[Contributor’s Name – Museum of Railroad Science and Technology].
The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association launched an
$115,000 fundraising drive in April to raise the funds needed to
match a federal grant that completes the interior restoration of
bay 1 in the roundhouse. Since the announcement of its original
fund drive, the SHRA has secured $55,000 in contributions and
a second federal transportation enhancement grant that will
preserve the machine/blacksmith shop building and build a civil
engineering museum exhibit building that will house the Nebraska Central Railway exhibit.
“The Naming Rights Program gives those individuals or businesses an opportunity to remember or honor someone who may
have had an extensive railroad career or a strong interest in
trains, history, science, or technology,” adds Wagoner. “As the
Milwaukee Railroad Shops develop into a series of museums,
the historic district will become a destination attraction for many
visitors.”
Twenty-Five Year Named Gift Opportunities
Roundhouse Building (Total Building Envelope) $150,000
Roundhouse Locomotive and Rolling Stock Gallery
(Locomotive Stalls 2-6) - $100,000
Roundhouse Visitor Orientation Atrium (Entrance Locomotive Stall 1) - $15,000
Roundhouse Restoration Workshop (Locomotive
Stall 1 – First Floor) – $25,000
Roundhouse Exhibit Gallery (Locomotive Stall 1 –
First Floor) - $25,000
Roundhouse Volunteer Training and Meeting Area
(Locomotive Stall 1 – Second Floor) - $15,000
Within the roundhouse building, Naming Rights are also available for the visitor welcoming atrium at $15,000, the bay 1
exhibit gallery at $25,000, bay 1 restoration work shop at
$25,000, volunteer training center/meeting room at $15,000, and
the organization’s library area at $25,000.
Roundhouse Railroad Library and Research Area
(Locomotive Stall 1 – Second Floor) - $25,000
Each of these contributions are tax deductible and bring the
added incentive of helping the SHRA raise the necessary matching funds to secure two federal transportation enhancement
grants awarded for preserving the buildings of the Milwaukee
Railroad Shops.
Machine Shop Gallery Area (North end of Machine/
Blacksmith Shop Building) - $75,000
Machine/Blacksmith Shop Building (Total Building
Envelope) - $125,000
Blacksmith/Forging Shop Area (South end of
Machine/Blacksmith Shop Building) - $50,000
Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District Named Gift Opportunities
Your gift to Phase 1 of the Save Our American Treasure Campaign will provide support necessary to reconstruct and preserve
several buildings in the historic district. Through the Named Gift Opportunities Program, your name, or the name of someone you
wish to honor, will be recognized in a special way in the historic district. Named gifts include outright gifts or cash pledges over a
three-year period. Utilizing this recognition program will give the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District the privileged of
honoring or acknowledging our benefactors or a member of their family.
Caboose Gift Shop Book Fair ~ Limited Time Only
Issue 07-01, Summer 2007
The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association will be adding a new line of children’s educational books to
the Caboose Gift Shop inventory in Spring 2008 by teaming with bookseller Usborne. As part of the new item
promotional campaign, you have the opportunity to purchase the books on-line through the local representative. Instructions for ordering books or browsing their catalog are at the top of this page.
Milwaukee Railroad Shops seeks Volunteers
The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District, which serves nearly 8,000
visitors a year from around the country, is now seeking volunteers to participate
in its preservation programs and visitor services programs.
Docents are needed to welcome and assist the public by greeting visitors,
answering questions, and conducting site tours. They lead educational activities
by helping visitors understand the history of the railroad shops and the railroad
industry in general.
Volunteers are also needed to work on locomotive, rolling stock and building
restoration projects.
If you have an interest in helping, simply e-mail our secretary at the following
address: [email protected].
We are looking for volunteers to fill the following positions:
Volunteer coordinator
General laborer
Track repair
Carpenter
Fundraising
Special event coordinator
Docents to greet visitors and give tours
Educational programming coordinator
Steam locomotive laborers
Welders and pipefitters
Be a part of the SHRA - join the volunteer team in support of building the railroad
museum.
We have morning, afternoon and daylong shifts available on Saturdays. All
volunteer candidates must sign a waiver of release and complete an application.
Publisher and Editor: Larry Obermeyer
Printing by Impressions Print Shop