Sioux City Railroad Museum tracks a romantic past

So, what does a nearly 90-year-old potboiler Robert Armstrong ("King Kong") and Jean Arthur ("Mr. Smith Goes to Washington") have in common with the Sioux City Railroad Museum?

Well, if you watch the film's first few minutes, you'll see a Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District the way it would look in its heyday.

"All Milwaukee Railroad Shops had a uniform look, down to the colors of wall and design of the signage," executive director Matt Merk explained. "The movie 'Danger Lights' will take people back to an earlier time."

In large part, that's what Merk and his crew have been doing at the Sioux City Railroad Museum. 

Located on a 30-acre complex along Highway 12 at 3400 Sioux River Road, the museum is home to one of seven surviving roundhouse terminal landscapes in the nation.  

First listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, the Sioux City Railroad Museum also received the prestigious Preservation Iowa award in May 2019 for Best Community Preservation Effort.

Which is a major reversal for land that had been a salvage yard just 35 years earlier.

WHEN THE RAILROAD CAME TO SIOUX CITY

With its close proximity to the Missouri River, Sioux City saw the arrival of its first steamboat in 1856. In 12 short years, the railroad first made its way to town.

In time, eight railroads would serve Sioux City before it was consolidated down to six. This made the city the 10th largest rail center in America during the 1920s and 1930s. 

Construction for repair shop terminal in Sioux City's Riverside began in 1916 and was completed as soldiers returned home from World War I in 1918.

At its height activity during World War II, the terminal employed 560 workers, overhauled 35 steam locomotives every day while maintaining thousands of rail cars every year.

The number of employees dropped drastically after the railroad converted to diesel. In addition, the roundhouse was reduced from 30 stalls to six. 

Eventually, the bottom fell out of the rail business and Milwaukee Road filed for bankruptcy in 1977. In 1981, the company sold its Sioux City property to a farm machinery salvage company in 1981. Within a few short years, it fell into disrepair.

That is until the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association acquired the property in 1995, converting it into a museum. 

PAYING HOMAGE TO A RAILROAD TOWN

For nearly 35 years, Merk and his small staff have joined forces with countless volunteers in restoring the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District to its former glory. 

From the Corliss Stationary Steam Engine that was rescued from Sioux City's former KD Station to a newly restored 1952 railroad dining car, the Railroad Museum provides visitors with a unique, one-of-a-kind experience.

NOT YOUR TYPICAL MUSEUM

"When people think of a museum, they probably don't think of this," Merk said of the sprawling exhibits that grace multiple buildings. 

Recalling a more romantic age, the Railroad Museum is sometimes booked for birthday parties, wedding receptions and special events.

However, Merk is quick to say the property is, first and foremost, a museum designed to celebrate Sioux City's long history with the railroad.

"I've had people come in, look at an old photo and say, 'that's my uncle from back in the day,'" he explained. "It seems like everybody has a connection to the railroad."

This includes the people who didn't even work directly for the railroad.

"We strive to recognize the work of the construction people, the mechanics and everyone else who made an impact on the railroad industry," Merk said. "Their contribution was great."

Walking into the sleek dining car, it is not hard to imagine yourself as a character in some black-and-white movie.

From its dining room's eccentric wallpaper to the still-sleek-after-all-these-years stainless steel kitchen, you can imagine yourself as a dashing drifter played by Robert Armstrong, desiring an out-of-your-league Jean Arthur.

While trains can get you from point A to point B, the Sioux City Railroad Museum can send you back to a time you can only imagine you were a part of.