COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - The Union Pacific Railroad Museum has announced the opening, on Friday, April 7, of its first new permanent educational display. The display, on how a modern railroad operates, will walk visitors through a series of easy learning “stations” that explain and illustrate the various steps in running freight trains.
The stations will have information and interactive displays including building and maintaining track; testing and inspecting track; how freight cars are selected for different kinds of loads; how diesel-electric and hybrid locomotives work; how trains are put together in yards; the engineer’s vantage point in a simulated locomotive cab; dispatching trains; and railroad safety.
On April 7-9, the museum will have special activities including a visit by the Operation Lifesaver trailer. A presenter will use an actual locomotive control stand and a braking simulation video to show the time and distance it takes to stop a train. “Sly Fox” and “Birdie,” mascots for Operation Lifesaver, which is a national non-profit educational organization that promotes safety around trains and railroad crossings, will also make an appearance.
The museum’s popular locomotive simulator will have new territory to ride, including the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
In addition to the museum’s normal Tuesday through Saturday hours, the museum also will be open on Sunday, April 9, from Noon to 4 p.m.
From TRAINS News Wire for March 14, 2006
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 April 2008 18:55 )
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