Railroad Days

Train Ride at Lauritzen Gardens

July 17, 2011 - This weekend despite the heat wave we've been having, we braved the heat and humidity (although we've felt more heat in Texas and Arizona and more humidity in Virginia) and visited five museums (Lauritzen Gardens, Durham Museum, Union Pacific Railroad Museum, Railswest Railroad Museum, and Historic General Dodge House) between Omaha, NE and Council Bluffs, IA. Fifteen dollars covered each family for admission to all the train-related museums as well as provided transportation to each via bus or trolley.

The model train displays and train ride were the highlight of the Lauritzen Gardens. We skipped Kenefick Park and the outdoor garden exhibits due to the heat. 

From Lauritzen Gardens, we took the bus to our next stop, the Durham Museum. Watching the model train displays, stepping into the passenger cars, and ringing the loud bell was most exciting for Kristian. Before we left, we had lunch there.

Leaving the Durham Museum

Posing on a UP passenger car display

Next stop, the Union Pacific Railroad Museum. Housed in a Carnegie library, we toured each three floors while looking at their new exhibit that transports you back in time when railroad travel was in its prime. Pecos Bill was walking around for picture opportunities, but we missed him!

The mannequins were asking for our tickets!

On to the Railswest Railroad Museum by trolley.

At the Railswest Railroad Museum, we toured the inside and viewed the large model train display and then stepped outside into about seven real railcars on display. The heat at this time was at its worst, but we managed to visit nearly all the railcars before we left for our final destination.

Ringing the bell on one of the railcars

Sitting in the conductor's seat

Our last stop was the Historic General Dodge House. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside and were not in the mood to take pictures outside with the Civil War dressed volunteers because of the heat. We did learn that among General Dodge's many talents, he was most known for his job as a railroad builder and his house had been visited by six U.S. Presidents: Grant, McKinley, Roosevelt, Taft, Hoover, and Harding. On our way out, we just missed the cannons being shot!