Union Pacific Railroad Museum Re-Opens May 12

May 9, 2012

First Museum Exhibit to Use Kinect Full-body Gaming Technology

The Union Pacific Railroad Museum will once again open its doors on May 12. The museum was closed for a month while the first floor was transformed into a new exhibit, "Building America," which is dedicated to sharing the history of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Through immersive design and innovative technology, visitors will be transported to the 1860s as they learn about frontier life, the monumental work needed for constructing the railroad and the communities that were created along its route.

The Union Pacific Railroad Museum is the first museum to use the recently released X-Box full-body gaming technology to create an authentic experience for visitors. In addition, more than 200 of its most precious artifacts are on display, including a 55-piece firearm collection and 60 railroad lanterns.

To learn more about the installation process and for sneak peeks of the new exhibit, "Like" the Museum on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/uprrmuseum, or follow on Twitter, @uprrmuseum.

Union Pacific Railroad provided funding for this renovation, with assistance from the Iowa West Foundation, The Friends of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum and the City of Council Bluffs.

Union Pacific Railroad Museum to Close April 8 – May 11

April 4, 2012

Due to the installation of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum’s newest exhibit “Building America” the museum will be closed April 8 – May 11, with a grand reopening May 12. To learn more about the installation process and for sneak peeks of the new exhibit, visit the exhibit’s slideshow, "Like" the Museum on Facebook, or follow on Twitter, @uprrmuseum.

Working on the Railroad: The Evolution of a Modern Railroad

March 7, 2012

Raleigh Sheffield will be presenting a tour of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum’s modern railroading exhibit, "Working on the Railroad" on Saturday, March 10, as part of the museum’s second Saturday guided tours program. Tours will start at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

As a retired General Manager of International Sales for Union Pacific with 30 year in marketing and sales experience, Raleigh Sheffield will draw upon his wealth of first-hand knowledge as he speaks about how the 1980s mergers, modern innovations and the introduction of international sales has helped shape Union Pacific into railroad we know today.

Guided tours of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum are offered every second Saturday and cover a wide range of topics. Always free, these talks expand on topics and themes already presented in the Museum.

Union Pacific Railroad Museum to Open New Exhibit in May

March 2, 2012

First Museum Exhibit to Use Kinect Full-body Gaming Technology

The entire first floor of The Union Pacific Railroad Museum will be transformed in the coming months into the state-of-the-art, million-dollar exhibit "Building America" The exhibit's grand opening will be May 12, 2012. 

Since opening in the Carnegie Library in Council Bluffs in 2003, the Union Pacific Railroad Museum's first floor has been dedicated to sharing the experience of building the Transcontinental Railroad.  The new exhibit takes the telling of this story to an entirely new level.  With a new immersive design and cutting-edge technology, visitors will be transported to the 1860s as they learn about frontier life, the monumental work needed for constructing the railroad and the communities that were created along its route.

"Using video gaming technology never before seen in a museum application, the "Building America" exhibit will allow us to put visitors to work at the scene of the transcontinental railroad construction," said Patricia LaBounty, outreach and collections manager, Union Pacific Railroad Museum. "From entering a tunnel at Donner Summit to trying their hand at driving a spike, visitors will see this 19th Century feat of technology and engineering come to life as never before,"

The museum will be closing the first floor of exhibits March 5 to begin construction.  The second floor of exhibits, "America Travels by Rail" and "Working the Railroad" will remain open through April 7.  The entire museum will be closed from April 8 to May 11, reopening May 12 with the unveiling of the "Building America" exhibit.

Key components of the "Building America"exhibit will include:

• The first museum use of Kinect full-body gaming technology to create a truly immersive experience for visitors.
• More than 200 artifacts, some dating back to the 1860s.
• 55 pieces from the museum's firearm collection;
• 60 railroad lanterns;
• 64 stereographic images from the building of the transcontinental railroad;

To learn more about the installation process and for sneak peeks of the new exhibit, "Like" the Museum on Facebook, or follow on Twitter , @uprrmuseum. 

Union Pacific Railroad provided funding for this renovation, with assistance from the Iowa West Foundation and The Friends of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.