The Civil Engineering & Model Railroad Learning Center
A new 50 x 80 foot building will be built to the south of the Machine/Blacksmith Shop. The 15' x 65' HO scale model railroad the Nebraska Central Railroad will be rebuilt and used as the key exhibit. The Nebraska Central was originally the home layout of entrepreneur Wille Thiesen, founder of Godfathers Pizza. He donated the model to the Durham Western Heritage Museum in Omaha, Nebraska who in turn donated it to our organization after spending more than 10 years as one of their top permanent attractions. The model railroad depicts a journey from Omaha to the Black Hills and will be used as a center piece to learning about civil engineering and the trials and triumphs of building a railroad from the plains to the mountains. Interactive displays to include items such as land surveying, route planning, bridge building, tunnel digging, infrastructure, logistical support and the people that made it happen plus the operating model railroad are sure to entertain and educate visitors of all ages. The building will be built to look like a passenger depot with a bay window ticket booth which will be used in the future as plans to build a 16" rail line with gas and steam powered locomotives come to realization.
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