ATTN: MEMORIAL DAY COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR/COVERAGE

FORMER BROOKFIELD ZOO TRAIN STEAMS AGAIN
TO KICK OFF HESSTON STEAM MUSEUM'S 53rd SEASON!
 
THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND - THREE BIG DAYS!
 
NEWSPAPER REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS - FREE ADMITTANCE WITH 
PRESS CREDENTIALS  /  GO TO www.hesston.org TO DOWNLOAD IMAGES!
 
HESSTON, IN: For years it carried happy visitors past lions, elephants, giraffes, and 
other animals at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. Now Brookfield's former "Blue Goose" train 
will be steamed up and ready to carry families once again at the Hesston Steam Museum 
- just an hour away - in northwest Indiana!
 
Built in 1968 by the Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Wisconsin Dells, Wis., the 
Blue Goose served Brookfield Zoo until 1985 and carried thousands of families on a two-
mile trip around the park grounds. The Cook County (Ill.) Forest Preserve District later 
stored and donated the train to Hesston in 2002 after the zoo service stopped.
 
"This locomotive [the Blue Goose] is a great-looking replica of a 1900s steam engine. Its 
classic lines make it a favorite at our museum," says Steam Museum General Manager, 
Ted Rita. "We give credit to the [Cook County] Forest Preserve District for allowing us 
to have the opportunity to return the train to its former glory."

After three years of meticulous restoration - and a fresh coat of blue-gray paint - the 
Blue Goose will kick off Hesston's 53rd operating season this Memorial Day weekend, 
May 23-25. With the area's largest collection of authentic, turn-of-the-century steam-
powered equipment, the Hesston Steam Museum is just an hour away in Hesston, Ind. - 
conveniently located near Chicago, Northern Indiana, and Southwestern Michigan.
 
Families will see our nation's industrial past come to life! Hesston also will bring out its 
distinctive Shay Locomotive, which will once again pull trains of visitors over the 
museum's two-and-a-half mile full-sized railroad. Other special equipment operating on 
the Memorial Day weekend are the group's quarter-scale steam railroad, steam saw mill, 
electric light plant, and a steam-powered industrial tractor.
 
The museum's gift shop also features a new look, new toys, and lots of books, videos, 
hats, and more for kids of all ages. Food is available at the museum or bring a picnic.
 
Trains operate Saturday, May 23, through Memorial Day (Monday), Noon to 5 CDT. The 
museum is also open weekends throughout the summer. For more information visit 
www.hesston.org. or call 219-778-2783 (weekends).
 
FREE PARKING & NO ADMISSION CHARGE!
 
TRAIN TICKET FARES are $5 for adults and $3.00 for kids 12 and under.
 
TAKE I-94 TO EXIT ONE, SOUTH TO COUNTY RD 1000 NORTH OR TAKE 
THE INDIANA TOLL ROAD TO EXIT 49, NORTH ON 139 TO COUNTY RD 1000 
NORTH AND FOLLOW THE SIGNS.