Mid-Continent Railway Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Mid-Continent Railway Museum

The restored 1894 Chicago and North Western depot is where visitors start their journey at the museum.
Locale	E8948 Museum Road, North Freedom, Sauk County, Wisconsin
Coordinates	Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 614: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Route map of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum
Connections	Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
Commercial operations
Built by	Chicago and North Western Transportation Company
Original gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Reporting mark	MCRY
Stations	1
Length	3.7 miles (6.0 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened	1959
Closed	2008–2009
Preservation history
1959	Railroad Historical Society of Milwaukee formed and first steam locomotive acquired
1962	Train rides first operated on the Hillsboro and Northeastern Railway and North Freedom branchline purchased
1963	Equipment moved to new location and trains first operated
1965	Depot moved from previous location
Headquarters	North Freedom, Wisconsin

The Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a special museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin. It's not just a place with old trains on display. Visitors can also take a seven-mile round trip ride on historic railroad cars. It's a journey back in time to the golden age of trains!

History of the Railway
Riding the Historic Trains
- Special Train Events
The Museum's Collection
- Locomotives at the Museum
Gallery
See also

History of the Railway

From Iron Mines to Museum

The tracks used by the museum today were once part of a busy railroad line. In 1903, the Chicago and North Western Railway built this short track to serve nearby iron mines. A new town called La Rue sprang up to support the hundreds of miners working there. The town had a hotel, a church, and even two saloons.

At its busiest, the mines shipped up to 12 train cars of iron ore every day. But this success didn't last. Water began flooding the deep mine shafts, making it very expensive to pump out. The first mine closed in 1908, and the second closed in 1914. Without the mines, the town of La Rue was quickly abandoned. Today, only one building from the old town is still standing.

After the iron mines closed, a company began quarrying quartzite rock nearby. The railroad tracks were used for this until 1962. When the quarry closed, the rail line was going to be abandoned and torn up.

Saving the Tracks

Luckily, a group of train lovers from Milwaukee had formed the Railway Historical Society of Milwaukee in 1959. They were collecting old locomotives and train cars and needed a home for them. In 1962, they heard the North Freedom tracks were for sale and bought them.

The group moved all their equipment to North Freedom. By the summer of 1963, they had repaired a steam locomotive, the No. 1385. For the first time, they offered train rides to the public. The museum has been giving rides every year since then.

A Major Flood

In June 2008, the Baraboo River flooded and covered the museum grounds in water. The museum had to close for repairs. A key bridge connecting the museum to the main U.S. rail network was also damaged. This meant no large trains or equipment could be moved to or from the museum. The bridge was finally repaired in July 2018.

Riding the Historic Trains

The museum operates a heritage railroad, which means it uses historic trains to show people what travel was like in the past. The train ride is a seven-mile round trip that takes about one hour.

The journey starts at the North Freedom depot. It passes through the old mining town of La Rue and goes to a rock quarry before returning. During the ride, a conductor in a uniform punches tickets and tells stories about railroad history.

Special Train Events

The museum also hosts special events throughout the year.

Autumn Color weekends in the fall show off beautiful scenery.
Pumpkin Special trains run near Halloween.
Santa Express Weekends bring holiday cheer in late November.
The Snow Train runs in February for a unique winter ride.

For most of its history, the museum's trains were pulled by real steam locomotives. Since 2000, diesel locomotives have been used while the steam engines are being repaired.

The Museum's Collection

The museum focuses on trains and equipment from the "Golden Age of Railroading," between 1880 and 1916. This was a time when railroads grew incredibly fast across the United States.

CNW 1385 is a famous steam locomotive at the museum. It is being restored so it can run again.

The museum has a large collection of historic train cars. It has the biggest collection of wooden passenger cars in the country. It also has a very rare "fish car," which was used to transport live fish to stock lakes and rivers.

The main station building, or depot, is a real depot from 1894. It was moved from the nearby town of Rock Springs in 1965. Inside, you can find waiting rooms, a ticket office, and a gift shop. The museum also has other historic railroad buildings, like a water tower and a crossing tower.

Locomotives at the Museum

Here are some of the historic locomotives you can see at the museum. "Operational" means the locomotive can run on the tracks. Others are on "static display" (for viewing only) or being restored.

Locomotive	Builder	Type	Built	Status	Previous Owner
Chicago and North Western 1385	American Locomotive Company	R-1 4-6-0 steam	1907	Under restoration	Chicago and North Western Transportation Company
Consumers Company 701	American Locomotive Company	0-4-0 steam	1914	Stored	Consumers Company
Copper Range 29	American Locomotive Company	C2 2-8-0 steam	1907	On static display	Trans-Northern
Dardanelle and Russellville 9	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-6-0 steam	1884	Undergoing cosmetic restoration	Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad
Goodman Lumber Company 9	Lima Locomotive Works	Class B Shay steam	1909	On static display	Historyland Museum
Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western 49	American Locomotive Company	2-8-0 steam	1929	On static display	City of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
Lake Superior and Ishpeming 22	American Locomotive Company	SC-4 2-8-0 steam	1910	On static display	Marquette and Huron Mountain Railroad
Soo Line 2645	Brooks Locomotive Works	E-25 4-6-0 steam	1900	On static display	City of Waukesha, Wisconsin
Western Coal and Coke 1	Montreal Locomotive Works	42-6-8 steam	1993	Disassembled, awaiting restoration	Lethbridge Collieries Limited
Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri 10	Electro-Motive Diesel	NW2 diesel	1949	Stored	Domtar
John Morrell and Company 7	American Locomotive Company	S-1 diesel	1944	Under restoration	Association of American Railroads
Milwaukee Road 988	American Locomotive Company	RSC-2 diesel	1947	Under restoration	Trans-Northern Incorporated
Montana Western 31	Electro-Motive Corporation	Gas-electric car	1925	Under restoration	Montana Western Railway
United States Army 4	General Electric	45-ton switcher diesel	1943	Operational	Pullman Company
United States Army 1256	Baldwin Locomotive Works	RS-4-TC diesel	1954	Operational	United States Army
Wisconsin Power and Light 3	Plymouth Locomotive Works	30-ton switcher diesel	1952	Stored	Wisconsin Power and Light Company
Wisconsin Sand and Gravel 2	Plymouth Locomotive Works	HL-18 diesel	1928	Stored	Wisconsin Sand and Gravel Company