National Railroad Museum

This article is about the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States. For information about other railroad museums, see National Railway Museum (disambiguation).
National Railroad Museum
The Victor McCormick Train Pavilion (left) and Frederick J Lenfestey Center (right) at the National Railroad Museum.
Map
Established1956; 68 years ago (1956)
LocationAshwaubenon, Wisconsin
Coordinates44°28′59.9″N 88°02′52.8″W / 44.483306°N 88.048000°W / 44.483306; -88.048000
TypeRailway museum
CEOJacqueline Frank[1]
Websitenationalrrmuseum.org
US Army No. 101, a Consolidation Class 2-8-0, on display at the National Railroad Museum on April 26, 2004. This locomotive was built for use in France during WWI but never made it there. The original European style cab was replaced by an American style one.
The Bauer Drumhead Collection. These drumheads were saved from scrapped locomotives and other railroading equipment.

The National Railroad Museum (reporting mark NRMX)[2] is a railroad museum located in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, US.

Founded in 1956 by community volunteers, the National Railroad Museum is one of the oldest and largest U.S. institutions dedicated to preserving and interpreting the nation's railroad[3] history. Two years later, a joint resolution of Congress recognized the Museum as the National Railroad Museum. The museum has been a Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization since 1958.[4][5]

Its collection of locomotives and rolling stock spans more than a century of railroading. Notable items include an Aerotrain; Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4017, one of the world's largest steam locomotives; and British Railways Class A4 No. 60008 Dwight D Eisenhower (ex-London & North Eastern Railway No. 4496 Golden Shuttle) and train used by the Supreme Allied Commander and his staff in the United Kingdom and continental Europe during World War II.[6]

A museum building houses a wide variety of railroad artifacts, an archive, and photography gallery. A standard gauge track rings the grounds. An 80-foot (24 m) wooden observation tower has views of the Fox River and Green Bay.

The museum hosted an annual Day Out with Thomas event until 2019, where Thomas the Tank Engine pulls young friends past the exhibited rolling stock; and in October, "Terror on the Fox": Green Bay Preble Optimist Club's haunted attraction that includes "haunted" train rides after dark. The Frederick J. Lenfesty Center, an enclosed and climate-controlled structure, built in 2001, houses several of the unique and rarer locomotives and cars.[7]

LNER/British Railways A4No. 60008 "Dwight D. Eisenhower" on display at the National Railroad Museum on September 16, 2010.
The backhead (controls) of Big Boy 4000 Class No. 4017.

Expansion

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A $15 million expansion project plan has been released that includes plaza along the Fox River and an additional display building.[8] The state of Wisconsin, through the use of American Rescue Plan Act funds is contributing $7 million to this project.[9]

Rolling stock

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Steam locomotives

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Railroad Class Road number Notes Image
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 5011 class (2-10-4) 5017
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway K-4 class 2736
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad SC-4 2-8-0 Consolidation 24
London and North Eastern Railway A4 4-6-2 4496 Dwight D. Eisenhower Only A4 class steam locomotive in the United States, and one of two displayed in North America; the other being 4489 Dominion of Canada. It was temporarily displayed in England for the reuniting of the remaining six A4s. In 2014, the locomotive was returned to the museum. During its display in England, the locomotive was repainted to the accurate shade of Brunswick green.[10]
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway E-1 class 506 First of ten E1 Class Santa Fe type (2-10-2) locomotives built for the Duluth Missabe & Northern by Alco in 1919. No. 506 was in service with the DM&IR until 1962 and was donated to the museum the same year.
Pardee and Curtin Lumber Company 12
Pullman Company 29
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (Soo Line) H-23 class (4-6-2) 2718
Sumter & Choctaw Railway 2-8-2 102 Has diesel engine in tender
United States Army 2-8-0 101 This locomotive was used in Korea, and the Korean name of this is 'Consolidation type no. 2-101'. It was since returned to the United States and is placed on display in a climate controlled shed.
Union Pacific Railroad 4000 class "Big Boy" 4017 One of the largest articulated steam locomotives in the world. It is displayed in a climate controlled shed.

Diesel locomotives

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Railroad Model Road number Notes Image
Wisconsin Central Ltd. (Ex - Fox River Valley Railroad) EMD SD24[11] 2402 (CBQ 510) Ex-CBQ, previously restored back to its Fox River Valley Railroad appearance.
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) FM H-10-44[12] 767
Georgia Pacific Railway Alco S-2 73 (Ex - 63–146) EX-SBRR, Currently painted in Great Northern Orange and Green numbered 11 though it was never operated by GN
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad General Motors Aerotrain[13] Trainset 2 Comes with the main engine and two cars.

One of only two surviving trainsets

Green Bay and Western Railroad Alco C430[14] 315
Manistique and Lake Superior Railroad (Later Ann Arbor Railroad) Alco S-3 1 (Later 10, Currently painted as GBW 103 though it never ran for the GBW)
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway EMD NW1 D538
Wisconsin Central Ltd. EMD GP30 715 Ex-SOO
Southern Pacific Transportation Company ALCO S-6 1203 (Currently painted as GBW 106) Operational, mainly used for excursion runs around the museum property
United States Army Whitcombe 44-ton switcher 106
United States Army ALCO RSD-1 8651
Canadian National Railway EMD E9 103 Donated by Canadian National Railway 2/2024[15]
Wisconsin Central Ltd. EMD SW1500 1563 Donated by Canadian National Railway on 11/13/2019[16]
Green Bay and Western 106, a former Southern Pacific ALCO S-6 restored into GBW livery and used for museum excursions.
Wisconsin Central 715, a GP30.
PRR GG1 4890
The interior of observation car Silver Spirit

Electric locomotives

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Railroad Class Road number Notes Image
Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 4890

Passenger cars

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Railroad Type Road number Notes Image
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Dining car Dothan
Chicago and North Western Transportation Company Bi-Level passenger car 32
Chicago and North Western Transportation Company Combination Baggage/Passenger car 7411
Chicago and North Western Transportation Company Hospital Service Car "Joseph Lister"
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Observation car 300 "Silver Spirit" This observation car once served the Burlington Route, and has been recently restored. It is only used for the Polar Express line, and is displayed outdoors.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 7 duplex bedroom, 4 section, 3 double bedroom, 1 compartment sleeping car 1269 "Poplar River" (ex GN - same name and number) This train car was used on the Empire Builder.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Railway post office car 2330
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Railway Express Agency car 1580
Green Bay and Western Railroad Combination Mail/Baggage/Express car 21 (ex passenger coach 52)
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad Passenger car 62
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad Combination Baggage/Passenger car 63
London and North Eastern Railway LNER Teak Sleeper Dwight D. Eisenhower 1591 From Dwight D. Eisenhower's command train, and is coupled behind the locomotive.
London and North Eastern Railway LNER Teak Sleeper Dwight D. Eisenhower 1592 From Dwight D. Eisenhower's command train, and is coupled behind the locomotive (currently coated in armor plating)
Pullman Company Sleeping car Pullman 8667 "Lake Mitchell"
Reading Company X Used as part of Terror on the Fox, a train ride during Halloween time.
Reading Company Y Used as part of Terror on the Fox.
Reading Company Y Currently painted as NRM "Josephine".
Tennessee Central Railway Business car (Monon) 100
Union Pacific Railroad Astra Dome diner 8003 Used on the City of Los Angeles (currently undergoing restoration in museum shops)

Freight cars

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Railroad Type Road number Notes Image
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad Outside braced boxcar 3011
American Cyanamid Covered hopper 134
Armour and Company Refrigerator car 4408
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Flatcar 206983
Union Refrigerated Transit Company Refrigerator car 72733 leased to Black Hills Packing Company
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Flatcar 910302
Menasha Wooden Ware Company Boxcar 242 This car is a replica
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad Ore hopper car 80374
Swift Refrigerator Line Wooden refrigerator car 5156
Standard Oil Single-dome tank car 9758
North American Car Company Double door boxcar 50143
North American Car Company Covered hopper 30133
PLM Railway Forty-and-eights boxcar From Merci Train
Richter Vinegar Company Vinegar tank car 20
TTX Company TOFC-service flatcar 970837
Canadian National Boxcar 414266 Donated to museum by Canadian National Railway[17]

Maintenance of way cars

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Railroad Type Road number
Burlington Northern Railroad Jordan spreader 973127
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Dynamometer car 30
Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad Flange plow 100
Wisconsin Central Railway, subsidiary of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad Wrecking crane W-1
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad Wrecking crane idler car X-

Cabooses

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Kickapoo Valley and Western cupola caboose painted in the Milwaukee Road scheme
Chicago Great Western Railroad cupola caboose
Railroad Type Road number Notes
Ahnapee and Western Railway Bay window caboose 33
Chicago Great Western Railway Cupola caboose 622
Chicago and North Western Transportation Company Bay window caboose 11217 Never actually worked for the CNW
Illinois Central Railroad Wide vision caboose 199488
(Ex Kickapoo Valley and Northern) Milwaukee Road Caboose 2

Other equipment

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Railroad Type Road number
Anheuser-Busch Plymouth 15 Tonner X
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 208351
Kohler Co. Trackmobile X
Schneider National Semi-trailer A508407 (Located on TTX Company TTWX 970837)

Other collections

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The museum's archives hold corporate records and documents, annual reports, maps, mechanical and engineering drawings, oral histories, and ephemera. The holdings represent various railroad companies, labor unions, and fraternal organizations.

Its library holds works on the social, economic, political, and cultural aspects of U.S. railroading history.

The National Railroad Museum holds over 5,000 artifacts, including textiles, uniforms, tools and personal items.

Its photograph collection includes 15,000 photographic prints, slides, and film negatives of U.S. railroading since 1890.

Capital campaign

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As of 2019, the museum was working to raise money to build a roundhouse to surround its current buildings (except the train station) to shelter from the weather the locomotives and cars displayed in the open pavilion.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jacqueline Frank". Datanyze. Datanyze, LLC. 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  2. ^ Railinc, Search MARKs Archived 2011-07-15 at the Wayback Machine, accessed September 2009
  3. ^ "New exhibit highlight railroad safety at National Railroad Museum". WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. 2021-01-29. Archived from the original on 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  4. ^ "National Railroad Museum Inc - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. 9 May 2013. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  5. ^ "About Us". National Railroad Museum. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  6. ^ "National Railroad Museum (Green Bay, WI): Roster & Overview". American-Rails.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  7. ^ Terry, Jeff. "National Railroad Museum". www.rypn.org. Archived from the original on 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  8. ^ Kerhin, Brian (30 December 2022). "National Railroad Museum submits plans for $15 million expansion". FOX 11 WLUK. Sinclair Broadcast Group. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  9. ^ Matesic, Emily (2 November 2023). "National Railroad Museum set for major expansion funded by $7 million federal investment". FOX 11 WLUK. Sinclair Broadcast Group. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Jacqueline Frank | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  11. ^ Foster, Gerald L. (1996). A field guide to trains of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 50. ISBN 0-395-70112-0.
  12. ^ Foster, Gerald L. (1996). A field guide to trains of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 18. ISBN 0-395-70112-0.
  13. ^ Burns, Adam (October 18, 2023). "GM's "Aerotrain" of 1956". American-Rails.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  14. ^ Foster, Gerald L. (1996). A field guide to trains of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 40. ISBN 0-395-70112-0.
  15. ^ [email protected] (29 February 2024). "Welcome the CN 103 locomotive home today!". www.facebook.com. Green Bay, Wis. 54304: National Railroad Museum. Retrieved 29 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  16. ^ "National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon now has a new engine thanks to CN". WFRV Local 5. www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  17. ^ "National Railroad Museum celebrates future plans". La Crosse Tribune. Jul 13, 2016. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Support the Green Bay Train Museum". National Railroad Museum. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2019-11-22.


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