I awoke and looked out of my third floor window at the Baymont Inn in Janesville, Wisconsin at a very stormy Saturday morning. After breakfast and checking out, I filled the rental car with petrol for another day of driving. I had one stop to make in Janesville and the rain was not about to stop me.
I drove up to the Wisconsin Southern Railroad engine facility during a downpour and the automatic windows in the car worked just fine to give me this picture, after which I continued west on Wisconsin Highway 11 through some heavy showers to my next stop at Brodhead, where the rain let up for a few minutes.
The Brodhead Historical Society Depot Museum
There is a railroad display outside the former Milwaukee road station, built in 1885.
The equipment sits on the south side.
The Brodhead station, on the former Mineral Point branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, or The Milwaukee Road. Donated to the city of Brodhead in 1978, the depot was leased to the Brodhead Historical Society in October 1979, who restored it in the following years..
Milwaukee Road H12-44 781, built by Fairbanks Morse in 1950.
Milwaukee Road caboose 01900 built by the railroad in 1941.
A final view of this unique railroad display. I returned the way I came to Orfordville and turned left on Wisconsin Highway 213 and it was on this road where the sky turned the blackest I had ever seen and it was almost like I was driving in the middle of the night. I checked the sky for funnel clouds but did not see any before I entered a wall of heavy rain that even the wipers on high could not get rid of the water. At Evansville, Main Street was a river but I did get across. By the time I reached US Highway 14, I came out of it and continued to Madison before I reached US Highway 12, taking that to Baraboo under improving skies. There I turned onto Wisconsin Highway 136 to Highway PF, which took me into North Freedom and I followed the signs to the Museum.
The Mid-Continent Railway MuseumThe rail line used by the Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a spur off of the original Chicago and North Western Railway mainline. With the development of the Illinois Iron mine in early 1903, the C&NW sent a team of engineers on July 8, 1903 to survey a route to the iron fields. By August 12, C&NW president Marvin Hughitt had arrived in North Freedom in person to announce that a branchline would be built. A second major mine, the Iroquois Mine (also called the Sauk Mine), was established in October not far from the new rail line. By December 1903, the 3-mile branchline was completed at a cost of $40,533.
To support the increasing number of miners in the area, a new town called La Rue was platted, named after William G. La Rue. William La Rue was an area mining pioneer who demonstrated that the latest technological advancements in diamond drill technology could make iron mining in the area economically feasible. The town was surveyed and registered in January 1903, but it was soon realized that its location in the southwest corner of the intersection of present day Highway W and Diamond Hill Road would prove to be too far from where the mines were developing. By November 1903, the development of the town shifted nearer to the Illinois Mine, 0.5 miles to the south at the present day location of La Rue. At the height of iron mining production, the population of La Rue likely did not exceed 50 people, but the town did include a hotel, lumberyard, church, general store, and two saloons to supply and entertain the several hundred miners living nearby. Another townsite named Oliver was platted just east of La Rue, slightly closer to the Oliver Mining Company-owned Iroquois Mine, but no construction ever occurred.
At its peak, the Illinois Mine was shipping between five and 12 train car loads daily over the C&NW branchline, but La Rue's ironing mining days would be numbered. By June 1904, the mines were reaching depths of 400 to 500 feet at which water infiltrating into the mine shafts began being problematic. Costs continued to grow as a result of the water infiltration until finally the Illinois Mine closed in 1908. By this time it was burdened by costs associated with pumping out 2,600 US gallons of water per minute. A similar fate befell the Iroquois Mine in 1914, at which time it was pumping 4,500 US gallons per minute from its mine shaft. With the end of iron mining operations, the town of La Rue quickly disappeared. By 1925, only one building remained: the La Rue tavern, which still stands today.
As the La Rue area iron mining days were ending, the need for quartzite rock was increasing. In 1917, Harbison-Walker Refractories Company established a quarry south of La Rue. The railroad track was extended 0.8 miles south to serve the quarry.
Meanwhile, in 1959, a group of rail enthusiasts from the Milwaukee area had joined together to form the Railroad Historical Society of Milwaukee. With the group’s first acquisition of the Consumers Company 701 steam locomotive, the search for a home for their collection began. An agreement was reached with the Hillsboro and Northeastern Railway to operate diesel-powered train rides over their line beginning in 1962 under the name Mid-Continent Railway Museum. When it was learned the North Freedom branchline was available in 1962, the line was quickly purchased and the small collection of cars and locomotives were moved to North Freedom in 1963. By the summer of 1963, the move was finished and repairs to steam locomotive CNW 1385 were completed, allowing steam train rides to be offered for the first time that summer. Train rides have been offered out of North Freedom by the museum every year since and a small rail yard was gradually built to hold the growing collection of preserved rail equipment.
Flooding and reopeningIn June 2008, the museum grounds were inundated by floodwaters of the Baraboo River. The museum closed for repairs until February 2009. Although most damage caused by the June 2008 flood has been repaired, money for repairs to the museum's Baraboo River rail bridge has not yet been found. The bridge's out-of-service status did not affect the route used by the museum's train rides, but did prevent the movement of rail cars and locomotives to and from the museum via the national rail network.
Heritage RailroadThe museum operates a heritage railroad which offers passenger excursion trains on a 7-mile round trip. Trains leave from North Freedom, pass through the former mining community of La Rue, and turn around at a rock quarry, returning on the same route. The excursions take approximately one hour and operate daily from early June through Labor Day and most weekends in May, September and October. Trains operate at a top speed of 15 miles per hour, requiring approximately 20 minutes to travel the length of the rail line. Roughly 15 minutes are spent at the end of the line to move the locomotive to the opposite end of the train for the return trip to North Freedom. During the ride, a uniformed conductor punches passengers' tickets, shares railroad history and answers questions.
Special event trains are also offered several times throughout the year, including Autumn Color weekends in the fall, Pumpkin Special runs near Halloween, Santa Express Weekends at the end of November, and the Snow Train in February. During special events, additional ride options are frequently offered such as first class trains, dinner trains, and brunch trains which offer onboard food and beverage service and utilize cars which are more luxurious than the train cars typically used.
For most of the museum's history, nearly all trains were pulled by steam locomotives although since February 2000, all trains have been pulled by diesel-electric locomotives pending the restoration or repair of the museum's steam locomotives.
The museum is a historical point in Wisconsin. I went into the station and picked up my ticket for the train trip at 11:00 AM.
Views of the grounds.
Soo Line 4-6-0 2645 built by Brooks Locomotive Works in 1900. 2645 spent most of its operating life in Wisconsin on Wisconsin Central's Eau Claire branch, the Portage and Manitowoc lines and switching at locations such as Neenah and North Fond du Lac. In 1955, after accumulating over one million service miles, it was donated by the Soo Line to the City of Waukesha, Wisconsin. It went on display at Frame Park in Waukesha until 1972, when it was moved to a railroad-themed restaurant in a former C&NW depot. Eventually, a realignment of former C&NW track required that the locomotive be moved. In 1988, the Waukesha City Council therefore donated 2645 to the Mid-Continent Museum to which it was moved in July 1989.
Soo Line outside-braced stock car 29667 built by Haskell & Barker Car Company in 1921.
Soo Line caboose 99085 built by Haskell & Barker Car Company as Wisconsin Central 101 in 1909 and re-numbered in 1911.
Oregon Short Line rotary snowplow 792 built by Rogers Works of the American Locomotive Company in 1912.
Dardanelle and Russelville 2-6-0 9 built by Baldwin in 1884 as New Orleans and Eastern 232. It received a new wagon-top boiler when rebuilt in 1904 and was sold in 1917 to Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Company, a surplus equipment dealer. They in turn, sold it to the Dardanelle & Russellville where the locomotive was re-numbered 9, serving the Arkansas shortline until 1963, when it was purchased by Elliott Donnelley of North Freedom. who donated it to the museum in 1969, and it was the main duty engine at the museum in the 1960s and 1970s until it was sidelined because of a leaking tender. It returned to service in 1991 for one summer with a temporary tender but, since then, has not steamed.
Goodman Lumber Company three-truck shay 9 built by Lima Locomotive and Machine Company in 1909. It worked on the Goodman Lumber Company's private logging railroad in Marinette, Wisconsin until the main line to the mill (served by the Soo Line) was abandoned in 1939. After the line to the mill was abandoned, 9 switched cars at the mill until it was replaced by a Whitcomb diesel locomotive. In August 1955, the Goodman family sold the mill and the steam engine was donated to Historyland Museum at Hayward, Wisconsin. After Historyland went bankrupt, Mid-Continent purchased 9 in 1988 and moved it to North Freedom.
Soo Line diner-lounge 2017 built by Barney & Smith Car Company in 1914. In 1948, 2017 was rebuilt into its present configuration as a diner-lounge by the Soo Line at its Shoreham Shops in Minneapolis. The car has a lounge, dining seating, a small galley and wet bar. It was during the 1948 rebuild that the vestibule on the lounge end of the car was removed. It was regularly used on the Soo Line's Laker between Chicago and the Twin Cities until the passenger train was discontinued in 1966. In 1966 the car was sold to a private individual and moved to Hayward, Wisconsin where it was stored for several years. It was resold in 1971 and moved to Duluth where the car was completely restored to its 1948 appearance. In July 1978 the car was moved to Mid-Continent at North Freedom and leased for use in first-class and dining service.
The Museum's passenger train consisted of Delaware Lackawanna & Western combine 425, Delaware Lackawanna & Western coach 557 and Duluth & Iron Range caboose C-74.
Western Pacific burro crane built by Cullen-Friested in 1927.
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western coach 595 built by Pullman Company in 1917.
Alabama, Tennessee and Northern 2-10-0 401 built by Baldwin in 1928 and acquired from the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in Wisconsin. The Alabama, Tennessee & Northern Railroad was a 220-mile long short line railroad in Alabama. The AT&N retired all of its steam locomotives by 1946, being one of the first railroads of its size to do so. During that year, 401 was sold to the Georgia Car & Locomotive Company, a dealer in used railroad equipment. On May 13, 1948, the engine was sold to the Woodward Iron Company and re-numbered it 41. Woodward's facilities covered 80,000 acres that were served by a 50-mile in-plant railroad. Number 41 was put to work pulling trains of coal and limestone from outlying company mines and quarries to WIC's pig iron mills in Woodward, just outside Birmingham, Alabama. Woodward produced merchant pig iron, a material used for casting pipe, iron stoves, farm implements and machinery parts.
Number 41 was in operation at Woodward Iron Company until 1959 when the locomotive was retired from active duty. In 1964 Mid-Continent Railway Museum purchased it and shipped it to their museum in Wisconsin.
Duluth & Iron Range flat car 5537 built by the railroad in 1897.
Union Tank Car Company tank car 17550 built by the company in 1937.
Mid-Continent Railway Museum flat car 97496, nee Santa Fe, number unknown. They received it in 1924 from an unknown builder. At an unknown date it was transferred to the American Association of Railroads and eventually ended up at their test facility in Chicago. It was donated to Mid-Continent in 1996 with the closing of that facility and the museum currently uses it for storage of large parts.
Minneapolis & St Louis box car 4570, nee Iowa Central 04492 built by Pressed Steel in 1901. It served its original owner for only eleven years. The short time period was not due to the car's short life, but the demise of the Iowa Central itself, as it was merged into the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway in 1912. In 1913, the car was renumbered to M&StL 4492. It was renumbered again to 4570 before 1937. In that year the car was converted to an office and tool car and renumbered X709. Several windows were cut into the carbody and doors added to the ends of the car. By 1976, the car was miraculously still in use by M&StL successor Chicago and North Western at Mason City, Iowa. In that year, they retired X709 and Mid-Continent purchased and moved the car to North Freedom on a flatcar.
Kewaunee, Green Bay & Western 2-8-0 49 built by the American Locomotive Company in 1929. 49 was assigned to haul fast freight between Kewaunee, Wisconsin and Winona, Minnesota, mainly transporting parts for the Ford Motor Company from Detroit to an assembly plant in St. Paul, Minnesota. The train crossed Lake Michigan by car ferry and avoided the congested greater Chicago area. Special modifications were made to #49 so that it could travel the entire 214 mile trip across Wisconsin. In 1950, 350 was sold for $9,000 to the Consolidated Water Power and Paper Company, having travelled 1,764,000 miles in twenty-one years on the Green Bay Route system. In 1957, Consolidated retired the steam engine and donated it to the City of Wisconsin Rapids for display display in the municipal zoo. In 1981, Wisconsin Rapids donated the locomotive to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum.
Steam engines always look impressive when on display or even better when they run.
Copper Range Railway 2-8-0 29 built by the American Locomotive Company in 1907. 29 hauled both freight and passenger trains until 1946 when passenger services were discontinued. By 1953, the other Consolidations had been scrapped and 29 was the last Copper Range steam locomotive left. In 1967, it was sold to the Keweenaw Central Railroad, a tourist operation and used on their passenger excursions between Calumet and Lake Linden, Michigan. Unfortunately, after only three years in service, boiler problems sidelined the locomotive in 1970. Abandonment of the Copper Range Railroad in 1972 then forced Keweenaw Central to cease operations. The steam engine sat outside the ruins of the Quincy smelter in Hancock, Michigan, exposed to the elements from 1973 until it was finally offered to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum.
Soo Line ore car 80944 built by American Car and Foundry in 1916. In 1972 it was sold to Flambeau Papers in 1972. The car ended up at Fraser Paper's Park Falls, Wisconsin plant, used for interplant storage. In 1997, the car was donated to the Soo Line Historical & Technical Society who in turn donated it to Mid-Continent.
United Tank tank car 12283 built by Lima Locomotive and Machine in 1907. Lima Locomotive & Machine Co. was better known for its Shay-type steam locomotives, but Lima also built freight cars. They entered this field officially in 1892 when the old Lima Car Works was acquired. It is not known when they left the freight car market.
Union Tank Line as a subsidiary of Standard Oil Company was in charge of transporting Standard’s oil product. The company owned a fleet of tank cars and oversaw their distribution and transportation, initially exclusively for Standard Oil's use. In 1891, Union was formed as a separate corporation to dodge the government’s anti-trust efforts. After 1911, it was further split from Standard’s control and now provided transportation to other companies. Over the years, Union grew and evolved, developing all-welded steel tanks, further expanding its lease fleet. Today the company is the largest tank car lessor and one of the largest tank car manufacturers in the United States.
A covered steam engine tender.
Milwauakee Road RSC-2 988 built by the American Locomotive Company in 1947. Milwaukee Road was the first railroad to take delivery of RSC-2s, and initially assigned them to their Valley Division at Wausau, Wisconsin, in order to study the effects of an all-diesel roster. The experiment was deemed a success and all steam locomotives were soon gone from the Valley Division. 988 was part of that experiment and soon after, was transferred to the railroad's Iowa & Dakota Division. There, in 1959, it was re-numbered 594. In the early 1960s, it was subsequently assigned to La Crosse, Wisconsin.
By the early 1970's, most older Alco engines had been scrapped but, as late as June 1976, 594 was still switching at La Crosse. It escaped the scrappers when it was bought by the Kettle Morain Scenic Railway in 1976 and renumbered 4. Then it was sold to Trans-Northern Incorporated and re-numbered 988. Trans-Northern used 988 on several of their shortline operations until early 1981 when the locomotive was shut down and placed in storage on the Escanaba & Lake Superior. Finally, in 1985, a group of Mid-Continent members got together to purchase 988 from Trans-Northern and the locomotive arrived at North Freedom in January 1986. It has since been returned to its original 1947 orange and black Milwaukee Road paint scheme.
Mid-Continent Railway Museum 45-ton switcher 4 built by General Electric in 1943 for the United States Navy. The scrap dealer Precision Engineering bought 4 from the Navy at an unknown date and the locomotive was subsequently sold to car builder Pullman-Standard who donated it to the museum in 1972. It is currently used by the museum as a switcher, moving dead engines in and out of the shop, as well as cars in the yard.
Chicago and North Western salon-club car 440 "Minnekahda Club" built by Pullman in 1929. In December 1948, the car was sold to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad and renumbered 775 for use as a business car. They re-numbered the car 100 in 1955 after conversion to a crew car. In 1968, the Genesee & Wyoming purchased the car and renamed it "Edward I" for use as a business car.
The car changed hands one final time when the Chicago & North Western acquired it in 1980 and numbered it 404. C&NW rebuilt the interior to its present configuration of four bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room and observation room. The one end of the car was also modified, removing the closed vestibule to fabricate an open end platform. In early 1982, the car was reassigned to the Mechanical Department and re-numbered 440. In 1983, it was repainted to Pullman green and donated to Mid-Continent for use with 1385 on her excursions over the C&NW system. The car was named "Philip R. Hastings" to honor the long-time member and past-president.
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western coach 563 built by the Pullman Company in 1940. They served faithfully in commuter service for some 55 years until a vast majority were retired in 1970 following the arrival of more modern equipment on the New Jersey commuter rail lines. Since the beginning of operations at North Freedom in 1963, Mid-Continent had used only wooden passenger cars in its operating train. The wear and tear of daily use proved a strain on volunteer forces, and a more durable steel coach was sought. The availability of the Lackawanna "Boonton" cars (nicknamed for the branchline where they served) was timely, and Mid-Continent purchased three (including the 563) in 1972 for use in the daily trains.
Mid-Continent Railway RS-4-TC-A1 1256, nee United States Army 1256, built by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton in 1954 and originally delivered to Sharpe Ammo Depot in Lathrop, California, was the locomotive for today's excursion train.
Under restoration is Lake Superior and Ishpeming 2-8-0 22 built by Pittsburgh Works of American Locomotive Company in 1910 as Marquette and Southeastern 38, which operated a sixty mile line between Big Bay and Lawson, Michigan. One year later, the M&SE became the Munising, Marquette & Southeastern. In 1923, when the MM&SE merged with the Lake Superior & Ishpeming, 38 was renumbered 22. It was one of twelve LS&I Consolidations sold to the Marquette & Huron Mountain Railroad tourist line in 1963. The Marquette & Huron operated on the recently abandoned LSI Big Bay branch line. Its last run on the Marquette & Huron was on Labor Day 1965. In 1985, the tourist line ceased operations and its equipment was put up for sale, at which time 22 was bought by the Mid-Continent museum.
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific caboose 17772 rebuilt in 1940 by the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific from an outside-braced box car, built as 44867 by the Bettendorf Company of Bettendorf, Iowa. Twenty of 200 cabooses were built in a unique passenger/baggage configuration; 17772 is one of these cars. It featured three distinct sections: a passenger section seating eight in pullout seats with bunks overhead; a baggage room section with sliding side doors similar to a baggage car; and a crew section containing a desk for the conductor, cupola and equipment locker. Passenger car-style steps and platform were placed at the long end of the carbody for easier loading of passengers. In January 1967, it was sold to Dr. Philip R. Hastings, a noted rail photographer and member of Mid-Continent. The car was moved from Albert Lea, Minnesota to North Freedom where it was used as a bunk facility and still serves that purpose today.
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range caboose C-183 built by the railroad in 1906 as Duluth and Iron Range 83. In 1938, D&IR was merged into the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range and the caboose was re-numbered C-183. It was used mainly between Two Harbors to Tower and Ely in the Vermilion iron range.
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific combine 1094 built by American Car and Foundry in 1906. After two upgrades, 1094 received one final conversion in 1951 to wrecker diner car 9506. A wrecker diner/sleeping car usually traveled with a wrecker crane to provide sleeping and eating facilities for the traveling crews that worked with the wrecker.
Chicago, St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha wooden bay window caboose 6110 built by the railroad in 1892. In 1974, with wooden cabooses nearly entirely replaced with steel counterparts, 6110 was sold to a private individual. The car arrived at North Freedom in April of that year and it has been used as a bunk facility since that time.
Soo Line caboose 203 built by American Car and Foundry in 1906. It was privately purchased from the Soo Line and moved to North Freedom in May 1966.
Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic caboose 570 built by the railroad in 1913. It was privately purchased from the Soo Line and moved to Mid-Continent in July 1966. It has had its interior and exterior restored to a late 1930's appearance. It is presently used for bunk facilities. In 2004, 570 was cosmetically restored for the Soo Line Historical & Technical Society's meet held at North Freedom on August 21.
Soo Line caboose 99115 built by American Car and Foundry in 1911. It spent the majority of its life at Schiller Park, Illinois, and its last assignments were on the morning Line Run job and the late evening Indiana Harbor Belt transfer. The car was retired on January 26, 1967, privately purchased from the Soo Line, and moved to North Freedom in 1969. It was restored to its mid-1950s paint and lettering scheme and used for bunk facilities while at the musuem.
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic caboose 568 built by the railroad in 1911. 568 was sold by the Soo Line in 1971 to private individuals. It arrived at North Freedom in August 1980. The eclectic lettering scheme on 568 was never used in this combination on a South Shore caboose. It is presently used for bunk facilities.
Milwaukee Road bunk car X918050 built in 1951. Sometime between 1958 and 1963, this bunk car was converted from a steel boxcar for the Milwaukee Road Bridges & Buildings Department's use as a bunk car for traveling crews. It was last used by Milwaukee Road's sucessor Soo Line in 1989. At that time, it was sold to a private individual at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and stored there for several years. In 2003, it was purchased by a museum member and moved to North Freedom in September of that year for use as a bunk car for museum volunteers.
Northern Pacific caboose 1781 built by the railroad in 1923. It enjoyed a long service career then upon the railroad's merger into Burlington Northern, it became BN 10975 and painted in the BN's cascade green and white paint scheme. The car incredibly served another twelve years and was finally sold to a private individual in 1982. It was moved to North Freedom in October of that year and was used as bunk facilities.
Minnesota Transfer caboose X12, nee Northern Pacific 1730, built by Pacific Car and Foundry in 1921. X12's service life on the MT was short-lived. In 1967, MT's switchmen agreed to ride in engine cabs between Hennepin Avenue and New Brighton and within the yards instead of the cabooses. The railroad quickly saw the savings of not having to switch a caboose into trains, nor servicing them. MT’s caboose fleet was retired. One by one they were either sold or disposed. In 1971, X12 was sold to a museum member for $150 and moved to North Freedom in March of that year. The car was kept in the paint and lettering scheme it wore while in service on the Minnesota Transfer and used for bunk facilities over the years.
Chicago and North Western caboose 12476 built before 1913, builder unknown, originally 1714. 12476 made its trip through C&NW's Chicago shops late in the rebuild program, emerging on September 22, 1937. It received a steel underframe at this time. On October 5, 1957, 12476 was sold to the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad at Marquette, Michigan. In 1970, the caboose was sold to a private individual and moved to North Freedom in July of that year. It is presently under restoration by its current owners and is used for bunk facilities.
Milwaukee Road caboose 01601 built by the railroad in 1929. It is believed to be the first steel cupola caboose on the Milwaukee Road. It later was converted to use as the scale test car inspector's residence. When it was remodelled for this service, it featured hot water, shower, tile floor and double hung windows. At some point it was re-numbered to 916760. In 1977, the car was sold to equipment dealer Hyman Michaels. A museum member later purchased the car to use as bunk facilities. It arrived at North Freedom in July 1984, is privately owned and currently used as a dormitory for volunteer crews working at the museum.
Wisconsin and Calumet caboose 529 built by the Santa Fe in 1948 as 2221. It was transferred to Santa Fe's subsidiary Toledo, Peoria and Western in 1969 and re-numbered to 529. In 1983, it was sold to Joe McMillan and later leased to the Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad. It was moved to Janesville, Wisconsin and used by the WICT in freight service for a number of years until WICT was sold to Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co. in August 1992. The caboose remained in storage until it was sold to a museum member and moved to North Freedom in November 2000. It is presently used for bunk facilities.
Milwaukee Road rib-sided bay window caboose 01855 built by the railroad in 1939. Eventually, in the 1970s, the Milwaukee Railroad's new computer system required the car be renumbered to 991855. During the late 1970's, the car was assigned to the Portage, Wisconsin area, until it was bad ordered and retired in April 1982. It was finally sold by the Milwaukee in July 1985 for scrap. Purchased in November 2007 by Mid-Continent members, it was brought to the property and is currently privately owned. It is being restored for use as a bunk facility.
Lake Superior Terminal and Transfer Railway Jordan Spreader 55 built by the OF Jordan Company in 1916 for the Butler Brothers Company of St. Paul, Minnesota. Butler Brothers had warehouses in the Twin Cities and were heavily involved in mining operations in the Mesabi Range. The LST&T purchased the Jordan Spreader from Butler Brothers Company in 1940. At the time of sale to the LST&T the spreader Butler Bros. modified the Jordan Spreader for snow removal use and the Northern Pacific added the present enclosed cab to the spreader. A coal burning stove inside the cab provides heat for crews in the wintertime. The side wings are air-operated and they can be operated from inside the cab for plowing and ditching. A flanger blade is mounted underneath to plow between the rails.
Soo Line Wrecking Crane X-3 built by Industrial Works as a coal-fired steam crane in 1907. In 1915, the Soo Line re-numbered it X-3. This wrecker spent the majority of its life assigned to Gladstone, Michigan. In 1961, after the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic was merged into the Soo Line, it was reassigned to Marquette, Michigan. When the Superior wrecker failed, it was reassigned to Superior, Wisconsin, where X-3 remained until its retirement on January 1, 1984. From March through November 1970, the crane was temporarily assigned to Schiller Park, Illinois. X-3 was last shopped in November 1970 at North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. At the time of the wrecker’s retirement, it was purchased from the Soo Line by a group of preservation-minded Soo employees and a few crane enthusiasts and in turn donated to Mid-Continent along with its jib car X-173. X-3 is presently inoperable due to boiler problems and is preserved in the lettering scheme it carried for most of its life.
Soo Line Idler Flat Car X-173 built by New York Central in 1930 as flat car 496228. The Soo Line acquired the flat car in 1959 as a result of the car being damaged while on use on the Soo Line. In 1960 the Soo Line converted the flat car to a boom (jib or idler) car X-173 and it was assigned to Gladstone, MI for use with Soo Line wrecker X-3. X-173 features steel construction with a wood deck and "trolley" to support the weight of the boom of the attached wrecker crane.
Missouri Pacific 120 ton crane 105, nee St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Z-8 built by Industrial Works in 1914.
More track equipment.
Chicago Burlington and Quincy caboose 15 built by the railroad in 1895. In 1904, it became 14006. It was sold to a private individual in 1965 and arrived at North Freedom in 1988.
More equipment down the tracks out of bounds.
Looking back towards the car shops.
Looking back at all those cabooses.
Covered wooden coach, identity unknown.
Duluth South Shore and Altantic sleeper "Duluth" built by the Barney and Smith Company in 1902. The car was used on the DSS&A's North Country Mail (Trains 7 and 8) that operated between Duluth and Sault Ste. Marie. By 1932 the demand for sleeping cars had decreased on the South Shore and second hand steel sleeping cars were purchased, making the wood sleeping cars like the "Duluth" obsolete. The car body was eventually sold to a Calumet, Michigan resident in December 1934 for $169. In early 1935 the car body was hauled down snow-covered gravel roads by a pair of tractors from Calumet to the shores of Lake Superior where it was set up and used as a summer cottage for over 81 years. In December 2015 the owners, Bob and Beth Krasche, generously offered to donate the "Duluth" to Mid-Continent Railway Museum.
Lake Superior and Ishpeming box car 2026 built by Pressed Steel in 1903 for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
A line of covered equipment.
Wisconsin Sand and Gravel HL-18 2 built by Plymouth in 1928. It was donated to Mid-Continent by Illinois/Wisconsin Sand & Gravel in 1963. Today, the locomotive is used by the Car Department to move cars within the car shop.
Chicago and North Western refrigerator car 19781 built by American Car and Foundry in the late 1920's.
Milwaukee Road flanger X90029, builder and year unknown.
A coach of unknown origin.
Chicago and North Western 4-6-0 1385 built by the American Locomotive Company in 1907. The class R-1 locomotives, such as 1385, had a pivotal role in the development of C&NW steam motive power. When the R-1's were purchased, the railroad had to rebuild tracks, bridges, turntables and engine houses to accommodate them. 1385 was bought by the Historical Society of Milwaukee in 1961 for $2,600 and was in service for most of the 1980s and 1990s on excursion services. Since 1982, 1385 has visited many Midwestern communities on good-will tours. In the summer of 1992, she operated on Wisconsin Central Limited and Wisconsin & Southern, pulling passenger excursions in Wausau and Milwaukee (Granville) and freight trains in Horicon. The steam engine has been listed on the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places, and the National Register of Historic Places.
Chicago and North Western baggage-dormitory car 8903 built by American Car and Foundry in 1949 as Chicago and North Western 9302. 9302 was renumbered 8903 in 1960 when it was converted to a full baggage car by C&NW. The car was donated to Mid-Continent in 1984 for use as a tool and display car to travel with former C&NW steam locomotive 1385 during her tours on the Chicago & North Western system.
Chicago & North Western Hart convertible gondola 96791 built by Rodger Ballast Car Company in 1914. It was designed for "ballast service" to dump gravel on and along railroad tracks. The "Hart convertible" design was unique to Rodger; it could be set up by railroad personnel as a side-dump gondola to unload ballast outside the rail, or as a self-clearing center-dump gondola to apply ballast in between the rails. These were "composite" cars in that they combined steel underframes and body framing with wood side and end sheathing and floors. Converting between the two modes of dumping was not easy, and they could not do both at once. These shortcomings led Rodger to develop a new 50-ton all-steel hopper in the 1920's which featured an ingenious drop bottom door mechanism. Dubbed “Hart Selective ballast cars,” they could unload to either or both sides, to the center or any combination. The original convertible design made Rodger a prominent early 20th century carbuilder.
96791 served the North Western for nearly thirty years before it was replaced with stronger more durable steel cars. In 1942, 96791 and at least one other sister car were sold to Wisconsin shortline Marinette Tomahawk & Western, located in the north central portion of the state. MT&W’s limited resources required it use secondhand equipment, and 96791 fit that bill. But by the 1980's, the car had outlived its useful service life. In 1984, 96791 found a new home when it was donated and moved to Mid-Continent. The car is presently stored for future restoration as funds allow.
Akron Canton and Youngstown outside-braced box car 3081 built by Mather Car Company in 1941. In 1955, AC&Y no longer had need of the Mather-built cars, and they reverted back to the lessor. By this time, Mather had merged into North American Car Corporation of Chicago. The cars retained their AC&Y numbers, but were relettered with MCAX reporting marks. In 1970, North American donated 3081 to Mid-Continent.
Akron Canton & Youngstown box car 3016 built by the Mather Car Company in 1941, just prior to World War II, for lease to Ohio's Akron Canton & Youngstown Railroad. Many smaller roads such as AC&Y found leasing cars financially and operationally advantageous. Although steel freight cars had come into standard use by 1941, the expanding war in Europe and apparent impending American involvement changed the face of new freight car construction. The U.S. government ordered the rail industry to use wood where ever possible in place of sheet steel in new freight cars due to a steel shortage. Dubbed “war emergency” cars, the boxcars resembled the early single-sheathed cars being built twenty-five years previously.
In 1955, AC&Y no longer had need of the Mather-built cars, and they reverted back to the lessor. By this time, Mather had merged into North American Car Corporation of Chicago. The cars retained their AC&Y numbers, but were re-lettered with MCAX reporting marks. In 1970, North American donated 3016 to Mid-Continent. The car was shipped to North Freedom with four sister cars. Mid-Continent's AC&Y "fleet" has been used in museum freight trains sporadically over the years, but mostly was used for storage of materials and equipment.
Chicago and North Western refrigerator car 19781 built by American Car and Foundry in the late 1920's.
Akron Canton & Youngstown box car 3011 built by Mather Car Company in 1911. In 1955, AC&Y no longer had need of the Mather-built cars, and they reverted back to the lessor. By this time, Mather had merged into North American Car Corporation of Chicago. The cars retained their AC&Y numbers, but were relettered with MCAX reporting marks. In 1970, North American donated 3011 to Mid-Continent.
It was now time to board the 11:00 AM excursion train.
