Mid-Continent Railway Museum

The Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a railway museum in North Freedom that displays restored trains and equipment across its working track network. The site contains steam and diesel locomotives, numerous passenger and freight cars, a historic station building, and structures related to rail operations from the late 1800s through the 20th century.

The museum was founded in 1959 by rail enthusiasts who acquired their first steam locomotive and began collecting equipment. Over the decades, it grew into a center for preserving and restoring significant railway equipment from the Industrial Era through the mid-20th century.

The wooden passenger cars on display retain their original interiors, showing how travelers sat and moved through the trains during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Walking through these cars gives visitors a sense of what the railroad journey experience was actually like for people back then.

Visitors can board a train for a journey through the grounds that includes stops at various locations around the property. The experience is best enjoyed during warmer months when trains run regularly and all buildings and equipment are readily accessible for exploration.

A station building from 1894 was relocated here from Chicago and now houses ticket windows and display areas showing how rail offices operated in that era. This structure is one of the few remaining examples of an actual working station from the peak of American railroad expansion.

Location: Wisconsin

Website: https://midcontinent.org

GPS coordinates: 43.46067,-89.87426

Latest update: December 9, 2025 18:46