News - Mid-Continent Railway Museum

A Huge Success – All Hands on Deck Progress Report

Posted on July 3, 2024 by RebeccaJuly 4, 2024

The 5-day long “All Hands on Deck” session held by the MCRM Restoration Department was very successful. The volunteers really did an outstanding job and performed an immense amount of work in a matter of a few days.

The tremendously successful “All Hands on Deck” Session was held during June 26th to the 30th and we had a total of 32 different volunteers participating in the event, with an average of 20 volunteers per day. In total the volunteers put in over 800 hours of work during this session.

Anyone walking in the MCRM Car Shop after this event will notice a significant difference in the appearance of the cars that were worked on. The progress made during this session exceeded the expectations and this was achieved due to the support, commitment and hard work of the volunteers. Progress made during the 5-day All Hands on Deck Session is summarized below. Note that several of the photos capture the status of the projects before and after the All Hands on Deck session.

Duluth South Shore & Atlantic Sleeping car DULUTH: Installed new veneer pieces under the windows in the smoking room and one in the sleeping compartment, installed the new window header (veneer with marquetry) in the smoking room, installed the headliner trim on the west side of the smoking room, applied canvas and painted to the two headliners for the smoking room (east side), installed filler pieces in the sleeping compartment lamp openings, installed cleats along the edge of the original veneer ceiling panels in the sleeping compartment, installed one new piece of bending plywood in the sleeping compartment ceiling, removed the remaining clerestory window frames from the car, primed and cut new car siding to length, installed a portion of the car siding on the east and west sides (approximately 30%) and took delivery of three new interior doors, two mirror frames and four vestibule end windows.

*Duluth sleeping compartment ceiling BEFORE AHOD*.

*Duluth smoking room east wall BEFORE AHOD*.

Removing clerestory windows in the Duluth during the AHOD

East Jordan & Southern #2: Painted the entire exterior of the car with the EJ&S green, sanded and varnished the interior the entire passenger section of the car as well as the saloon (multiple coats), installed the lower inner window stops, painted the brake beams, trimmed bolts to length under the car, sanded the seat footrests and cleaned and painted the car body end rails.

Lake Superior & Ishpeming #64: Reconstructed the car framing for the two oval windows, installed the car siding around the two oval windows, installed the last of the straight battens on the car, primed the entire exterior of the car, cut and fit the window frames on the east side of the car, primed ten of the window frames, sanded much of the interior woodwork, cleaned and painted the car body end rails and cleaned up springs for the window frames.

*The LS&I #64 east side oval window BEFORE the AHOD*.

*Priming the LS&I #64 during the AHOD session*.

Rock Island #1094: Removed the last of the cabinets and sink in the baggage room, scraped and painted the north half of the baggage room including the clerestory area, the water tanks and the side walls. Reconstructed the south doorway in the bunk area, replaced missing and deteriorated headliner boards in the bunk area and baggage room and made a mockup of the bunk side rails.

*The status in the Rock Island baggage room BEFORE the AHOD*.

I’d like to thank all of the amazing volunteers who put in a tremendous amount of work during the past 5 days! Special thanks are also extended to the volunteers that prepared all of the meals for the entire crew during the session as well as the MCRM operating crew that took the group on the Pizza Train ride.

Volunteers participating in the event included: Peter, Jeff Ha., Owen, Judy, Darryl, Larry S. Jack, Jerry F., Fred, Bob R., David P., Gregg, Jane, Steven M., Larry T., Steve W., Bob B., Dean, Jerry M., Marty, Thomas, Altha, Kelly, Nate, Jay, Steve P., Dan P., Colton, Jeff Hu., David M., John T. and I. Please accept my apologies if I omitted the name(s) any of the volunteers that participated.

*Some of the 32 volunteers that participated in the AHOD session*.

*MCRM Volunteers on an evening excursion to the R&GN*.

Thanks again to everyone that participated in the session and helped to make it a huge success. Our next volunteer work session is scheduled for July 13, 14 and 15.

New Exhibit at Mid-Continent

Posted on June 20, 2024 by RebeccaJune 20, 2024

Lake States Railway Historical Association and Mid-Continent Railway Museum are teaming up to present a new photo exhibition “Clinton Jones, Jr. (1944-2024): An Upper Midwest Icon of Shortline Railroading” beginning June 22 at MCRM’s Coach Shed #2 at North Freedom, Wisconsin. This exhibit will run through Labor Day (September 2nd, 2024).

Clint Jones was a well-known force in the railroad shortline and preservation world for many years. He was involved with both organizations from their early days. Clint served as a board trustee at Lake States for many years and was the second person to ever donate personal collections, in 2007. At Mid-Continent, he was instrumental in bringing several historic pieces of equipment to the museum, including Copper Range steam locomotive #29, Copper Range wooden coach #60 (now fully restored and on display), and rare Milwaukee Road ALCO RSC-2 #988.

Over the years, Clint assembled a personal collection of photographs (many taken by himself starting in 1961) and paper documents, mostly focusing upon railroads of the Michigan Upper Peninsula. He has donated many of these to Lake States, with most of his photography now viewable on-line at www.lakestatesarchive.org. The new exhibit at Mid-Continent features more than 50 photographs of and taken by him, plus additional documents and ephemera that tell the story of his railroading career.

Originally born and raised in the Milwaukee area, his interest in railroading began with trips to the Upper Peninsula via the C&NW and Milwaukee Road to visit relatives in his teen years. After a brief stint studying business at Michigan Technological University, he hired out as a diesel locomotive electrician’s apprentice for the Milwaukee Road at their Milwaukee shops. But his passion and pluck led him to form his own company Trans Northern, Inc. to operate a steam passenger tourist railroad in Michigan and act as a dealer of vintage railroad equipment. Clint later worked for the C&NW in train service and also served as a trainmaster for Wisconsin Central Railway from 1987 to 1997, supervising train operations and train crews from Marquette, Michigan. His most recent project was the Mineral Range, Inc., a railway equipment, industry switching, and transportation consulting firm that operated a railroad between Humboldt and Ishpeming, Michigan. Never retiring and active in day-to-day operations into 2024, Clint passed away in April after a brief illness.

The Clint Jones exhibit will be open to the public during Mid-Continent’s normal hours (www.midcontinent.org), and will run through Labor Day weekend.

The track ahead is under the watchful eye of Clinton Jones, Jr. from the cab of Copper Range steam locomotive #29. The CR had kept the locomotive in storage from 1953 until 1967. With Clint’s connections with CR management, he saved the engine from scrapping, purchasing it for his new Keweenaw Central tourist railroad. It last ran in 1971. In 2003, Clint donated #29 to Mid-Continent Railway Museum at North Freedom, Wisconsin where it resides today on static display. George Forero photograph.

Looking the part of an astute engineer from the steam era, Clint is at the controls of Copper Range #29 during the Keweenaw Central days. He was in his mid-20s at the time of this photo about 1970. George Forero photograph.

October 27, 1972, was a sad day at McKeever, Michigan when the crew posed for the very last Copper Range freight train to interchange with the Milwaukee Road. Clint made up the sign to commemorate the historical event. He saved it for posterity. Today it is preserved at Lake States Railway Historical Association and is on display as part of the “Clinton Jones, Jr. (1944-2024): An Upper Midwest Icon of Shortline Railroading” exhibit at Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, WI. LSRHA Collection 2021.008.4.256 (4×5 neg)

Clint Jones’ crowning career achievement was his creation and expansion of the Mineral Range railroad. Its primary shipper is the Humboldt mill where ore concentrate is loaded into a fleet of gondolas for the Mineral Range to pick up and move over 20 miles to an interchange with the Canadian National at Ishpeming. Clint was comfortable in his natural habitat: the cab of a locomotive. This time, it’s the Mineral Range of the 2000’s. Clint adopted DSS&A’s offset parallelograms logo years before Lake States unknowingly did the same. George Forero photograph.

Rail Relay Phase 2: Preparing for Installation

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Jeffrey LentzMay 7, 2024

Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s trains have traveled the rails at North Freedom for 60 years… rails which are themselves often over 100 years old. Mid-Continent’s railroad track is a critical piece of infrastructure that makes possible our museum’s signature experience – the train rides! Now we are asking for your help to make sure Mid-Continent’s rail line remains safe to operate for another 60 years and beyond.

MCRY Rail Relay Phase 2 is the next crucial step in addressing old, worn, and fatigued rail along Mid-Continent’s rail line on which its demonstration passenger trains are operated. Phase 2 involves replacing 11,431 track feet (2.16 miles) of rails, joint bars, tie plates, rail anchors, track bolts, and spikes, known as On-Track-Material, or OTM. That is enough rail to replace over half of Mid-Continent’s entire railroad!

Rail Relay Progress Made So Far

Thanks in large part to the generosity of donors who have given so far, Mid-Continent was able to place a winning bid on 502 tons of rail and 138 tons of OTM at a total cost of $203,000. The rail was recently removed from the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad’s Prairie Subdivision as they upgraded that line. This has provided enough rail to allow Mid-Continent to complete all of Phase 2. Although the rail being purchased comes used, it is newer and heavier-duty rail than what exists on Mid-Continent’s current line and will be good for many decades in service for the museum. The purchased rail was transported to the museum in November and early December 2023.

Next Steps

In April 2024, crews began sorting the rail in preparation for placing (but not yet installing) the rails along Mid-Continent’s line. In summer 2024, Mid-Continent will prepare a bid package, requesting bids from railroad construction contractors for swapping out the old rail with the new rail.

Your Help is Needed for the Rail Relay Phase 2 Project!

Now that Mid-Continent has acquired the rail, it is time to install it. Although Mid-Continent’s volunteers accomplish a great deal, the scale of the work to be performed can only be achieved with the help of a railroad construction contractor. This means donations are needed to bring the project to completion. Depending on contractor availability, the target is for this to happen during fall/winter 2024.

Your donation to the Rail Relay Phase 2 project directly supports Mid-Continent’s core mission of providing an immersive museum experience of riding aboard historic railcars on an authentic, rural branchline route. Join Mid-Continent today in preserving America’s railroading legacy for tomorrow.

How to Make Your Donation

Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, educational entity. All donations are tax-deductible.

You can make your donation in one of several ways:

Click the Donate Now button to be taken to the project’s PayPal donation page. This method accepts credit and debit cards, as well as PayPal payments.

Donate Now

Send a check to with “Rail Relay Project” written in the memo line to
Mid-Continent Railway Museum
PO Box 358
North Freedom, WI 53951-0358

Speak to one of our office staff by phone at 608-522-4261 or 800-930-1385 to make a payment by phone or if you have any questions.

Tips for Maximizing Your Impact

Consider asking your employer if they match donations to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. If you’re retired, ask your financial advisor if donating a portion of your retirement account’s required minimum distribution (RMD) is right for you.

Spring Fling Volunteer Work Session: May 4th Starting At 9:00 AM

Posted on April 10, 2024 by RebeccaApril 10, 2024

Join us for our Spring Fling 2024!

Mid-Continent Railway Museum could not operate without our volunteers, but sometimes showing up to volunteer with an organization for the first time can be intimidating. This is why Mid-Continent has planned a special day of volunteer activities to make getting started easy!

This volunteering day is open to everyone and to all ages. Whether you have volunteered with us in the past or this will be your first time, you are welcome to attend our Spring Fling volunteer day on May 4th as we work to ready the museum to reopen for the 2024 season the following weekend.

Starting at 9:00 AM, we will meet at the museum depot. There will be department heads from the museum’s programs there to explain what their department does and the types of volunteer opportunities available.

Once each department has spoken, you can choose which department(s) you are interested in and join them in a day of volunteering. You’ll have the chance to experience multiple departments over the course of a single day. Come stay for an hour, or two, or for the whole day! Don’t forget to wear your work clothes and bring your work gloves if you have them. Please RSVP by email (inquiries@midcontinent.org) or phone (608-522-4261) as soon as possible so we can get an accurate headcount for lunch. Hope to see you there!

Volunteer Opportunities Currently Available:

Restoration Department:

Join the Restoration Department in working on several projects, including cleaning, de-rusting, and painting portions of a 1906 Rock Island coach/baggage car; painting ceiling panels in a 1902 sleeping car; installing windows and trim on a 1910 coach car; moving stored items; and other assorted tasks.

Buildings & Grounds Department:

Join the Buildings & Grounds Department for a variety of tasks to make the property ready for visitors to keep the museum looking good. Projects include a spring cleaning of the museum’s public buildings: including sweeping, window washing, and painting our picnic pavilion building. Volunteers will also be clearing brush & trees from museum lands to help facilitate future expansion.

Engineering Department:

Engineering Department leaders may have work available sorting the museum’s inventory of tie plates and other on-track material.

Operating Department:

The Operating Department superintendent will briefly introduce the volunteer opportunities available to work as car attendants, trainman, conductor, fireman, and engineer and outline the training involved to attain those positions.

Other Departments may be represented as well as the date gets closer.

Sign Up Here

D&R #9 2024 Fundraiser

Posted on February 14, 2024 by RebeccaFebruary 14, 2024

*Fletcher and the crew pause for a photo as the crew begins the cosmetic restoration of the D&R #9, 2021*.

Happy 2024 to all our followers and generous donors! The D&R #9 crew appreciates all your support. The D&R #9 cosmetic restoration began in the Fall 2020. Much has been accomplished, but there is a lot more to do.

A brief history of the D&R #9 begins back in 1884 when the Baldwin Locomotive Works constructed the locomotive as New Orleans & North Eastern. It received a new boiler in 1904. NO&NE sold the locomotive to a surplus dealer in 1917. The locomotive was purchased by the Dardanelle & Russellville in Arkansas and was renumbered to #9. The Mid-Continent Railway Museum purchased the locomotive in 1963 and served as one of Mid-Continents daily operation locomotives on and oﬀ until 1991 when it was removed from service because of boiler issues. The D&R #9 is the oldest locomotive on the property.

The locomotive was stored as inoperable until 2020. During the Fall of 2020, a small group of Mid-Continent volunteers along with MC’s Restoration Department decided to cosmetically restore the locomotive to preserve it until a time when she gets her turn in the shop for an operational restoration. The project is led by 10-year-old (as of 2020) Fletcher Reiman along with his father Jason.

**Jason R. (right), a then 9-ye*ar-old son Fletcher, along with Fletcher’s grandfather Jerry (left), are taking a lead role in the D&R #9’s cosmetic restoration.***

“The D&R #9 cosmetic restoration began in the Fall of 2020. Much has been accomplished, but there is a lot more to do.”

Today, Fletchers Crew is proudly sharing the progress which has been made over the past 3 years on the D&R #9. The D&R #9 Restoration Project initially raised $9,999 through our generous donors to begin the project. But this was primarily used to cosmetically restore the tender. The tender is the “car” that is directly connected to the locomotive to carry fuel and water for its operation. In the case of the D&R #9, the tender carries 5 tons of coal for fuel and 3500 gals of water for the boiler. The tender is now complete minus the “Headlight’ and foot boards on the rear.

Now it is time to focus on the locomotive itself. We are dedicating the 2024 season to the “Year of the Cab”. There is much work to do in the cab. There is some wood rot in the interior of the cab. The roof hatches leak, cab floorboards need to be replaced, seat boxes repaired and re-upholstered, and all fixtures in the cab need to be cleaned and painted. The exterior of the cab will then need to be sandblasted and painted just as the tender was. Additionally, depending on volunteer “man” power, running gear will need to be cleaned and prepped for paint. As always, Fletchers crew welcomes ALL volunteers! If you enjoy learning and having fun, that’s all the skill you need!

For our second fund raiser, we are again setting our goal at $9,999. Through your generous donations we can attain this goal. We appreciate any donation you can make towards the project. Every little bit helps! Without your generosity, the wheels of progress will grind to a stop. Fletcher’s “Crew” is dedicated to bringing the project to completion. We will work hard, and we are committed to spending your donations wisely and frugally. Thank you for your support! We cannot do this without you!

If you would like to donate, please click the button below.

Donate Here

Accomplishments

Over the past three years, Fletcher’s Crew has been busy. The following is a list of major accomplishments to date:

The locomotive has been assessed and a working plan was created. Fall 2020

A fund raiser was created to raise money for the cosmetic restoration of the tender. Initial fund raising was $9,999 which was fully funded by generous donations in 2021.

Various parts were removed from the locomotive, cataloged, and relocated to one of our storage buildings. All parts that were removed were tagged and evaluated for restoration and prioritized. 2021/2022

New white oak was ordered and delivered for the running boards, cab floor, and foot boards. More oak will have to be ordered to repair the “Cow Catcher’. 2022

The smokestack was repaired and re-installed on the locomotive. 2022

New cab windows and doors were custom built out of mahogany (to resist weather and rot), have been primed, and now await glazing and final paint. 2022