Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
SCHEDULE CHANGE NOTICE:
All ONBOARD DINING departures scheduled in May 2021 have been canceled. The affected departures include:
May 8, 2021, 1:00 PM Pizza Train
May 9, 2021, 10:30 AM Mother’s Day Brunch Train
May 9, 2021, 1:00 PM Mother’s Day Brunch Train
These cancelations are being enacted by Mid-Continent Railway Museum to best comply with a recently-released Transportation Security Administration (TSA) directive aimed at reducing the transmission of the COVID-19 virus aboard railroad passenger trains and other forms of mass transit. After careful consideration, our Dining Services and Operating departments felt we would be unable to provide museum visitors aboard these trains the quality experience they paid for and deserve while also remaining compliant with the TSA directive.
We apologize for any inconvenience these cancelations cause. Customers already booked aboard the affected trains are being contacted individually and will be offered a full refund.
The cancelations do NOT affect Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s COACH TRAINS, which will continue to operate normally while observing social distancing and mask requirements.
The current TSA directive expires on May 11, 2021; however, it may be extended. In the event the directive is extended, additional changes to Mid-Continent’s onboard dining train schedule may occur.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s Whistle on the Wind 2021 wall calendar is now available. The calendar features 13 black & white images of railroading past, each with an informative caption. Images are a mix of historical Midwestern railroad imagery as well as more contemporary scenes at Mid‑Continent Railway Museum.
Many dates feature “this day in history” factoids about railroads of the Upper Midwest and Mid‑Continent’s own history.
The calendar has saddle-stitched (stapled) binding and covers 13 months – January 2021 through January 2022.
Orders must be received by Friday, December 18th to be expected to arrive in time for Christmas. Due to the extraordinary shipping demand on the U.S. Postal Service in 2020, it is advisable to order sooner if possible.
How to Order
Calendars are also available for $9.50 plus shipping and handling through our online gift shop or skip browsing through the store and use the Buy Now (Public) button.
Mid-Continent Railway Historical Society members automatically receive one free calendar as a perk of membership and may order additional calendars at a special members-only price of $7.00 plus shipping and handling. Members can order online using the Buy Now (Member) button.
Note: Membership status will be verified prior to shipping.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Mid-Continent Railway Museum is happy to announce the museum has been awarded a $1,500 grant from the Tom E. Dailey Foundation. This grant will assist Mid-Continent with creating reproductions of the original coach seat design to appear in the historic East Jordan & Southern #2 passenger car, the oldest railcar in Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s collection.
EJ&S No. 2 was originally built in 1864 as coach 112 for the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. It was purchased in 1902 by the EJ&S and was operated on that railroad until abandonment in 1961. After purchase by a private party, the coach was donated and moved to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in 1963. Exterior restoration is nearly complete after five years of volunteer work. Attention is now turning to the car’s interior. Blinds and window sash have been reproduced and refinishing of the interior is now in progress.
The next step in the restoration, and the most costly, is the production of replacement seats. Reproduction coach seats are required because all seats were removed when the East Jordan & Southern ended regular passenger service in 1946.
The seat ends are ornate cast iron of a design patented by George Buntin which is different than the seats found in other cars at the museum. Volunteers plan to build the wooden frames for the seatbacks and seat bottoms. Finally, upholstery work will be done professionally by a skilled contractor. This grant from the Tom E. Dailey Foundation will help begin the process of making the seatbacks and bottom cushions. After work on the wooden frames for the seat cushions is completed in 2021, the upholstery will be done in time for seat installation in 2022.
East Jordan & Southern #2 was among the first cars acquired by Mid-Continent Railway Museum and was used as a ticket office during the museum’s first year of operations at North Freedom as seen in this 1963 photo. The car is currently receiving a comprehensive restoration in Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s Car Shop. Ron Jones photo.
ALSO SEE: Mid-Continent’s Equipment Roster page for EJ&S #2
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
For the safety of our patrons, volunteers, and staff as the pandemic continues in Wisconsin and across the nation, Mid-Continent Railway Museum will remain closed for the remainder of 2020. This closure includes the cancellation of all train rides, tours, and special events including Vintage Rail Car Tours, Harvest Limited, Autumn Color Weekend, Pumpkin Special, and Santa Express. The museum displays will also remain closed to the public.
Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a seasonal operation that closes each winter. This means the Museum’s reopening and return of train rides are presently scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 8, 2021, although this too is subject to change if necessary.
We are saddened to have not been able to welcome visitors to explore railroad history at Mid-Continent this year and hope you will plan to join us next year. You can stay up-to-date with any future announcements, restoration updates, and more by subscribing to Mid-Continent emails.
Impacts on Volunteer Sessions and Member Events
As part of the Mid-Continent’s closure for the remainder of 2020, the following changes are in effect.
Volunteer work sessions organized by department superintendents can continue as they are now until September 20, 2020. To conserve resources, all museum buildings will be closed to members and departments from September 21, 2020 through May 2021.
The Annual Meeting of the Members and banquet scheduled for November 7, 2020 is canceled.
Supporting Mid-Continent During the Pandemic Closure
Mid-Continent relies on ticket sales as a primary source of revenue so the COVID-19 pandemic closure has had and will continue to have a significant impact on the organization’s finances. Steps have been taken to minimize operating costs and stretch our available funds as far as possible, but some expenses like insurance premiums, loan payments, and essential maintenance do not go away. Donations made to Mid-Continent’s General Fund will directly help offset these expenses and are greatly appreciated. If you would like to assist Mid-Continent during this time, please visit our Donation page.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Artistic approximation of Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s new storage building.
Construction is underway on a new parts storage building at Mid-Continent Railway Museum. The new building, located along the western edge of the museum grounds, will help Mid-Continent to provide safe and secure storage for its inventory of parts used for historic railcar restorations and the operation of demonstration passenger trains.
Mid-Continent Railway Museum was hard-hit by flooding along the Baraboo River in 2008 and again in 2018. Increases in frequency and severity of flooding in recent years have made it a priority for the museum to minimize losses from any future floods by relocating items to higher and more secure storage areas.
A major step in this mission was accomplished in September 2019 with the opening of the Laurence Dorcy Building, a 10,500 square foot railcar display building. That building provides indoor display space for nine railcars and a locomotive as well as additional outdoor track space for another six cars, all located above the flood zone.
Aside from railcars and locomotives, Mid-Continent Railway Museum houses a collection of hard-to-find parts for the historic trains. Some parts were salvaged from railcars long-ago destroyed and are stored for use in the restoration of similar railcars. Other stored parts were removed during the restoration process and are kept for use as historical reference and templates for reproductions by Mid-Continent or other museums. To keep this collection of parts safe and secure, a dedicated storage building was sorely needed.
After seeing the success of the Laurence Dorcy Building, in late 2019 small group of donors looked at the museum’s next area of need and banded together to donate the entire cost of a new parts storage building. With this funding secured, things proceeded quickly. Contractors were hired and permits obtained in the early months of 2020. By early May, contractors began clearing and leveling the building site, clearing the way for construction to begin on July 2nd. The new structure is expected to be completed by later this summer.
The building will be 48 feet by 60 feet in size. A 20-foot ceiling clearance will provide plenty of overhead space for the shelving units that will line the walls and building center to allow maximum utilization of the new storage space. The building will also provide indoor parking spaces for the railroad’s maintenance vehicles. A wide gravel driveway will provide plenty of space for large vehicle access for loading and unload of materials.
Despite the ongoing closure from the COVID-19 pandemic, Mid-Continent Railway Museum continues to move forward. The museum is making strides to ensure the safety of the artifacts entrusted to it are provided a safe home. These behind-the-scenes improvements will ultimately lead to an improved museum experience for future visitors. Thanks to the generosity of the project donors, this new storage building is being constructed without a single dollar used from the museum’s operating fund, assuring that the project has no negative impact on the museum’s financial position during the pandemic while simultaneously providing jobs to local construction contractors.
