Vintage Rail Car Tours
September 27-28, 2025
Explore the Interiors of Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s Finest Restorations
Mid-Continent Railway Museum has a nationally renowned, award-winning wooden car restoration program. While all museum visitors can see the beautiful restorations from the Coach Shed viewing platforms alongside the cars, much of the fine craftsmanship can only be appreciated from within the railcars. For one weekend only, September 27-28, 2025, museum visitors will have an opportunity to do just that.
Visitors will be welcomed beyond normally locked doors and get inside four of Mid-Continent’s exquisitely restored wooden passenger cars. Knowledgeable restoration volunteers will be on hand inside the cars to give life to the cars’ history and share details of the restoration process. Visitors can view inside the cars at any time throughout the day and proceed through them at their own pace. After exploring and learning about the finished products of Mid-Continent’s restoration efforts, visitors can tour the Museum’s Car Shop to see where the restoration work is carried out by Mid-Continent’s skilled volunteers.
Vintage Rail Car Tour Pricing
Adult = $15; Children (ages 3-15) = $9
Visitors choosing to not take the Vintage Rail Car Tours can still enjoy the $5, self-guided tour through the museum that is available every day Mid-Continent is open; however, the self-guided tours do not allow access to car interiors.
Vintage Rail Car Tour tickets do not include the 55-minute train ride. To enjoy the Vintage Rail Car Tour PLUS a ride on a historic wooden railcar, consider booking the package option shown below. Ride departures are available at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM during Vintage Rail Car Tour event.
Tour Schedule
Vintage Rail Car Tours are available between 10 AM and 5 PM with the latest suggested start time of 4 PM. Visitors can start the tour at any time within that period and proceed at their own pace. The estimated time to complete the full tour is 1 hour.
Tour Tickets
Due to the historic nature of the railcars on the tour, this tour is not wheelchair accessible. Steps are used to reach the car interiors.
Tour Details
The cars for 2025 Vintage Rail Car Tours have not been selected. Here are the 2024 tour cars as an example:
Wisconsin Fish Commission Badger #2
Copper Range #60
Great Northern #X582
Montana Western #31
Mid-Continent’s Car Shop Building
After exploring and learning about the finished products of Mid-Continent’s restoration efforts, make your way to the Car Shop to see where the restoration work is carried out by Mid-Continent’s skilled volunteers. There you’ll see railcars in different stages of their restorations, including active projects like the East Jordan & Southern #2, Mid-Continent’s oldest railcar, and the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic sleeping car DULUTH.