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National Railroad Museum home page
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About National Railroad Museum home page
Dating back to 1956, the National Railroad Museum is one of the largest, oldest and most well-respected rail museums in the US.
History
Founded in 1956 by community volunteers, the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin is among the oldest and largest American institutions devoted to preserving and interpreting the nation's railroad history. Two years after its founding, a joint resolution of Congress recognized it as the National Railroad Museum, and it has operated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) since 1958 — the same year the Soo Line donated Pacific No. 2718, the first piece ever to arrive on the property. In 2001 the museum added the Frederick J. Lenfesty Center, an enclosed, climate-controlled building sheltering its rarer locomotives and cars, and a $17 million expansion of the indoor display area — backed by $7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds contributed by the state of Wisconsin — opened on September 20, 2025. The museum hosted the annual Day Out with Thomas event through 2019, and each October it stages "Terror on the Fox," a haunted attraction featuring "haunted" train rides after dark.
The Trains
The collection spans more than a century of railroading. Centerpieces include Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4017, one of the world's largest steam locomotives; British Railways Class A4 No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower — built at Doncaster in 1937 and the only British passenger locomotive in the United States — together with the train Eisenhower and his staff used in Britain and continental Europe during World War II; and an Aerotrain. Steam power runs from Santa Fe 2-10-4 No. 5017, the museum's second-largest engine after the Big Boy and its only oil burner, and Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 No. 2736, to Lake Superior & Ishpeming No. 24, a 1910 Alco that is the oldest locomotive on the roster. Sumter & Choctaw 2-8-2 No. 102 is the only steam locomotive that still traverses the museum's working loop — a standard gauge track ringing the grounds — while the climate-controlled Lenfesty Center protects the rarest pieces.
Nearby
Where to Stay
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Rent a Car
Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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Book tours & activities nearby
Pre-book guided tours and things to do around the area.
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More in Wisconsin
All train rides in Wisconsin →Train Types in Wisconsin
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