Mid-Continent Railway Museum

Mid-Continent Railway Museum

Mid-Continent is an outdoor living history museum and operating railroad recreating, preserving, and interpreting the small town/shortline way of life from the “Golden Age of Railroading.”

Welcome to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, the local history museum holding exhibits and artifacts on steam railroading from the 1880s to 1916. This outdoor living museum helps guests discover railroading history through dozens of restored cars and locomotives and has been doing so since opening in 1963. They also offer seasonal train rides for guests!

The mission of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum is to 'educate the public by recreating as accurately as possible the Golden Years of Railroads, from the Civil War days until after World War II, by operating a living railroad with vintage equipment from those times.' Both inside and outside the museum you will see examples of railroading development, from wood to steel, steam power to internal combustion.

Seasonally you may take part in a 7-mile, 55-minute round trip on a historic train, the old Chicago and North Western Railway. The trip departs from an authentic 1894 wooden depot and rides in the valley between Baraboo Hills.

*In late 2019 a 10,500 square foot new addition will be added to the museum, Coach Shed #2. This area will hold 10 pieces of rolling stock such as the Great Northern #A-22.