Minnesota Transportation Museum

The Minnesota Transportation Museum (MTM, reporting mark MNTX[1]) is a transportation museum in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States.

Minnesota Transportation Museum
The Minnesota Transportation Museum's Jackson Street Roundhouse
LocationSaint Paul, Minnesota
Coordinates44°57′45″N 93°5′46″W
TypeTransportation museum
Websitehttp://www.transportationmuseum.org/

MTM operates several heritage transportation sites in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin. The museum is actively involved in preserving local railroad, bus and streetcar history.

MTM was formed in 1962 to save a streetcar that had been built and operated by Twin City Rapid Transit (TCRT) in Minneapolis–St. Paul. Many of the museum's early members were formerly part of the Minnesota Railfans Association, which had organized railfan trips from the 1940s to the 1960s.

In 2004–2005, the organization's streetcar operations became the Minnesota Streetcar Museum, with the steamboat Minnehaha, originally built by TCRT in a style similar to its streetcars, becoming a major attraction of the Museum of Lake Minnetonka.

Minnehaha Depot
The Minnehaha Depot in Minnehaha Park

After the first streetcar, TCRT No. 1300, was successfully restored, other projects were examined in the time before the streetcar could be put on its own set of rails.

The Minnehaha Depot was a former Milwaukee Road depot at Minnehaha Falls. The station, built in 1875, was nicknamed "The Princess" because of its delicate architecture. The depot is a contributing property to the Minnehaha Historic District. Trains running on special routes have sometimes stopped at the station, and it was eventually integrated into the area streetcar system. Tracks owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway reach the station, though it is at the disused end of a rail spur.

The depot is owned by the Minnesota Historical Society and operated by the Minnesota Transportation Museum. In 1967, the depot became the first building to be restored by the museum and it was outfitted with exhibits. In 2004, the METRO Blue Line's Minnehaha Park station opened across the road from the old depot.

Classic buses
The Minnesota Transportation Museum pressed this classic General Motors bus back into service as part of the Blue Line light rail opening in June 2004.
An older Mack bus behind the Jackson Street Roundhouse

Several buses from the 1940s and 1950s are also operated by the museum. Most equipment in the bus collection were built by the GMC division of General Motors, and represent vehicles that replaced the streetcars in the Twin Cities in the 1950s. The conversion from a streetcar to bus system required two years. The last trolley run was on Hennepin Avenue on June 18, 1954.[2]

The collection consists of buses operated in and across Minnesota. Earliest is a 1942 Mack (occasionally used in conjunction with the Commemorative Air Force) which transported war workers to the B-24 final assembly point at what is now St Paul's Holman Field, and a block of 1953/54 GMC transit units, two of which are painted in original Twin Cities Lines colors. The buses are used in regular charter service, and form a very visible part of the museum's collection, often used in wedding and corporate charters, and on the museum's city tours.

This part of the collection is sponsored by Richfield Bus Company, graciously providing maintenance and licensing to operate them.

As the museum has acquired much of its bus collection from Metro Transit, the bus company sometimes requests the use of the old buses for special events.

Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway

MTM, in conjunction with the Historical Society of Osceola, Wisconsin, operates a heritage railroad called the Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway. Excursion trains are operated on trackage formerly owned by Wisconsin Central Ltd., now part of Canadian National Railway.

Excursion trains operate from the historic Osceola Depot, north to Dresser, Wisconsin, and southbound to and through the scenic St. Croix River Valley. Regular schedules begin on the first weekend in May, continuing through the last week of October. Special Event trains operate through the season, including Mother's Day and Father's Day dining specials, the popular fireworks train to Marine on St. Croix, the Pumpkin Train (Halloween) and Fall Leaf Viewing trains through the River Valley.

Passenger classes are General Tourist, First Class and Dining Car. Dining Car service is handled by the Osceola and St Croix Dinner Train, operating on alternating weekends. Service includes Brunch and Dinner, classic affairs done in the old "high dollar style". All Dinner Trains are "full service," with properly uniformed staff serving meals on matched white linens & original diner china, most 70 to 90 years old.

At the Osceola service area, several locomotives and pieces of rolling stock are on display. All equipment has been reconditioned to standard operating condition, including classic 1920s open-window coaches, Great Northern express coaches and a refreshment car (Baggage car 265). Locomotives currently in running condition are classic diesel-electric.

In past years the classic steam engine, Northern Pacific No. 328 (4-6-0) was used to pull the trains, but has been placed in restoration status due to its age (107 yrs).

The regular service train route runs approximately 50 minutes to/from Dresser, Wisconsin, and 100 minutes to/from Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota.

The Museum also operates the Dresser Depot at the northeast terminus of the line in Dresser, WI. The Depot has been preserved exactly as if the staff stepped out for a break, down to calendars and railroad notices. It is also the site of Pumpkin Train Park, hosting several thousand visitors during the pre-Halloween weekend.

Jackson Street Roundhouse
Turntable at the Jackson Street Roundhouse

The Jackson Street Roundhouse is MTM headquarters in St. Paul, as well as a fully functional railroad roundhouse, one of the last of its kind in the country. During winter months, the Roundhouse is a functioning work area for Museum rolling stock, often with the volunteer workforce welding, grinding and sending sparks flying.

Open Wednesday & Saturday, year-round, and on Friday during the summer months it is a maintenance & restorations base for the museum's locomotives and rolling stock. It is highly interactive, offering train rides (Saturdays) as well as hands-on exhibits about surface transportation history of Minnesota and the upper Midwest.

The building was erected by the Great Northern Railway in 1907, replacing another, older roundhouse. The site has been used for rail transportation since the first railroad came to Minnesota (1860s). The Roundhouse and surrounding grounds are a near complete display of American industrial history from the 19th century through the mid-20th century.

The Roundhouse is base for equipment as varied as Pullman coaches, Northern Pacific RR mail & baggage cars, an operating 115-foot (35 m) turntable, a 200-ton lifting crane, an F7A passenger engine (under long term restoration to operating status), a Brill Car (one of the last of its kind) and the Minnesota Transportation Museum's fleet of classic buses.

The roundhouse is also home to the famous Northern Pacific Railway steam engine No. 2156, known to many Twin Cities children as Casey Jones's steam engine, from the popular children's program "Lunch With Casey" starring Roger Awsumb as Casey Jones, in the 60's & 70's. No. 2156, currently torn down for restoration, is undergoing stabilization to become part of a "Steam Bay" exhibit, demonstrating the inner workings of steam locomotives. It will be displayed next to its sister engine No. 2153, restored cosmetically to original operating configuration.

Train Equipment

[3]

Steam Locomotives
LocomotiveTypeBuiltRetiredAcquiredOn DisplayOperationalImage
Northern Pacific #328Class S-10 4-6-0Alco, 19051950Leased 1976Cosmetic RestorationNo 1981–1999
Northern Pacific #2153Class Q-3 4-6-2Baldwin, 19091950sDonated 2000Cosmetic RestorationNo
Northern Pacific #2156Class Q-3 4-6-2Baldwin, 19091950sLeased 1980 - Purchased LaterRestorationNo

Diesel Locomotives
LocomotiveTypeBuiltRetiredAcquiredLocationStatusImage
Andersen Windowalls #3110EMD SW119492000Donated 2001Jackson Street RoundhouseOperational
Burlington Northern #6234 (Colorado & Southern #839)EMD SD919592003Donated 2003Osceola and St. Croix Valley RYOperational
Chicago Burlington & Quincy #9735EMD PMC1929?Purchased 1984Jackson Street RoundhouseRestoration
Dan Patch #100GE 57-Ton19131967Donated 1967Jackson Street RoundhouseDisplay
General Mills #7176GE 35-Ton19622018Donated 2018Jackson Street RoundhouseOperational
Great Northern #325EMD SDP4019662008Donated 2009Osceola and St. Croix Valley RYOperational
Great Northern #454-AEMD F7A195019812003Jackson Street RoundhouseIn Restoration
Great Northern #558EMD SD719521983Donated 2017Jackson Street RoundhouseIn Restoration
Lake Superior Terminal & Transfer #101EMD NW21948??Jackson Street RoundhouseIn Restoration
Northern Pacific (LST&T) #105EMD SW12001957?1987Jackson Street RoundhouseOperational
Soo Line #559 (Rock Island #1223)EMD GP719511997Purchased 1998Jackson Street RoundhouseOperational
US Navy #10106GE 45-Ton1942??Jackson Street Roundhouse?

Passenger Cars
Railroad CompanyOperating NumberCar NameCar TypeLocationNotes
Chicago & Northwestern8676Baggage-ExpressJackson Street RoundhouseOn Display
Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy (Burlington Route)4709Silver CastleStreamlined Dome CarJackson Street RoundhouseIn Storage; Restoration Planned
Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range30Heavyweight CoachJackson Street RoundhouseIn Storage
Duluth, South Shore, & Atlantic101Baggage-Mail-ExpressJackson Street RoundhouseOn Display
Erie Lakawanna2232Heavyweight MU Trailer Commuter CoachOsceola and St. Croix Valley RYIn Service
Great Northern RailwayA-11Streamlined Lounge/Observation/Business CarOsceola and St. Croix Valley RYIn Service
Great Northern Railway16Steam Heat CarJackson Street RoundhouseIn Storage (Painted Burlington Northern)
Great Northern Railway265MariahStreamlined BaggageOsceola and St. Croix Valley RYIn Service
Great Northern Railway480Heavyweight BaggageJackson Street RoundhouseOn Display
Great Northern RailwayX-757Drover's CoachHeavyweight CoachJackson Street RoundhouseOn Display
Great Northern Railway1084Twin PortsStreamlined Parlor-BuffetJackson Street RoundhouseIn Restoration
Great Northern Railway1096Streamlined CoachOsceola and St. Croix Valley RYIn Service
Great Northern Railway1097Streamlined CoachOsceola and St. Croix Valley RYIn Service (used as dining car)
Great Northern Railway1146Streamlined DinerJackson Street RoundhouseIn Restoration
Great Northern Railway1213Streamlined CoachOsceola and St. Croix Valley RYIn Service
Great Northern Railway1215City Of OsceolaStreamlined CoachJackson Street RoundhouseOn Display
Great Northern Railway1224Streamlined CoachJackson Street RoundhouseIn Storage; Restoration Planned
Great Northern Railway1244White Pines LakeStreamlined Ranch/Lounge CarColumbus, OHPurchased 2019, move to MN planned
Milwaukee Road502Streamlined CoachJackson Street RoundhouseOn Display
Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern2352GopherHeavyweight Business CarJackson Street RoundhouseOn Display
Northern Pacific598Streamlined CoachJackson Street RoundhouseIn Storage; Restoration Planned
Northern Pacific1102Heavyweight Triple CombinationOsceola and St. Croix Valley RYIn Service
Northern Pacific1370Heavyweight CoachJackson Street RoundhouseIn Storage
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (Rock Island)2529Heavyweight Commuter CoachJackson Street RoundhouseOn Display
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (Rock Island)2604Heavyweight Commuter CoachOsceola and St. Croix Valley RYIn Service
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (Rock Island)2608Heavyweight Commuter CoachOsceola and St. Croix Valley RYIn Service
Soo Line1472Heavyweight DinerJackson Street RoundhouseIn Storage

Cabooses
  • Burlington Northern #11214
  • Chicago, Burlington & Quincy #13500
  • Great Northern #X71
  • Milwaukee Road #992040
  • Northern Pacific #1264
  • Northern Pacific #1631
  • Soo Line #31

Service & miscellaneous equipment
  • Great Northern #X1735 Derrick Wrecking Crane
  • Northern Pacific #30 Russel Snow Plow

References
  1. Railinc, Search MARKs, accessed September 2009
  2. "Mass Transit: Streetcars and Buses". St Louis Park Historical Society.
  3. "Collections". Minnesota Transportation Museum. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
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