Milwaukee Road Historical Association Museum

Frank writes...

Saturday is typically a time for family activities for me, and what better family activity than the Pumpkin Train? So we trooped out to Union and enjoyed a ride on the 431 out to the pumpkin patch at Seeman Road. I didn't get photos of the train or pumpkin patch, I'm afraid. However before our trip, we noticed that the new Milwaukee Road Historical Association Museum on Main Street was open. I hadn't set foot inside this space before, at least not since construction was finished, and it doesn't appear the MRHA's museum has been covered here on the blog - until now.

The frontage onto Main Street includes a research library and reading room at the northeast corner of the Multi-Purpose Building, and next to it this attractive waiting room, where visitors are welcomed to enter when the facility is open. This room is set up with artifacts reminiscent of a depot waiting room and even has a nifty stamped-metal ceiling.

That first photo was taken from the northwest corner of the room looking east, showing the door into the research library; this photo is taken from the northeast corner looking southwest, and the door leads to the main exhibit space.

There are a lot of interesting Milwaukee Road artifacts on display along with artwork on the walls. This desk is in the southeast corner of the "waiting room" space.

And here's a look into the airy and inviting research library, with its nice big picture windows looking out onto Main Street. Someday in the future, you'll be able to sit here and research the Milwaukee Road while streetcars go past your window! I didn't get the name of the gentleman in the photo, but he welcomed us into the exhibit and even gave my daughter a Milwaukee Road coloring book printed by the MRHA.

The waiting room and research library are along the north edge of the building, and behind (south of) them - but still north of the Pullman Library space, which spans the entire east-west length of the Multi-Purpose Building along its southern face - is this very impressive exhibit space. There are a lot of artifacts and exhibits devoted to the Milwaukee Road and they're very attractively arranged. My wife also commented favorably on the orange and maroon stripes on the wall, which really set off the look of the exhibit space. This photo is taken looking southeast.

I guess great minds think alike - the Multi-Purpose Building is home to two velocipedes: this one, and IRM's own velocipede, which has taken up residence in the Post Office Gallery. This photo looks southwest and shows a giant map of the Milwaukee Road on the wall, which is a nice touch. Out of sight behind that artwork board is a door that leads into a photo archive room at the southwest corner of the exhibit space.

The exhibits are still a work in progress, as the MRHA museum has only been open a few months, but it's a really fascinating space and I was very impressed by the work that went into everything.

Signage included history on some of the artifacts; this was a nice exhibit of track tools, with explanations of what the various implements do.

Overall, this is certainly a wonderful addition to Main Street and to IRM. I'm very glad that IRM and the MRHA have worked together to make this library and exhibit space a reality, and the building now being built by the C&NW Historical Society promises to bring yet more cooperation between the preservation efforts of IRM and railroad-specific historical groups. I highly recommend a visit the next time the MRHA Museum is open when you're visiting!

And now, back to our regular Electric Car Department programming.

Thanks to Bill Wulfert for sending along a photo of the seats in the 1808 with a fresh coat of paint on them. As with all of Tim's projects, this car will be better than new when it rolls out of the shop!