Tucked along the Fox River in Ashwaubenon, just minutes from Lambeau Field, the National Railroad Museum invites visitors to step into the powerful, hands-on story of American railroading.
Founded in 1956 and formally recognized by Congress in 1958, this nonprofit institution is one of the nation’s oldest and most significant museums devoted to preserving the technology, people, and culture that grew up around the iron road.
Spread across a broad campus with indoor galleries and outdoor yards, the Museum delivers a rare combination of world-class artifacts and approachable, family-friendly experiences—everything from climbing into locomotive cabs to riding behind vintage equipment on a demonstration railroad.
The collection is both deep and varied, spotlighting milestones in engineering and design from steam’s heyday through the diesel and electric eras. At the center of many visits is Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4017, one of the largest steam locomotives ever built. Standing alongside its immense drive wheels, you immediately grasp why railroads were once called the “engines of progress.” Built to crest western mountain grades with gargantuan trains, the Big Boy embodies the scale, ingenuity, and ambition that defined mid-century American industry…