The National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is one of the country’s premier institutions dedicated to preserving and interpreting railroad history. Established in 1956 and later recognized by Congress as the National Railroad Museum, the organization has spent decades building a collection that today includes more than 70 pieces of rolling stock, over 100,000 smaller artifacts, extensive archives, and operating trackage for seasonal train rides and special events.
A National-Scale Collection On The Fox River
Set along the Fox River on Green Bay’s south side, the museum’s campus blends indoor and outdoor exhibits. Visitors encounter everything from small industrial switchers and cabooses to heavyweight passenger cars and modern diesels. The collection features several genuine “headliners” of American and international railroading:
- Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 “Big Boy” No. 4017, one of only eight surviving examples of the massive articulated locomotives that hauled freight over the Wasatch and Sherman Hill.
- LNER/BR Class A4 4-6-2 No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower, the only A4 Pacific preserved in the United States and one of only two on the continent, displayed in a climate-controlled gallery.
- Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electric No. 4890, representing the streamlined electrics that once powered premier trains along the Northeast Corridor.
- General Motors “Aerotrain” set No. 2, an iconic 1950s experiment in lightweight, futuristic streamlining.
These headline pieces are complemented by a wide variety of freight and passenger cars, cabooses, work equipment, and smaller locomotives. Altogether, the museum offers a sweeping overview of more than a century of railroad technology and design
Exhibits, Archives, And Educational Mission
Beyond the big locomotives, the National Railroad Museum devotes significant space to thematic exhibits that explain the human stories behind the hardware. Permanent and rotating displays cover subjects such as:
- The role of Pullman porters and on-board service staff.
- The evolution of passenger travel, from heavyweight sleepers to sleek streamliners like the Aerotrain.
- The art and branding of passenger trains, including the Bauer Drumhead Gallery of illuminated drumheads from famous named trains.
The museum’s library and archives hold thousands of photographs, corporate records, maps, drawings, and ephemera related to railroads across the United States. Researchers can delve into topics ranging from locomotive engineering to labor history, while casual visitors encounter selected items in exhibit cases and interpretive panels.
Education is a core part of the mission. The museum offers youth STEM programs, rail-themed summer camps, scouting activities, and adult-education events that use railroading to explore technology, physics, and social history.
Seasonal Train Rides And Special Events
A visit to the National Railroad Museum often includes a ride around the grounds. From May through September—and on October weekends—the museum operates a train over its loop of track, giving guests the chance to experience the sights and sounds of railroading from aboard vintage equipment.
Throughout the year, the museum layers on a full calendar of special events. Annual favorites include:
- The Polar Express™ Train Ride, a holiday tradition that combines storytelling, hot chocolate, and a train trip to the “North Pole.”
- Festival of Trees and Holidays on the Rails, which transform the museum into a festive winter destination.
- Other themed events such as Rails & Ales Brewfest, family programs, and seasonal dinner trains.
Among these offerings, one of the most distinctive is the museum’s immersive Mystery Express experience.
The Mystery Express: A 1950s Whodunit Among The RailsSetting The Scene
Mystery Express is the museum’s signature murder-mystery event, staged in and around its historic equipment. The 2026 edition, titled The Iron Rose Affair, transports guests to the spring of 1950, when the fictional Fox River Garden Society gathers at the museum’s new Fox River Expansion for an elegant gala. The evening’s showpiece is the unveiling of the legendary “Iron Rose,” a coveted prize promised to bring fame and influence to its patron…