The C&NW #1385 in North Freedom, taken February 19th, 1978. Randy Long Collection.
Members, Friends, and Supporters of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum
We are now raising funds to bring our #1385 Chicago & North Western R-1 class steam locomotive home. As most of you know, the locomotive has been out of service for a little over 26 years and away from the museum since 2013. Finally, in 2025, we plan on bringing #1385 back to Mid-Continent.
The plan is to move the engine by truck and load it onto a flat car. From there, the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad will bring the engine back by rail. This move will include three crane lifts, transportation and securing. With the information we have now our latest estimate, including all required work, is around $80,000. Once it’s back home, final assembly and testing can begin. Our goal is to have #1385 ready for operation in 2026. Please help support the Bring the #1385 Home Fund.
If you would like to donate online, please click the button below. Donations can also be made by phone or mail. (If donating with a check, please write ‘Bring the #1385 Home Fund’ in the memo line.) Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box 358 E8948 Museum Road North Freedom, WI 53951
For assistance, contact our office staff at 608-522-4261.
To help Mid-Continent restore the DULUTH to its former glory, please consider making a donation to the DSS&A Sleeper DULUTH Fund. Donating is tax-deductible and easy to do. You can make your donation via mail or donate online using the donate button below.
If you choose to donate by mail, please be sure to write in “DSS&A Sleeper DULUTH Fund” on the printable donation form or check memo line. Credit/debit card donations can also be accepted via phone at 608-522-4261 or 800-930-1385 by speaking to our staff during administrative office hours Monday-Friday.
A Form 4 is a crucial document used by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to record detailed information about the boiler of a steam locomotive. The form includes data on the boiler’s construction, materials, and condition, as well as the results of various tests and inspections to demonstrate compliance with safety regulations.
The Form 4 has been completed and submitted to the FRA in Washington for the #1385. The FRA gave us approval to proceed with the FRA witnessed Hydrostatic test. This was done on October 10th, 2024. All went as planned with no issues. The engine passed the test and FRA Inspector Dave S’s final comment on the test was “Good work!”
Now we are waiting for Washington for the final approval of the Form 4. We have compiled a complete list of all the work to be done on the engine and have assessed who is doing each task. We will bring in the following labor to work on the completing the engine: volunteer museum members, paid staff, and third-party contractors including Spec Machine and FMW. This winter will be a very busy season for us. Some of the larger tasks left to complete are installing the air and steam lines, adding insulation and the sheet metal jacketing, installing the cab, ashpan installation, smokestack installation, and installing the pistons and rings. There are many other smaller items that need to be completed as well.
The #1385 Task Group and Management Committee are still meeting weekly and the items to get completed are getting smaller in number. Our plan is still to have the engine back at the museum in 2025 and at least begin testing. I want to thank our friends and supporters of this project. We could not have gotten to this point without your help, support and understanding. If you would like to give a gift to #1385, please click the button below to donate online. Your gift will ensure this work is completed in a timely manner and help with transportation costs to ship the engine back to the museum.
Thank you in advance for your positive help and support!
Members, Friends, and Supporters of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum
We are looking to complete the major overhaul of our rail line by the opening of the 2025 season. As you may recall, we have changed our worn out 60 lb. rail on the major curves and installed many truckloads of ties and raised the roadbed. This work is now completed and will allow many years of service by heavy engines like the #1001 and #1385. Then we purchased enough 90 lb. rail to do the rest of the line and laid it out along the main line.
We have obtained two bids. I will refer to them as Bid Package #1 and Bid Package #2.
Bid Package #1 will relay all rails not already replaced on the main line from the restoration building to the end of the track at the quarry. It will include increasing the runaround area at the quarry so we can run the #1385 around the train and operate as normal. It will include the installation of 12,470 track feet (2.36 miles) of relay rail and On-Track-Materials (OTM) on the main track and sidings areas (includes farm crossings, culvert, and all work tasks). Furnish and install 2,069 new cross ties on the main track and sidings. Add ballast and perform 12,847 track feet (2.36 miles) of machine surfacing on the main track and sidings. Construct new end of track earth berm using materials available on site.
Bid Package #2 will relay only rails on the main line from Ulrich Road to the last switch at the quarry (Project Areas 3-5). It will not repair and extend our run around track for the #1385, meaning we will have to push the train back to the station. It will include the installation of 11,472 track feet (2.17 miles) relay rail and OTM on main track and sidings. Install 1,600 new cross ties, add ballast, and perform 12,786 track feet (2.42 miles) of machine track surfacing on the main track and sidings in Areas 3 and 5.
After using all our unrestricted cash on hand, we are short $316,858.82 to do bid package #1 and short $79,080.92 to do bid package #2. We would like to do the whole project but unless we come up with the funds, we will not be able to do any of this work. I am asking all our members, friends, and supporters to help fund and spread the word about this project. We can start this work in December and have it completed by opening season 2025. With 1385 coming back in the summer of 2025 it will give us nice heavy rail supported by new ties to operate on. This work will give us many years of headache free operation regarding our rail line.
In this time of need no donation is too small. Please consider a donation and passing the word to all your friends, family, and fans of history and railroading. I want to thank you for your past support of the Mid-Content Railway Museum. If anyone would like more detailed information on this project, please contact me.
The current state of our interchange rail ties.Notice the absent and deteriorating ties.
We’re thrilled to announce a challenge grant of $5,000 from an anonymous donor for new railroad ties. Now we need your help to match the challenge so we can claim the $5,000 grant and get the new ties installed in the coming months.
This isn’t just any track maintenance project. As the Chicago & North Western #1385 steam locomotive restoration project nears completion, one of the major tasks still ahead is transporting the restored locomotive back home to Mid-Continent. Shipping the 1385 home by railroad flat car is the preferred option, but there’s a snag: Mid-Continent’s interchange track is rarely used and many of the ties on that portion of the line are rotted and can’t support the weight of 1385. About 275 new ties are needed to make the interchange safe for use.
