Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Artistic approximation of Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s new storage building.
Construction is underway on a new parts storage building at Mid-Continent Railway Museum. The new building, located along the western edge of the museum grounds, will help Mid-Continent to provide safe and secure storage for its inventory of parts used for historic railcar restorations and the operation of demonstration passenger trains.
Mid-Continent Railway Museum was hard-hit by flooding along the Baraboo River in 2008 and again in 2018. Increases in frequency and severity of flooding in recent years have made it a priority for the museum to minimize losses from any future floods by relocating items to higher and more secure storage areas.
A major step in this mission was accomplished in September 2019 with the opening of the Laurence Dorcy Building, a 10,500 square foot railcar display building. That building provides indoor display space for nine railcars and a locomotive as well as additional outdoor track space for another six cars, all located above the flood zone.
Aside from railcars and locomotives, Mid-Continent Railway Museum houses a collection of hard-to-find parts for the historic trains. Some parts were salvaged from railcars long-ago destroyed and are stored for use in the restoration of similar railcars. Other stored parts were removed during the restoration process and are kept for use as historical reference and templates for reproductions by Mid-Continent or other museums. To keep this collection of parts safe and secure, a dedicated storage building was sorely needed.
After seeing the success of the Laurence Dorcy Building, in late 2019 small group of donors looked at the museum’s next area of need and banded together to donate the entire cost of a new parts storage building. With this funding secured, things proceeded quickly. Contractors were hired and permits obtained in the early months of 2020. By early May, contractors began clearing and leveling the building site, clearing the way for construction to begin on July 2nd. The new structure is expected to be completed by later this summer.
The building will be 48 feet by 60 feet in size. A 20-foot ceiling clearance will provide plenty of overhead space for the shelving units that will line the walls and building center to allow maximum utilization of the new storage space. The building will also provide indoor parking spaces for the railroad’s maintenance vehicles. A wide gravel driveway will provide plenty of space for large vehicle access for loading and unload of materials.
Despite the ongoing closure from the COVID-19 pandemic, Mid-Continent Railway Museum continues to move forward. The museum is making strides to ensure the safety of the artifacts entrusted to it are provided a safe home. These behind-the-scenes improvements will ultimately lead to an improved museum experience for future visitors. Thanks to the generosity of the project donors, this new storage building is being constructed without a single dollar used from the museum’s operating fund, assuring that the project has no negative impact on the museum’s financial position during the pandemic while simultaneously providing jobs to local construction contractors.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Mid-Continent Railway Museum is happy to announce a project to upgrade much of the museum property to high-efficiency LED lighting is now complete. This project was fully funded by donated funds given specifically for this purpose and as a result.
Upgrading to LED lighting has been discussed for some time, but large upfront upgrade costs had always presented a significant roadblock. However, upon the completion of the new Laurence Dorcy Building (a.k.a. Coach Shed #2) in September 2019 which featured LED fixtures exclusively, the bright illumination of the new building made it immediately obvious just how much the museum’s other buildings could be improved by LED lighting. This served as a springboard to launch LED lighting upgrades as a priority and helped catch the attention of a major donor offering to cover the upgrade costs.
The installation of the new fixtures began in June 2020. Service Electric of Reedsburg was selected as the contractor and was hired to install LED lighting in the museum’s Machine Shop, Engine House, Car Shop, and Coach Shed #1, representing a total of 30,000 square feet, plus several outdoor security lights. This in addition to smaller LED upgrade projects already completed in the depot basement, office building basement, and the new lighting along the passenger loading platform means that the vast majority of the museum property is now making use using high-efficiency LED lighting.
The energy cost savings from these upgrades are expected to be sizable when the museum resumes full operation from the COVID-19 pandemic. Improved light levels and energy cost savings are not the only benefits though. The upgrades will also reduce fire hazard by replacing the various mercury vapor, high-pressure sodium, and metal halide lights. Those technologies use bulbs that heat gasses to extremely high temperatures that pose a risk to any flammable materials below (like wooden train cars) in the event of bulb failure. That risk is mostly eliminated by LEDs that operate at much cooler temperatures.
With the upgrade project now complete, once the museum reopens to the public, visitors will get to enjoy the exhibits within Coach Shed #1 in a new light. Be sure to monitor the Mid-Continent website for the most up-to-date information about the pandemic closure.
An electrician removes old light fixtures in Coach Shed #1 as part of LED lighting upgrades. June 12, 2020. Nancy Kaney photo.
Engine House LED upgrade in progress.. June 1, 2020. Nancy Kaney photo.
Car Shop LED lighting upgrades. June 10, 2020. Nancy Kaney photo.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Mid-Continent Railway Museum has one of the largest restored wooden car fleets in North America and is continuing to obtain and restore additional wooden cars. Nowhere else is there anything like it, and its potential is tremendous. At the present time the restoration department is actively restoring two wooden passenger cars and has many more cars waiting to be restored. Of those cars waiting restoration, many are stored outside and subject to further deterioration by the elements. The Car Shop, where the restorations take place, has room for approximately 8 cars and is currently full. If you would see, or have seen, the wooden cars that have been restored by the member volunteers, you would agree that the restored cars are works of art.
Currently once a wooden car is restored, there is no place to display or store the car. Mid-Continent has only one building on the property that is currently used for the display of restored cars, the Coach Shed, and that building is filled to capacity (13 cars). Three of the cars currently stored in the Car Shop are fully restored and take up room where other wooden cars could be stored pending restoration. It would be totally impractical to place a restored car outside, subject to the elements, especially a Wisconsin Winter, as the car would have to be restored again in just a few years. The only reasonable solution is to build additional indoor railcar storage and display space.
A shortage of indoor storage and display space leaves tarps and temporary coverings as the only means of providing a modicum of protection to many of Mid-Continent’s treasured collection items – obscuring them from public view in the process.
In 2016, Mid-Continent received the final payment from a bequest from the estate of Laurence H. Dorcy totaling $968,046. The funds received from the Dorcy estate were restricted, but could be used to build “a structure for the restoration and storage of railroad cars.” The Board of Directors of Mid-Continent approved the building of a new structure, Coach Shed #2. As of February 2018 great strides have been made toward the completion of Coach Shed #2 and it is expected to be completed in summer 2018.
Site plan for new display building.
UPDATE: October 20, 2017
Site grading for the structure is complete and concrete subwalls are poured. Construction of the structure is now underway. The creation of the fire access road paralleling the building is underway as is installation of the subgrade for the interior railroad tracks. Over 1,100 new railroad ties for the project have been ordered and are expected to arrive in late October. The final phase – construction of the nearly 1/3-mile of new railroad tracks to access the building – is anticipated to occur in spring 2018, assuming adequate funding is available to complete the task. Your support toward completion of this final stage is appreciated!
Wall posts going up on the morning of October 20, 2017.
UPDATE: November 16, 2017
On Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, Cleary Builders wrapped up installation of the walls and roof and windows. The building looks fantastic, although there is still a lot of work before the building can be put to use. The walk doors, three overhead doors in the rear of the building, lighting and electrical are yet to be installed. There is also no floor in the building as of yet. The building will have concrete walkways running the length of the building (an improvement over the brick walkways found in Coach Shed #1). With colder temperatures setting in, the pouring of concrete has been pushed back to the spring.
Coach Shed #2 north end.Coach Shed #2 interior.Coach Shed #2 south end.
Outside the structure itself there is still much work to be done. Many truckloads of rock need to be hauled in to form the roadbed of the new tracks and the ballest. Trackwork will be completed next spring by Knapp Rail Builders, a railroad construction firm used by Mid-Continent numerous times in the past few years for larger-scale track projects. Ditches need to be further shaped and seeded and culverts installed. Walkways must also be placed between the entrance of Coach Shed 1 and the new building.
UPDATE: January 22, 2018
Progress on the new display building has continued through December 2017 and January 2018. Walkdoors and the roll-up train doors have been installed. Inside the building, electricians have been busy installing wiring and lighting throughout the structure. Outside, as weather permits, the excavator has been adding finishing grading to the fire access lane that runs alongside the length of the structure.
UPDATE: March 28, 2018
Since the last update, electrical service has been installed throughout the building. In addition to the translucent panels along the top of the walls, primary lighting is provided by 31 energy-efficient LED overhead lights. As a result, Coach Shed #2 will be noticeably brighter inside than Coach Shed #1.
Abundant electrical outlets along the walls provide easy-to-access power sources for lighting and displays for the car interiors. Electrical outlets were also installed on some of the trusses for easy access to power for cars located on the middle track.
Automatically activated temperature control fans have been installed on the south end of the building. The fans, combined with the screened windows on the north end of the structure, will create an air flow through the building, maintaining more comfortable temperatures without relying on keeping doors open for air circulation – unlike Coach Shed #1.
Additional landscaping, track installation and pouring the concrete floor is still on hold pending proper ground conditions and temperatures. Because of the uncertainty of the weather, it is not known when the work will be completed, but it is anticipated the building will be open to the public within 3-months time.
UPDATE: June 11, 2018
The building sign has arrived. Coulee Signs of Holmen, Wis. has generously donated their time and materials for the creation of the sign pictured and a similar new sign to replace the faded and peeling Coach Shed #1 sign. The design of the new signs mimic the appearance of the Chicago & North Western depot signage style, present on the museum’s North Freedom depot.
The new building is named in honor of the late Laurence Dorcy for his generous contribution that made constructing the structure possible.
Sign that will be installed above Coach Shed #2’s main entry doors.
UPDATE: July 11, 2018
Rainy conditions persisting for much of early summer combined with the characteristically wet soil in the area slowed progress toward grading the new tracks servicing the building. However, dry ground inside the building did allow crews to install track within the structure. Crews also installed a new switch on the museum’s mainline that will connect the new structure to our existing track network.
With the wet conditions finally subsiding, work on installing culverts and grading the final few hundred feet has resumed, after which, the track construction contractor can return to complete installation of the remaining track and final landscaping work can begin.
Coach Shed #2 interior view after track installation, looking south.Coach Shed #2 interior view after track installation, looking north.
Crews install a new switch in the Mid-Continent mainline which will connect the new display building. The new building is visible at far left.
UPDATE: July 17, 2018
Grading for the new track is now complete. The next major step will be installation of the track from the mainline switch to the new building. Once the track is in place, the top layer of ballast will be added.
New railroad grade leading to Coach Shed #2.
In the meantime, some additional grading is being done to install a walkway to the new building from the existing Coach Shed #1.
Grading work for walkway from Coach Shed #1 to Coach Shed #2.
UPDATE: August 21, 2018
Scheduling conflicts have prevented our rail construction contractor from being able to come and complete the installation of the rails connecting the building to the museum’s mainline in July as planned. With the end of our 2018 operating season now less than two months away and time running short to complete the building and still have a chance to plan and send out invites for a grand opening ceremony, it has been determined that the building will not officially open until spring 2019. While a party to celebrate the official opening of the building will have to wait, depending on construction progress, a “soft opening” may still be possible in 2018.
UPDATE: April 4, 2019
Flood damage ravaged Mid-Continent Railway on August 31, 2018, forcing the museum to close for nearly five weeks as repairs were carried out. The track construction contractor working building the tracks into Coach Shed #2 was diverted to instead focus on emergency washout repairs along Mid-Continent’s line and elsewhere in the region. This, combined with saturated ground conditions, introduced further delays to work on the tracks into Coach Shed #2. Despite all that, the contractor was able to subsequently complete most, but not all of the track into the new building during November 2018 before ground freeze and snow cover halted further work.
With spring now here, work will soon resume again. A great deal of snowmelt has generated very soft ground conditions which are currently preventing contractors from resuming work immediately, but they are expected to be able to resume work within the next few weeks.
In the meantime, volunteers have started work producing new display signs to be installed inside Coach Shed #2 in preparation for the grand opening which is not yet scheduled.
UPDATE: July 16, 2019
Track work in and around Coach Shed #2 is now complete and has been approved for use by Mid-Continent’s roadmaster, officially adding nearly 1/3 of a mile of tracks to Mid-Continent’s North Freedom yard.
Final ballast leveling in Coach Shed #2. June 24, 2019. Nancy K. photo.A pivoting hi-rail dump truck brings additional ballast inside Coach Shed #2. Nancy K. photo.A ballast regulator is used to evenly spread ballast. June 24, 2019. Nancy K. photo.Final ballast leveling in Coach Shed #2. June 24, 2019. Nancy K. photo.
Next up on the To-Do list is pouring the concrete walkways. This is tentatively scheduled to take place later this month. Bollards will also be added to protect the building corners from any errant vehicles.
After the concrete is poured, railcars will begin being moved inside. This is expected to take a significant number of hours by our volunteer switch crews and will likely occur over numerous days. What seems straightforward – putting rolling stock in a building – is going to actually be an intricate switching puzzle. In order to fully utilize the available space and maximize presentation value, the rolling stock needs to be positioned in the new display shed in a specific order. These cars (and one locomotive) will be drawn from all around the museum yard, including some items from the existing Coach Shed #1 and Car Shop buildings (which in turn will have other cars moved inside those areas to make sure as many items are stored indoors as possible). Because track space mostly all occupied, nearly every switch move involves making multiple additional moves in order to gain access to the desired item and then put the other cars back in place.
For those that enjoy puzzles and think this sounds like a fun challenge, try out some switching puzzles for yourself with these online Classic Shunting Puzzles.
Additional work ahead includes completing ditch shaping, final landscaping and seeding, adjusting the overhead doors (to account for the concrete floor height), installing fire extinguishers and egress signage, and installing interpretive signage.
UPDATE: August 15, 2019
The pouring of Coach Shed #2’s concrete walkways and entryways began earlier this week. In all, over 4,700 square feet of concrete walkways are being installed in and around the building. Concrete work is expected to wrap up around August 21st.
Watch for more updates in the next week or two as we start to firm up contractor completion dates and prepare a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open Coach Shed #2 to the public.
Mid-Continent Railway Historical Society, Inc., a not-for-profit Wisconsin Corporation, is an outdoor living history museum and operating railroad, and is accredited by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions to Mid-Continent are tax deductible. To make a contribution, visit our Donation page.
Mid-Continent Railway MuseumPosted on by Jeffrey Lentz
Mid-Continent Railway Museum has one of the largest restored wooden car fleets in North America and is continuing to obtain and restore additional wooden cars. Nowhere else is there anything like it, and its potential is tremendous. At the present time the restoration department is actively restoring two wooden passenger cars and has many more cars waiting to be restored. Of those cars waiting restoration, many are stored outside and subject to further deterioration by the elements. The Car Shop, where the restorations take place, has room for approximately 8 cars and is currently full. If you would see, or have seen, the wooden cars that have been restored by the member volunteers, you would agree that the restored cars are works of art.
Currently once a wooden car is restored, there is no place to display or store the car. Mid-Continent has only one building on the property that is currently used for the display of restored cars, the Coach Shed, and that building is filled to capacity (13 cars). Three of the cars currently stored in the Car Shop are fully restored and take up room where other wooden cars could be stored pending restoration. It would be totally impractical to place a restored car outside, subject to the elements, especially a Wisconsin Winter, as the car would have to be restored again in just a few years. The only reasonable solution is to build an additional coach shed for displays.
A shortage of indoor storage and display space leaves tarps and temporary coverings as the only means of providing a modicum of protection to many of Mid-Continent’s treasured collection items – obscuring them from public view in the process.
In 2016, Mid-Continent received the final payment from a bequest from the estate of Laurence H. Dorcy totaling $968,046. The funds received from the Dorcy estate were restricted, but could be used to build “a structure for the restoration and storage of railroad cars.” The Board of Directors of Mid-Continent has approved the building of a new Coach Shed #2. At the present time, work has begun on the site development and grading phase of the building project. The next phase of the project is the construction of the Coach Shed and the building of track to the new Coach Shed. The total estimated cost of the project is $1,144,000.
Proposed site plan for new display building.
The mission of Mid-Continent is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the railroad legacy for the educational benefit of the general public. Its primary focus is on railroading of the Upper Midwest during the Golden Age of Railroading, 1884-1915.
This is why we are turning to you now. Would you help preserve wooden railroad cars of a bygone era? Please consider making a contribution to Mid-Continent so that this worthwhile project can be completed.
[UPDATE: Fundraising is now complete. Follow construction progress in the post: Our New Display Building.]
A Message from the Restoration Department
Our very large collection of wooden passenger cars dates from the Golden Age of Railroading (1884 to 1915). Several of the restored cars have received prestigious awards for their historically accurate and high quality restorations. These cars are gems, with the restored cars being diamonds and the cars awaiting restoration being diamonds in the rough.
The wooden passenger car collection consists of (24) cars, built by (9) different car builder companies dating from 1864 to 1912. Nine of the wooden cars have been painstakingly restored, two are in the process of being restored and the balance of the cars are awaiting resources to restore the cars to their former beauty. Restoring a 100+ year old wooden car is no small undertaking as it can take some 10,000 man hours and anywhere from $150,000 to $1,200,000 depending on the level of volunteer labor. In the Car Shop the volunteers strip the wooden cars to their frame, replace any rotten or defective wood, and then rebuild the cars to their original glory, meticulously following the details that the original builders made when the car was originally built.
The collection contains a full array of passenger cars including luxurious first class cars, business cars, coaches, combination car, a sleeping car, baggage and mail cars. In addition the collection includes the only original “fish” car that has been preserved and restored. This unique car was built for the Wisconsin Fish Commission in 1912 to stock fish (fingerlings) in streams and rivers throughout the state of Wisconsin. The collection also includes complete sets of passenger equipment from specific railroads such as the Soo Line, Lake Superior & Ishpeming, Copper Range and the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic. These sets of equipment add to the importance and significance of Mid-Continent’s wooden car collection.
Presently only 50% of Mid-Continent’s wooden car collection is under cover with only 25% of them accessible for the public to view. This priceless collection is at significant risk due lack of appropriate enclosed exhibit space. The challenge now is to find the necessary resources to protect these gems from the harsh environmental conditions of Central Wisconsin. A new exhibit building is urgently needed to house Mid-Continent’s wooden passenger car collection, provide public access, provide additional exhibition space, and assure that these gems are preserved for future generations. We thank you for your consideration.
Mid-Continent Railway Historical Society, Inc., a not-for-profit Wisconsin Corporation, is an outdoor living history museum and operating railroad, and is accredited by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions to Mid-Continent are tax deductible.
