Музей транспорта Миннесоты: История железных дорог, трамваев и автобусов штата

The Minnesota Transportation Museum (MTM, reporting mark MNTX) is a transportation museum in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. MTM operates several heritage transportation sites in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin. The museum is actively involved in preserving local railroad, bus, and streetcar history. MTM was formed in 1962 to save a streetcar that had been built and operated by Twin City Rapid Transit (TCRT) in Minneapolis–St. Paul. Many of the museum's early members were formerly part of the Minnesota Railfans Association, which had organized railfan trips from the 1940s to the 1960s. In 2004–2005, the organization's streetcar operations became the Minnesota Streetcar Museum, with the steamboat Minnehaha, originally built by TCRT in a style similar to its streetcars, becoming a major attraction of the Museum of Lake Minnetonka.

After the first streetcar, TCRT No. (number) 1300, was successfully restored, other projects were examined in the time before the streetcar could be put on its own set of rails. The Minnehaha Depot was a former Milwaukee Road depot at Minnehaha Falls. The station, built in 1875, was nicknamed "The Princess" because of its delicate architecture. The depot is a contributing property to the Minnehaha Historic District. Trains running on special routes have sometimes stopped at the station, and it was eventually integrated into the area streetcar system. Tracks owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway reach the station, though it is at the disused end of a rail spur. The depot is owned by the Minnesota Historical Society and operated by the Minnesota Transportation Museum. In 1967, the depot became the first building to be restored by the museum and it was outfitted with exhibits. In 2004, the METRO Blue Line's Minnehaha Park station opened across the road from the old depot.

Up until 2019, Several buses from the 1940s and 1950s were also operated by the museum. Most equipment in the bus collection were built by the GMC division of General Motors, and represented the vehicles that replaced the streetcars in the Twin Cities in the 1950s. The conversion from a streetcar to bus system required two years. The last trolley run was on Hennepin Avenue on June 18, 1954. The collection consisted of buses that once operated in and across Minnesota. The Earliest is a 1942 Mack (occasionally used in conjunction with the Commemorative Air Force) which transported war workers to the B 24 final assembly point at what is now St Paul's Holman Field, and a block of 1953/54 GMC transit units, two of which are painted in original Twin Cities Lines colors. The buses were used in regular charter service, and once formed a very visible part of the museum's collection, often used in wedding and corporate charters, and on the museum's city tours. This part of the collection was sponsored by Richfield Bus Company, who had provided maintenance and licensing to operate them. As the museum acquired much of its bus collection from Metro Transit, the bus company sometimes requested the use of the old buses for special events. In 2019, the entire bus collection was donated to a private party. The museum currently has no plans on acquiring new buses to replace their former collection.

MTM, in conjunction with the Historical Society of Osceola, Wisconsin, operates a heritage railroad called the Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway. Excursion trains are operated on trackage formerly owned by Wisconsin Central Ltd., now part of Canadian National Railway. Excursion trains operate from the historic Osceola Depot, north to Dresser, Wisconsin, and southbound to and through the scenic St. Croix River Valley. Regular schedules begin on the first weekend in May, continuing through the last week of October. Special Event trains operate through the season, including Wine Tasting, the Pumpkin Train (Halloween) and Fall Leaf Viewing trains through the River Valley. At the Osceola service area, several locomotives and pieces of rolling stock are on display. All equipment has been reconditioned to standard operating condition, including classic 1920s open window coaches, Great Northern express coaches and a refreshment car (Baggage car 265). Locomotives currently in running condition are classic diesel electric. In past years the classic steam engine, Northern Pacific No. 328 (4 6 0) was used to pull the trains, but has been placed in restoration status due to its age (107 yrs). The regular service train route runs approximately 50 minutes to/from Dresser, Wisconsin, and 100 minutes to/from Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. The Museum also operates the Dresser Depot at the northeast terminus of the line in Dresser, WI. The Depot has been preserved exactly as if the staff stepped out for a break, down to calendars and railroad notices. It is also the site of Pumpkin Train Park, hosting several thousand visitors during the pre Halloween weekend.

The Jackson Street Roundhouse is MTM headquarters in St. Paul, as well as a fully functional railroad roundhouse, one of the last of its kind in the country. During winter months, the Roundhouse is a functioning work area for Museum rolling stock, often with the volunteer workforce welding, grinding and sending sparks flying. Open Wednesday & Saturday, year round, and on Friday during the summer months it is a maintenance & restorations base for the museum's locomotives and rolling stock. It is highly interactive, offering train rides (Saturdays) as well as hands on exhibits about surface transportation history of Minnesota and the upper Midwest. The building was erected by the Great Northern Railway in 1907, replacing another, older roundhouse. The site has been used for rail transportation since the first railroad came to Minnesota (1860s). The Roundhouse and surrounding grounds are a near complete display of American industrial history from the 19th century through the mid 20th century. The Roundhouse is base for equipment as varied as Pullman coaches, Northern Pacific RR mail & baggage cars, an operating 115 feet (35 m) turntable, a 200 ton lifting crane, an F7A Freight engine (under long term restoration to operating status), a Brill Car (one of the last of its kind), and Rock Island Business Car "Gritty Palace" donated by the late Art Pew's family in 2022. The roundhouse is also home to the famous Northern Pacific Railway steam engine No. 2156, known to many Twin Cities Gen X children as Casey Jones's steam engine, from the popular children's program "Lunch With Casey" starring Roger Awsumb as Casey Jones, in the 60's & 70's. No. 2156, having been torn down for restoration for the last decade, is undergoing stabilization to become part of a "Steam Bay" exhibit, demonstrating the inner workings of steam locomotives. It will be displayed next to its sister engine No. 2153, restored cosmetically to original operating configuration.

Locomotive Type Built Retired Acquired Location Status Image Andersen Windowalls #3110 EMD SW1 1949 2000 Donated 2001 Jackson Street Roundhouse Operational Burlington Northern #6234 (Colorado & Southern #839) EMD SD9 1959 2003 Donated 2003 Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY Operational Chicago Burlington & Quincy #9735 EMD PMC 1929 ? Purchased 1984 Jackson Street Roundhouse Stored awaiting restoration Dan Patch #100 GE 57 Ton 1913 1967 Donated 1967 Jackson Street Roundhouse Display General Mills #7176 GE 35 Ton 1962 2018 Donated 2018 Jackson Street Roundhouse Restoration Great Northern #325 EMD SDP40 1966 2008 Donated 2009 Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY Operational Great Northern #454 A EMD F7A 1950 1981 2003 Jackson Street Roundhouse Stored awaiting restoration Great Northern #558 EMD SD7 1952 1983 Donated 2017 Jackson Street Roundhouse Stored awaiting restoration Lake Superior Terminal & Transfer #101 EMD NW2 1948 ? ? Jackson Street Roundhouse Stored Northern Pacific (LST&T) #105 EMD SW1200 1957 ? 1987 Jackson Street Roundhouse Operational Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe #2627 (MNTX #454) EMD CF7 1946 2015 2020 Jackson Street Roundhouse Stored as a spare parts provider Northern States Power NSP 5 GE 45 Ton 1951 20xx 2023 Jackson Street Roundhouse Restoration Soo Line #559 (Rock Island #1223) EMD GP7 1951 1997 Purchased 1998 Jackson Street Roundhouse Operational US Navy #10106 GE 45 Ton 1942 ? ? Jackson Street Roundhouse Operational

Railroad Company Operating Number Car Name Car Type Location Notes Chicago & North Western 8676 Baggage Express Jackson Street Roundhouse On Display Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy 4709 Silver Castle Streamlined Dome Car Jackson Street Roundhouse In Storage; Restoration Planned Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 98 Gritty Palace Business Car On the way to the museum On Display Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 2529 Heavyweight Commuter Coach Jackson Street Roundhouse On Display Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 2604 Heavyweight Commuter Coach Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY In Service Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 2608 Heavyweight Commuter Coach Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY In Service Duluth, South Shore, & Atlantic 101 Baggage Mail Express Jackson Street Roundhouse On Display Erie Lakawanna 2232 Heavyweight MU Trailer Commuter Coach Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY In Service Great Northern A 11 Streamlined Lounge/Observation/Business Car Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY In Service Great Northern A 18 Business Car On the way from California Great Northern 16 Steam Heat Car Jackson Street Roundhouse In Storage (Painted Burlington Northern) Great Northern 265 Mariah Streamlined Baggage Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY In Service Great Northern 480 Heavyweight Baggage Jackson Street Roundhouse On Display Great Northern X 757 Drover's Coach Heavyweight Coach Jackson Street Roundhouse On Display Great Northern 1084 Twin Ports Streamlined Parlor Buffet Jackson Street Roundhouse In Restoration Great Northern 1096 Streamlined Coach Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY At Albia, IA Relco Paint Shop for Restoration Great Northern 1097 Streamlined Coach Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY In Service (used as dining car) Great Northern 1146 Streamlined Diner Jackson Street Roundhouse In Restoration Great Northern 1213 Streamlined Coach Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY In Service Great Northern 1215 City Of Osceola Streamlined Coach Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY In Service Great Northern 1224 Streamlined Coach Jackson Street Roundhouse In Storage; Restoration Planned Milwaukee Road 502 Streamlined Coach Jackson Street Roundhouse On Display Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern 2352 Gopher Heavyweight Business Car Jackson Street Roundhouse On Display Northern Pacific 598 Streamlined Coach Jackson Street Roundhouse In Storage; Restoration Planned Northern Pacific 1102 Heavyweight Triple Combination Osceola and St. Croix Valley RY In Service Northern Pacific 1370 Heavyweight Coach Jackson Street Roundhouse In Storage Soo Line 1472 Heavyweight Diner Jackson Street Roundhouse In Storage