Grand Opening of Mid-Continent Railway Museum - May 26, 1962
Mid-Continent Railway Museum has called North Freedom, Wisconsin home for nearly six decades. However, the first-ever train rides offered by Mid-Continent actually occurred in Hillsboro, Wis. in 1962.
The Hillsboro & Northeastern Railway (H&NE) provided Mid-Continent with a home and with locomotives to power its first train rides. A grand opening celebration was held on May 26, 1962.
Sharing a rail line with an active freight operation presented some challenges; however, and when the spur line at North Freedom became available the following year, the young museum jumped at the chance to own its own line and moved operations to North Freedom in spring 1963. Several decades later the H&NE was abandoned. Today the roadbed of the rail line between Hillsboro and Union Center is the Hillsboro State Trail.
Video recorded by Odd Johnson and provided to MCRHS by Al Johnson. MCRHS Collection. No audio available.