Milwaukee & Northern Railway Historical Society – a.k.a. Neenah-Menasha Model Railroad Club

The Milwaukee & Northern Railway Historical Society

also known as the Neenah-Menasha Model Railroad Club

Since 1964, the Milwaukee and Northern Railway Historical Society (MNRHS) has been dedicated to promoting the hobby of model railroading, especially O-scale, 2-rail. We also endeavor to preserve and share the history of one of Eastern Wisconsin’s and Upper Michigan’s historic railroads.

Housed in the Milwaukee & Northern’s 1882 Neenah, Wis., depot, it includes the Neenah-Menasha Model Railroad Club.

The Club loosely models the Milwaukee & Northern in O Scale, primarily the Menasha Branch.

The Menasha Branch, which runs from Hilbert Junction, Wis., to Menasha, Wis., was completed in 1872. The branch was extended to Appleton in 1880 and Neenah in 1881.

Neenah Depot — IC 3138 passes our depot on the M&N Neenah Branch at Neenah, Wis., on 18 November 2020.

New Holstein Depot — The M&N depot at New Holstein, Wis. Postcard from the MNRHS archives.

1889 M&N Pass — M&N pass from 1889

Vetter Sash & Door Co. at Sherwood — Wally positions a SOO switcher near the Vetter Sash & Door Co. facility at Sherwood. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.

Elkhart Lake Depot — The M&N depot at Elkhart Lake, Wis., on 30 May 2020. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

Ontonagon Depot — The CM&StP, or MILW, depot at Ontonagon, Mich., ca. 8 November 1958. Photograph courtesy of the Daily Mining Gazette Photograph Collection - Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Open House (20211002) — Open house on 2 October 2021 for NMRA Winnebagoland Division Fall Meet. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

Iron Mountain Depot — An E&LS train passes the former CM&StP, or MILW, depot at Iron Mountain, Mich., on 23 July 2021. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

Neenah Depot — Model of our 1882 M&N depot at Neenah. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

Channing Depot — The former M&N depot at Channing, Mich., on 26 June 2021. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

HC 101 at St. John — HC 101 at St. John in October 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.

Neenah Foundry at Neenah — Neenah Foundry Co. at Neenah on 24 November 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.

Menasha Depot — The former M&N depot at Menasha, Wis., circa the 1960s. Photograph by Larry Easton, co-founder of the MNRHS.

Menasha Depot — A model of the MILW Menasha depot on our model railroad as seen on 17 June 2020. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

Appleton Depot — The M&N depot at Appleton, Wis., circa the 1960s. Photograph by Larry Easton.

Bergstrom Paper at Neenah — Bergstrom Paper Co. at Neenah on 24 November 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger

Plymouth Depot — A W&S (or WSOR) train passes the former MILW and C&NW depots at Plymouth, Wis., on 13 March 2021. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

St. John — Scene at St. John in October 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.

Sherwood Depot — The circa 1899 MILW depot at Sherwood, Wis. Photograph Courtesy of the Oshkosh Public Museum.

Neenah Depot — The former M&N Neenah depot in December of 1961. Photograph by Larry Easton, co-founder of the MNRHS.

Levenhagen at Neenah — Levenhagen Oil Corp. at Neenah on 24 November 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.

Stiles Junction Depot — The former M&N/MLS&W union depot at Stiles Junction, Wis., ca. the 1960s. Photograph by Larry Easton , co-founder of the MNRHS.

Channing Depot — The former M&N depot at Channing, Mich., ca. 1912. Photograph courtesy of the Dickinson County Library and the Upper Peninsula Regional Digitization Center.

Model Railroad-Menasha — Scene near the Menasha depot on our model railroad on 9 December 2019. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.

Buettner Depot — Buettner depot along the Appleton Branch on 24 November 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.

Amasa Depot — The former M&N depot at Amasa, Mich., on 24 July 2021. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

Main Line – Fort Howard to Menominee River - Abrams — An E&LS train heads north via the former M&N main line at Abrams, Wis., on 23 April 2021. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

Rockland Depot — The CM&StP, or MILW, depot at Rockland, Mich., ca. 1900. Photograph courtesy of the Roy Drier Collection - Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Chilton Depot — The southeast wall of the former MILW freight house at Chilton, WI, on 26 July 2015. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.

Pembine Depot — A CN train passes the union depot at Pembine, Wis., on 30 Sep. 2014. Photograph by Tom Bruss.

Latest News

UPDATE – Neenah Branch

July 3, 2026

Two new historic photographs of the Neenah M&N depot (our home) have been added to the Milwaukee & Northern – Neenah Branch page of our web site. We were thrilled to discover these during a

NEW – “Colossus” Whale Exhibit

April 11, 2026

The “Colossus” Whale Exhibit has been added as a sub-page of the Appleton Branch page of our web site. It describes a specially built railroad freight car, transporting an embalmed finback whale, which was spotted

UPDATE – Meeting Nights

April 3, 2026

We recently changed our regular meeting nights to Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., often later. Previously our meeting nights were Wednesday and Saturday evenings. As always, the public is welcome

UPDATE – Appleton Branch

January 15, 2026

A print and photograph of the Appleton M&N depot have been added to the Milwaukee & Northern – Appleton Branch page of our web site. We were thrilled to discover this circa 1930s photograph during