Our Model Railroad
The Milwaukee and Northern Railway Historical Society (MNRHS), a.k.a. the Neenah-Menasha Model Railroad Club (NMMRRC), 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 1871. The branch was extended to Appleton in 1880 and Neenah in 1881. Seeing as we do not have ample room to faithfully model the Menasha Branch in its entirety, a significant amount of artistic license, or modelers’ license, is applied to our model railroad.
Working on the (Model) Railroad
Wally checks the weight of a boxcar on our model railroad on 24 November 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
St. John
Scene near the St. John depot on our model railroad ca. October 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
High Cliff Railroad Co. HC 101 with a train near the St. John depot on our model railroad ca. October 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Scene near the St. John depot on our model railroad ca. October 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Sherwood
A Soo Line (SOO) RS1 rests at Sherwood, a.k.a. Lake Wobegon, on our model railroad ca. October 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Wally positions a SOO switcher near a model of the Vetter Sash & Door Co. facility at Sherwood, a recent addition to our model railroad, as seen on 24 November 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Menasha
A model of the MILW Menasha depot on our model railroad as seen on 17 June 2020. This is actually a model of the original Wisconsin Central (WC) depot at Menasha. M&N passenger trains used this depot while the WC leased the M&N. Photograph by Tom Bruss.
Neenah
Model of our 1882 M&N, later MILW, Neenah depot on our model railroad on 18 June 2020. Photograph by Tom Bruss.
Rich recently constructed a facsimile of Bergstrom Paper Co. at Neenah on our model railroad, as seen on 24 November 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Rich recently constructed a facsimile of Neenah Foundry Co. at Neenah on our model railroad, as seen on 24 November 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Rich recently constructed a facsimile of Levenhagen Oil Corp. at Neenah on our model railroad, as seen on 24 November 2021. Levenhagen is our actual neighbor to the north of our depot. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
A facsimile of The Green Shack is being built at Neenah on our model railroad, as seen on 24 November 2021. The actual old tavern once stood next to the Wisconsin Central (WC) depot in Neenah, Wis. According to the Wisconsin State Historical Society property record for 427 Sherry St. in Neenah, “The Green Shack was built [in 1904] for William P. Quinn with proceeds of a benefit dance held on his behalf after a crippling railroad accident.” On our model railroad, it stands at the base of the huge smoke stack for the Bergstrom Paper Co. mill. Wally’s shirt is partially visible between the smoke stack and the paper mill. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Model of Gorre & Daphetid GD 89 at Neenah on our model railroad ca. October 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Buettner
Buettner, a new flag stop station, was recently added along the Appleton Branch on our model railroad, as seen on 24 November 2021. The depot is named in memory of Bradd Buettner, a longtime member of the MNRHS. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
