Our O-scale, 2-rail Model Railroad
The Milwaukee & Northern Railway Historical Society (MNRHS), a.k.a. the Neenah-Menasha Model Railroad Club (NMMRRC), maintains an O-scale, 2-rail model railroad which loosely models the Milwaukee & Northern (M&N), primarily its Menasha Branch.
The prototype 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.
St. John
Scene at St. John on our model railroad ca. October 2021. The tracks in the foreground are narrow-gauge. Those in the background are standard gauge. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
High Cliff Railroad Co. HC 101 with a train on the narrow-gauge at St. John on our model railroad ca. October 2021. The locomotive was built by Larry Easton, co-founder of the MNRHS. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Scene at St. John on our model railroad ca. October 2021. The tracks in the foreground are narrow-gauge. Those in the background are standard gauge. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Sherwood
Wally’s awesome Soo Line (SOO) RS1 rests at Sherwood 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 depot at Menasha on our model railroad, as seen on 17 June 2020. This model of the historic Wisconsin Central (WC) depot was built by Dennis Wittmann circa 2007. Prototype M&N passenger trains used this depot while the WC leased the M&N. Photograph by Tom Bruss.
Neenah
An awesome and accurate scale model of our 1882 M&N Neenah depot rests on our model railroad, as seen on 18 June 2020. This model was built by Jacob Woelfel in 2012. Photograph by Tom Bruss.
A model of Gorre & Daphetid GD 89 at Neenah on our model railroad ca. October 2021. This model was painted and lettered by Richard Hopfensperger, as an homage to the late John Allen. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Rich is constructing a facsimile of Bergstrom Paper Co. at Neenah on our model railroad, as seen on 24 November 2021. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.
Rich is constructing 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.
Buettner
Buettner, a new flag stop station, was recently added along the Appleton Branch on our model railroad, as seen on 24 November 2021. Richard Hopfensperger built the depot. The station is named in memory of Bradd Buettner. Bradd was a longtime member and past vice-president of the MNRHS. Photograph by Richard Hopfensperger.