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/C&NW union depot at Stiles Junction, Wis., ca. the 1960s. Photograph by Larry Easton.

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

UPDATED – Our 2025 Open House

December 7, 2025

Our 2025 open house is in the record books. We had fun greeting many visitors over the weekend of 6 and 7 December. Check out our Open House page for additional information. Here are some

NEW – Train Set Raffle

November 25, 2025

We will be conducting a raffle during this year’s open house, 6 and 7 December 2025. One lucky raffle ticket holder will win a Bachmann HO-scale train set, two packages of straight track, two extra

UPDATE – Appleton Branch

November 21, 2025

After a visit to the Wisconsin Historical Society, we have added two new photographs of the Appleton depot to The Milwaukee & Northern – Appleton Branch page. The M&N depot at Appleton, Wis., ca. 1976. Photograph

NEW – Our 2025 Open House

November 7, 2025

Our 2025 open house will be held on Saturday, 6 December, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, 7 December, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Any additional information will be posted to our