Colfax Railroad Museum

The Colfax Railroad Museum is a railroad museum in Colfax, Wisconsin.

Collection

The museum currently has a growing collection of railroad equipment from railroads that serviced the western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota region. The collection includes Soo Line caboose number 273, Barney & Smith heavyweight coach number 991, and Soo Line GP-30 number 703, and other cars.

The depot houses the large collection of lanterns, railroad china, and the nation's largest railroad paper-weight collection. The primary purpose of these artifacts is to show what people encountered on day-to-day activities with the railroads and how the technology changed throughout time.

History of the Depot

The museum is housed in the village's third depot. Built from sandstone quarried nearby, this building was constructed between 1914 and 1915 on the foundation of the second depot, which now serves as a personal residence.

In 1958, a large storm tore through western Wisconsin, producing many tornadoes, one of which hit the freight house on the depot's west side. The wall from the women's waiting room was rebuilt from the rubble, but the freight house was never restored.

Hours of Operation

Museum hours of operation are:
May & September: Sat/Sun 11 am - 4 pm
June - August: Thur-Sun 11 am - 4 pm
Other hours by appointment

Contact Information

Phone:
(715)962-2076

Email:
colfaxrr@wwt.net

References

http://www.chippewa.com/sections/explorer/pages-may2007/2007%20CV%20Explorer%2015.pdf http://www.colfaxrrmuseum.org

See also

• List of museums in Wisconsin