Minnesota’s three railroad museums are big in scale. The Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth is a major collection, the Minnesota Transportation Museum uses the historic Jackson Street Roundhouse in Saint Paul, and End O Line Railroad Park at Currie combines a railroad park with local history.
Each listing below links to a full guide with the history, what to look for and how to reach the operator.
Railroad museums & sites in Minnesota — 3
End O Line Railroad Park Museum
End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum preserves the early history of Currie and the Shetek area through a railway-centered historic setting. The site connects rail transportation with the development of the surrounding community, using buildings and exhibits rather than a train ride alone. Its name reflects the experience of a town at the end of a branch line. It suits visitors interested in small-town railroads, preserved structures and regional living-history collections.
Read the guide →Lake Superior Railroad Museum
The Lake Superior Railroad Museum preserves historic railway equipment at Duluth’s depot complex. Its collection helps explain the role trains played in developing Minnesota and the wider region, connecting locomotives and cars with industries and communities. The station setting gives the displays a strong sense of place. Visitors can combine museum time with a North Shore Scenic Railroad journey, but the two are separate experiences, so it helps to know what a chosen ticket includes.
Read the guide →Minnesota Transportation Museum — Jackson Street Roundhouse
The Minnesota Transportation Museum uses the Jackson Street Roundhouse to interpret rail transportation in the Upper Midwest. A roundhouse is a particularly effective museum setting because it reveals the maintenance infrastructure behind the trains, not just the vehicles themselves. The collection connects railway development with changes in the region’s economy and daily life. A visit to the Saint Paul museum is separate from any excursions or activities the organization operates elsewhere.
Read the guide →Ride a train in Minnesota
Museums are for walking around; these operators run trains you can ride.
- North Shore Scenic Railroad — Duluth: scenic railway
Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — flagship sites and state guides
- Midwest — the trains you can ride in the region
- Railroad museums in Illinois
- Railroad museums in Indiana
- Railroad museums in Iowa
- Railroad museums in Kansas
- Railroad museums in Michigan
- Railroad museums in Missouri
- Railroad museums in Nebraska
- Railroad museums in North Dakota
- Railroad museums in Ohio
- Railroad museums in South Dakota
- Railroad museums in Wisconsin