National Railroad Museum
900 Stadium Dr, Ashwaubenon, WI
Ashwaubenon, WI
Some of the largest locomotives ever built, alongside the command train of a wartime general, under one roof beside the Fox River.
The National Railroad Museum in the Green Bay area is one of the oldest and most significant institutions of its kind in the United States, home to a remarkable collection of locomotives and rail cars that tell the story of American railroading. Its holdings include some true giants, and standing beside them gives a visceral sense of the scale and power of the age of steam.
Two pieces alone would make the museum worth the trip. One is a Union Pacific Big Boy, among the largest steam locomotives ever built, an engine so long it seems to belong to another order of machine. The other is the train that carried General Dwight Eisenhower as a mobile command post during the Second World War in Europe, a rolling headquarters preserved as a piece of living history.
What Guests Love
- Standing beside a Union Pacific Big Boy, among the largest steam locomotives ever built
- Touring the train that served as General Eisenhower's mobile command in wartime Europe
- A vast indoor hall of historic locomotives and rail cars to walk among
- Seasonal train rides on the grounds that bring the collection to life
Worth Knowing
- Some experiences, such as train rides, are seasonal, so check what is running before you go
- The collection is large and spread between indoor halls and outdoor grounds, so allow time
- Climbing inside certain cars and cabs may be limited, so read the posted guidance
- The museum pairs naturally with a Green Bay visit, including Lambeau Field nearby
Details
Ashwaubenon, WI
Learn about National Railroad Museum
A national collection
The museum was founded to preserve the heritage of American railroading, and over the decades it has assembled a wide-ranging collection of locomotives, passenger and freight cars, and railroad artifacts. Housed in large exhibit halls and spread across grounds beside the Fox River, it lets visitors walk among the machines that built and connected the country.
The scale of the collection is part of its power. Railroads were the great engine of American growth for generations, and seeing the equipment up close, the engines, the coaches, the cabooses, conveys the sheer physical reality of that era in a way no photograph can.
The Big Boy
The museum's most awe-inspiring resident is a Union Pacific Big Boy, one of a small class of articulated steam locomotives that rank among the largest and most powerful ever built. These engines were designed to haul heavy freight over mountain grades in the American West, and their size has to be seen to be believed.
Standing beside the Big Boy, visitors crane their necks at wheels taller than a person and a boiler that stretches on and on. It is a machine that embodies the ambition of mid-century American engineering, and it anchors the museum as one of the great locomotives on public display anywhere.
Eisenhower's command train
Among the museum's most historically important holdings is the train that served General Dwight Eisenhower as a mobile command post in Europe during the Second World War. Rather than a fixed headquarters, the Allied commander could travel and direct operations from the rails, and this preserved train carries that history with it.
Touring it offers a rare, intimate glimpse into how the war was managed on the ground, a working command post on wheels. Alongside the giant locomotives, it broadens the museum's story from the machinery of railroading to the pivotal roles trains have played in the great events of history.
Green Bay and the Fox River
The museum sits in Ashwaubenon, part of the greater Green Bay area at the mouth of the Fox River on the bay of Lake Michigan. Green Bay is one of Wisconsin's oldest settlements, a working port and paper town with a long history, and the river waterfront is being reinvented for walking and gathering.
The area's most famous landmark is Lambeau Field, the storied home of the Green Bay Packers, which sits close to the museum in Ashwaubenon. A day here can easily combine the railroad museum with the football shrine and a stroll along the reviving Green Bay riverfront.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Green Bay
Lambeau Field
About 2 miles
The legendary home stadium of the Green Bay Packers, with tours, a hall of fame, and an atrium open beyond game days.
Downtown Green Bay
About 4 miles
One of Wisconsin's oldest cities, with a reviving Fox River waterfront, shops, and museums.
Fox River Trail
Nearby
A long recreational trail following the Fox River, good for walking and biking along the water.