Wisconsin Chapter, NRHS - Wisconsin Chapter, NRHS

Wisconsin NRHS is a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

The NRHS was founded in 1935 by a group of rail historians. It has since grown from 40 founding members to include thousands of men and women of all ages and professions in every state and many foreign countries, making it the nation's largest rail preservation and historical society. More information about NRHS may be found at www.nrhs.com.

The Wisconsin Chapter was founded in 1950. Our purpose is to gather, preserve and disseminate information, both historic and current, pertaining to railroading in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest.

The chapter holds membership meetings on the the first Friday evening of most months in Fox Point, just north of Milwaukee. Meeting programs are presented by leading local railroad historians, photographers, enthusiasts, and people involved with the railroad industry. Meetings are always open to the public, and no admission fee is charged.

Bookmark the chapter's YouTube channel (youtube.com/@NRHSWis) and follow us on Facebook.

Wisconsin Chapter meetings are held on the first Friday of every month (except July & August), at 7:30 p.m., in the lower level meeting room of the North Shore Congregational Church, 7330 North Santa Monica Boulevard in Fox Point, Wisconsin. Click here for a Bing map and directions.

Our meetings are always open to members and anyone who has an interest in railroad history or today's railroad operations. No admission fee is charged. If you find yourself aligned with the goals of the chapter, please consider joining.

During the coronavirus pandemic, we held our meetings remotely, online. We continue to stream our meetings via Zoom for the benefit of anyone who cannot attend in-person. To be advised of Zoom connection information, and to receive occasional chapter updates, sign up for our email announcements:

Upcoming meetings:

Friday, December 2, 2022, 7:30 PM CST - Al Baker Presents

Longtime railroad photographer Al Baker will present a program in three parts. The first portion will cover photo sites on the modern-day Canadian Pacific (former Milwaukee Road) between Chicago and LaCrosse.

Part 2 will cover Al's introduction to and experiences with drone railroad photography over the past six months. In this program, Al shares some of his work and describes his experiences with photographing trains from an entirely new perspective.

In the final segment, Al will share a 1982 trip to Green Bay, to show how much things have really changed in the last 40 years.

If you are able, please attend in preson. Those who cannot are encouraged to download the latest version of Zoom software to their computers (or tablets, or smartphones) to attend virtually. Zoom connection info will be sent to members and others on our mailing list a few days before the meeting. Thank you.

Tuesday, December 20, 2022, 7:30 PM CST- Online Slide Show

Wisconsin Chapter NRHS holds alternate-month online slide shows on the Zoom platform.

Join us for the Chapter's online slide show! Less formal than a regular meeting, these online events feature the work of up to five railroad photographers, each presenting a 15-minute slide show on a variety of railroad subjects.

The presenters for tonight's event will be posted here when the program has been developed.

This program will be presented remotely, over the Zoom platform. Connection info will be posted a few days before this online event.

Friday, January 6, 2023, 7:30 PM CST - Tom Hoffmann's look back

A Wisconsin NRHS favorite, Tom Hoffmann turns the clock back 20 years.

Friday, February 3, 2023, 7:30 PM CST - From the Lake States Railway Historical Association collection

Paul Swanson, from the Lake States Railway Historical Assocation, will present notable photos from the Association's archive. Photography by the late Harry Evans (a longtime Wisconsin Chapter member) will be featured prominently.