NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. — The move, scheduled to begin May 5, bringing Chicago & North Western 4-6-0 No. 1385 back to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum has been postponed, says Jeffrey Lentz, museum office manager. A statement from the museum indicates that the trucking firm slated to handle the road move withdrew its services “on short notice” causing the postponement.
Late June is now the target moving date, according to Lentz.
The original moving plan called for the locomotive to be hauled by truck from its current location in Middleton, Wis., on May 5. Between May 5 and 9, No. 1385 was to ride a Wisconsin & Southern Railroad flatcar to North Freedom, the museum’s home. It was to be unloaded onto museum track on May 9.
The locomotive, an R1 built by Alco in March 1907, was purchased by museum members for $2,600 in 1961 and traveled widely throughout the Midwest until it was taken out of service for an overhaul in 1998. During these travels, No. 1385 was found at the front of the Circus World Museum Great Circus Train bound for Milwaukee, and leading the Chicago & North Western’s Prosperity Special. That overall is currently nearing completion; the museum has a goal of returning the locomotive to operation in 2026 on its tracks [see “Mid-Continent museum seeks funds …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 6, 2025].
While the move is scheduled, the museum is still soliciting donations to cover the costs, still needing more than half of its $80,000 fundraising goal. More information is available in this Facebook post or at the museum website. Donations can also be made here.
David Lassen, Trains senior editor, contributed to this story.
Wisconsin’s MCRM will have to wait a little longer to reunite with its beloved C&NW No. 1385… Let’s recall that the diligent rail veteran No. 1385 was mainly used to pull the C&NW’s freight trains until 1956, when it was retired from revenue service.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün