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 first Friday evening of most months in Fox Point, just north of Milwaukee, and streamed online. 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. If you find yourself aligned with the goals of the chapter, or if you find value in our meeting programs, please consider joining. 

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. 

We 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, become a member today. 

Upcoming meetings:

Friday, June 6, 2025, 7:30 PM CDT

Behind the Throttle with Mike Janke

MIKE JANKE PHOTOPhoto by Mike Janke

The presenter for this evening's presentation worked at Wisconsin & Southern for 16 years. In that time he got to Milwaukee a number of times, including holding the night switch job.
 
photo by Mike Janke
Photo by Mike Janke
 
He was able to digitally capture a good swath of the territory that is usually inaccessible to civilians. Herewith is a number of images of those areas, including a trip from Glendale Yard to Grand Ave, showing what's left of that formerly busy artery of commerce. 
  

If you are able, please attend in person at our regular meeting venue in Fox Point; doors open before 7:00 pm for social time. Those who cannot attend in person are encouraged to attend virtually, via Zoom. To receive connection information, contact membership (at-sign) nrhswis (period) org before 3:00 pm June 6.