Museums

The Model Railway Institute & Museum

The Model Railway Institute focuses on advancing the state of the art of Model Railroading with advances in bench-work, battery operation and much more. The Museum is in S scale and will replicate New England in the first two weeks of October, 1927 in accuracy, appearance and operation when complete. When you visit, about 90% of the 3500 square foot space has benchwork with … [Read more...] about The Model Railway Institute & Museum

Twin City Model Railroad Museum

The Twin City Model Railroad Museum consists of over 11,000 square feet of interactive layouts and displays including a 30’ x 50’ world-class O-scale model train layout of the Twin City area. In addition, there is a 30’ x 16’ professionally-built toy train layout of the Twin City area as well as other layouts depicting various scales, manufacturers, historical eras, and … [Read more...] about Twin City Model Railroad Museum

From Minnesota Digital Library:

“The growth of Minnesota can be tied directly to the growth of railroads. The railroads supported farmers, millers, miners, and loggers by moving the raw materials they produced to sell at markets. In turn, the railroads brought other goods and products to the people to build their homes, businesses, and towns. Railroads also brought immigrants to settle the land and provided jobs and income to laborers and investors.

Three of Minnesota’s major railroads were the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern, and the Soo Line. While these three were not the only railroads that operated in Minnesota, they had a major impact on the state.

The U.S. Congress chartered the Northern Pacific Railway in 1864 to build a transcontinental railroad from Lake Superior to the Pacific coast. When it was completed in 1883, the railroad had laid nearly 6,800 miles of track through Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Its headquarters were in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

From ThievesRiver.com:

1) Uff da

Background: A Scandinavian import, particularly from Norwegian, “uff da” is widely used to express dismay, exhaustion or sometimes even relief. It embodies the stoic yet expressive nature of Minnesotans.

Example: “Uff da! I forgot my wallet at the cabin. Now I can’t pay for the meat raffle tickets, gosh darn it!”

2) You Betcha

Background: This phrase epitomizes the friendly and positive attitude of Minnesotans. It’s often said with enthusiasm and is used to mean “absolutely” or “you can count on it.”

Example: “Do you want to come to the hockey game this weekend? Grain Belts are on me!” – “You betcha!”

The Model Railway Institute & Museum

Twin City Model Railroad Museum

2026 NNGC FAQs

Minnesota’s Three Major Railroads

Minnesota Lingo

1) Uff da

2) You Betcha

Museums

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2026 NNGC FAQs

Minnesota’s Three Major Railroads

Minnesota Lingo

1) Uff da

2) You Betcha