Riverside & Great Northern Preservation Society in Wisconsin Dells, WI
Fans of light gauge railroads flock to see what the Riverside & Great Northern Preservation Society in Wisconsin Dells has to offer them. The Preservation Society has revived the works and products of the Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works. When Elmer Sandley died in 1982, his company closed. The works stopped and the buildings began to decay from lack of use. In 1988, William C. Fitt gathered about him a band of faithful railway supporters and promoters. They founded the Riverside & Great Northern Preservation Society. The Society, in turn, took control of the old Sandley Works and began to rebuild the railroad and its structures. Between 1988 and 1989, they repaired a 3-mile stretch of rails including the replacing of some 5,000 railway ties. They upgraded the tracks and restored the old buildings. They negotiated for an obtained former railway cars and engines made by the Sandley company. These included Engines #82 and #98. It was the start of their major tribute to railways - the Riverside & Great Northern Railway (R&GNR). The Riverside & Great Northern Preservation Society in Wisconsin Dells is responsible for establishing and running the living museum. It is on the grounds of the old Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works. Here, you can see a hand-operated 30' turntable as well as a 5-stall roundhouse, there are boiler shops, railway sheds and shops for locomotives and cars. Everything is operative. In fact, you can pay to take a 30 minute ride on the R&GNR. You can also visit the Museum Store located in a section of the former locomotive manufacturing building or attend "Steam School" in a classroom a portion of the old railway's shop.
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