Milwaukee Railroad Museum to feature beer line memorabilia

The new exhibit will feature memorabilia created for bars and taverns that promoted the town's breweries. Photo / National Railroad Museum, Facebook

The National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon has unveiled an exhibit featuring memorabilia from a freight train that delivered beer supplies.

The Milwaukee Beer Line ran north of Milwaukee's downtown area in 1952. Its three main brewing company distributors were Pabst, Blatz and Schlitz.

Freight trains would carry grains to the breweries then finished beer to surrounding communities. It also served industries like lumber, oil, steel and food.

The new exhibit is called "The Milwaukee Beer Line: From Grain to Glass." It features photos of the line taken by Wallace W. Abbey.

Visitors can also view beer memorabilia from the 1950s through the 1970s, such as vintage beer cans and other collectibles which were originally displayed at bars ad taverns to advertise the breweries.

"Beer production has been an important part of Wisconsin's history and economy," Museum Curator Daniel Liedtke said.

"This exhibit focuses on the importance breweries in Milwaukee had on the railroad to both receive the raw materials they needed and then to transport their finished product throughout the state."

The Beer Line ran freight trains that carried grains to the breweries and finished beer to surrounding communities.

The exhibit will run through the rest of the year and ticket costs are included in the daily admission price.

Located in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, the National Railroad Museum was founded in 1956 by community volunteers and is one of America's largest and oldest institutions dedicated to the preservation of its railroad history.

An exhibit dedicated to the Milwaukee Beer Line may seem niche, but the line isn't without ardent fans. On Facebook the private group "Milwaukee Road Modelers' has almost 2500 members.

The public group 'Remembering the Milwaukee Road Beer Line' has almost 740 members who regularly post archival footage, anecdotal stories of working on the line and advice for how to build miniature replicas.

— Associated Press with additional reporting