Minnesota Transportation Museum (MTM) is located at the historic Jackson Street Roundhouse. This building was originally a steam engine maintenance facility for The Great Northern Railroad.
The Roundhouse was built in 1907 and was one of the last roundhouses built by the “Empire Builder,” James J. Hill. It replaced a smaller wooden engine-house of Saint Paul & Pacific. The Roundhouse was part of a large shop complex built in the 1880s.
Located near downtown Saint Paul just north and east of the State Capitol, the complex had been sold by Great Northern in 1960. The Roundhouse was then remodeled as a warehouse/industrial building. All the tracks were removed and an addition was built where the turntable used to be.
MTM took possession of the Roundhouse in 1986, acquiring a substantial mortgage. Jackson Street was restored as an operating roundhouse, but with several changes. It is MTM’s back shop, but it also houses exhibitions, archives, an audio-visual theater, a meeting room, and offices. The turntable was re-installed in 2001, and the connection with the Burlington Northern (BN) has been reinstalled, along with five yard tracks. BN has cleaned up environmental pollution, mostly petroleum in the groundwater. The large mortgage was paid off through the generous financial support of longtime director Arthur E. Pew III and others.
The Museum at Jackson Street Roundhouse opened in 1999. In March of that year, MTM hired its first paid Executive Director, and the administrative offices moved into a renovated space, shared with Great Northern and Northern Pacific Historical Societies. They and MTM are creating an archive with climate-controlled space and a combined cataloging system.




Board, Volunteers, & Staff
Board of Directors
Brian Voss
Chair
Christofer Sears
Chair Elect
Bob Puelston
Secretary
Scott Johnson
Treasurer
Phil Wellman
At-Large
Arthur III Pew
Emeritus
Andy Corchran
Dennis Danich
Chilton (Sandy) Hagan
Lane Littrell
Kurt Mahre
Noel Petit
Andrew Tighe
Deb Wood
Commitee Chairs
Brian Voss
Executive Committee Chair
Jon Van Niewaal
Finance, Fundraising and Grants Committee Chair
Phil Wellman
Personnel Committee Chair
Deb Wood
Public Relations & Marketing Committee Chair
Brian Voss
Museum, Membership & Volunteer Development Committee Chair
Phil Wellman
Collections Committee Chair
Bob Puelston
Education & Training Committee Chair
Phil Wellman
Equipment Committee Chair
<Vacant>
Buildings & Grounds Committee Chair
Department Heads, Managers and Staff
Scott L. Hippert
Executive Director
Barb S.
Roundhouse Museum & Administrative Manager
Jon V.
Director of Operations – Jackson Street Roundhouse Strategic Manager
Phil W.
Locomotive Foreman
Andy I.
Maintenance of Way Foreman
Nick M.
Railroad Superintendent
Morten J.
Operational Training Manager
Ward G.
Educational Training & Safety Department Supervisor
Gordon B.
Blacksmith & Machine Shop Supervisor
Bill H.
Roundhouse Woodshop Supervisor & Security Manager
Larry C.
Purchasing Coordinator
Barb S., Tots & Trains Coordinator
Aaron N.
Minnehaha
Repot Manager
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Osceola & St. Croix Valley Depot Manager / Retail Coordinator
Al H.
Osceola Mechanical Foreman
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Osceola Brunch, Dinner & Wine Train Manager
Sandy H.
Osceola Pizza Train Manager