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About Us

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 current day BNSF was restored along with five yard tracks. BNSF cleaned up the environmental pollution which was 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 the Great Northern and Northern Pacific Historical Societies. They and MTM are creating an archive with climate-controlled space and a combined cataloging system.

Board, Department Heads, & Other Staff

Board of Directors

Chair
Wayne Merchant

Vice Chair
Kurt Mahre

Secretary
Bob Puelston

Treasurer
Deb Wood

At-Large
Marion Pew

Gordon Barr

Morten Jorgensen

Lane Littrell

Barb Loida

Todd McGonagle

Martin Masters

Larry Paulson

John Radimecky

Garry Yazell

Committee Chairs

Finance
Deb Wood

Personnel
Open

Public Relations & Marketing
Deb Wood

Museum, Membership & Volunteer Development
Wayne Merchant

Collections & Restoration
Todd McGonagle

Education & Training
Bob Puelston

Equipment Maintenance
Kurt Mahre

Building & Grounds
Garry Yazell

Department Heads and Staff

Executive Director
Scott Hippert

Director of Operations
Dave Hartjie

Executive Assistant
Frani Lowe

JSR Operations Manager
Dave Hartje

Locomotives
Open

Maintenance of Way
Open

Rolling Stock Maintenance
Kurt Mahre

Blacksmith-Machine Shop
Gordon Barr

Purchasing Coordinator
Larry Coulter

Roundhouse Security
Andy Corchran

Fire Safety
Nick Modders

TCU Supervisor 
Terry Holman

Railroad Operation Superintendent
Bob Puelston

Associate Superintendents
Kurt Mahre & Ward Gilkerson

Track Inspectors
Lane Littrel & Bob Puelston

 

Mechanical
Al Hogan

Crew Scheduling
Deb Wood

Operations Training
Ward Gilkerson & Morten Jorgenson

Volunteer Coordinator
Mari Pew

Osceola Operations
Noel Petit

Pizza Train
Sandy Hagan

Guest Services
Jess Lefler

Minnehaha Depot
Aaron Novodvorsey

Museum Curator
John Van Arsdale

JSR Museum & MTM Administrator
Barb Sheldon​

Garden Railroad Club
Jeff Hunter & Joe Komarek

Facilities Maintenance
Bill Hawley

Technology Manager
John Radimecky

Social Media
Coner Casey

Video
Brian Rockholt

Webmaster
Greg Symicek