The Mandan railroad museum was designated the official state railroad museum of North Dakota in 1989. Large and small railroad artifacts fill all corners of the museum, demonstrating the uniqueness of items designed and made specifically for the operations of the railroads.

Established in 1972 to maintain the history of railroading in North Dakota and operated by the Railroad Museum Historical Society of Morton County, the Mandan railroad museum features (condensed from Yahoo! geocities):

• A unique display of HO model 'hopper cars' (from the collection of Dr. Kenneth J. Johnson of Bismarck, ND). The idea for the collection arose out of the grain car shortage in the Midwest and upon seeing different hopper cars in his travels. Dr. Johnson would photograph them, record all the actual identification information and then model a reproduction. In his collection there are more than 200 different 'hopper cars' representing the elevator companies that purchased them
• A special collection of 'Timetables' which reflect many of the nations railroads at the peak of passenger service in the United States.
• An extensive collection of photographs from the camera of Ron V. Nixon (a longtime Northern Pacific dispatcher). The pictures feature all the different classes of Northern Pacific steam power, North Dakota scenes, and pictures from the Milwaukee Road, Great Northern, and Soo Line.
• Old rolling stock, and assorted railroad memorabilia.

Displays & Artifacts:

BN yard mule, 16 ton
SOO caboose #282, wood, built in 1913.
BN caboose #10411, steel, ex CB&Q
BN caboose #12591, steel, ex GN X-73
SOO 40' tank car #22511, single dome, built in 1923
SOO 40' box car #135452, wood, built in 1928
NP 60' flat car #64027, built in 1949
NP 40' box car #202124, steel
NP 40' refrigerator car #92105, wood
NP 40' box car #14303, wood
NP 36' box car #37713, wood
NP semaphores
SOO/NP 'smash boards' from the diamond in east Bismarck, ND.
SOO speeder shacks from Bismarck, ND
NP speeder & push cart

Source:

Railroad Museums - ND: Railroad Museums Worldwide
North Dakota State Railroad Museum: Geocities

Links:

The Railroad Museum: Bismarck-Mandan C&V Bureau
Cultural Symbols - 50 states