A rider is seen on the Neo Wilson Railway. (Journal photo by Annie Lippert)

SKANDIA — Paul and Gina Wilson of Liberty Farms and Flour Mill in Skandia have been operating the Neo Wilson Railway since 2022. Now, they’re looking to expand by purchasing the historic Toonerville Trolley, and converting part of their property into a living museum.

Paul Wilson has been interested in trains since he was a kid, but never thought it would be a real possibility to own a railroad of his own. When his teenaged son, Neo, expressed a similar interest in trains, though, the idea gained traction.

“Neo wanted to take over the farm,” said Wilson. “We started the flour mill in 2017, and he wanted to know how we could make it viable. The flour mill was operational and it was making money, but it wasn’t enough solely to live on. So we were thinking of other income sources … he loves trains as much as I do, so it was a natural fit with a steam-powered flour mill — we have a steam-powered train.”

Wilson started shopping, and the family purchased their first locomotive and railroad from a hobbyist in Washington state, later adding another from Minnesota. Over spring and summer of 2022, they began moving everything onto their property.

“The very last load from them two collections was July 29

“https://ogden_images.s3.amazonaws.com/www.miningjournal.net/images/2026/06/22154646/train-1-667×500.jpeg” alt=”” width=”667″ height=”500″ class=”alignnone size-medium wp-image-1355620″ />, which is the day we will never forget,” said Wilson. “That was the day our son passed away. So now we’re building the railroad in his honor.”

Paul and Gina Wilson, with help from their community, managed to finish building the railroad in nine days, in time for Neo to ride on it before being buried on their property, right in front of the railroad.

Ever since, the Wilsons have used the railroad for a variety of purposes, including Toys for Tots drives, Polar Express events with local children and events for parents who have lost children.

A few years ago, the Wilsons became interested in the Toonerville Trolley.

The Toonerville Trolley was part of a larger business called the Toonerville Trolley and Riverboat Tour that operated out of Newberry, and had ferried people back and forth to Tahquamenon Falls since before there was highway access. The business finally closed in 2024, after 96 years in operation.

“Three years ago, when (the Toonerville Trolley) first came up for sale, we were interested because we were building a two-foot gauge railroad,” said Wilson.

However, the Trolley was being sold along with the ferry business. After about a year, when the business failed to sell, the railroad was sold separately. The Wilsons’ hadn’t heard about the sale, but thankfully the buyers backed out, and they got another chance.

“They offered the railroad to me, because they knew we were interested,” said Wilson. “We really didn’t have the funds, because the money we had allocated for it we spent building the railroad.

“So we asked them if we could do some fundraising.”

The Wilsons had one year to raise the necessary funds. And two weekends ago, they put down the first deposit.

“We will be moving the Toonerville Trolley here eventually,” said Wilson. “I don’t know if it’ll be this year or next year. As soon as we can come up with the funds to pay for the rest of it, we’ll be moving it here.”

The train will be repainted in its original colors, and visitors will be able to ride the trolley on a mile-long, tourist railroad.

“It won’t be in Newberry anymore, it’ll be here, but at least you can still ride the Toonerville Trolley,” said Wilson.

“We want to have a place where people can come and enjoy campfires and sit and visit, and all kinds of fun stuff eventually,” said Wilson. “We hope to build an entire village where we have a blacksmith shop, a museum, maybe a candle shop, a glass blowing shop. We want to be a living history museum.”

By “living history museum,” Wilson means that people will be able to see historical equipment, like their 1800s drag saw, or the railroad, in action; not just sitting around to be looked at, but actually in use. They envision a place that would draw visitors from all over, and where schools could come on field trips.

“We’re really focused on trying to get the youth into this stuff, so we can pass it on for generations,” said Wilson.

The Wilsons continue to take donations for the purchasing and transportation of the Toonerville Trolley. Each person who donates $5 will receive $5 off their first ticket.

“Once we can save the Toonerville Trolley and get it here, when you come and ride, we’re gonna give all that back in the value of your ticket,” said Wilson. “We need people to help us out now, and we’ll pay it forward later.”

Donations can be made at savetoonervilletrolley.com.

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.