Photo by Daniel Schwen, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Illinois Railway Museum
UNION, IL
4.7· 3,412 Google reviews
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About Illinois Railway Museum
Riding the Illinois Railway Museum’s daily street‑car loop and steam or diesel main‑line trains unfolds across a 100‑acre campus in Union, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago. The main line stretches a mile of historic track, while the street‑car circuit circles the grounds, both operating from Memorial Day through Labor Day and on select weekend shoulder days.
📍 UNION, IL 60180
History
The Illinois Railway Museum is founded in 1953 by ten individuals who purchase Indiana Railroad interurban car 65, originally operating as the Illinois Electric Railway Museum on the Chicago Hardware Foundry grounds in North Chicago. In March 1962 the organization adopts the name Illinois Railway Museum, and two years later, in March 1964, it relocates to Union, Illinois along the former Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company right‑of‑way. Passenger service commences on July 17 1966 with Illinois Terminal Railroad interurban car 415, followed by the first steam locomotive operation, J. Neils Lumber Company 5, on October 29 1967. A storage barn project begins in 1971 and is completed in January 1972; a one‑mile streetcar loop is built in 1981, and after paying back taxes the museum acquires 4.6 mi of track, celebrating a main‑line extension on May 31 1982 and completing the Kishwaukee Grove mainline in September 1991. The nonprofit, owned and governed by its members, expands its site with an additional 89 acre purchase in 2009, installs a 130‑foot Union Pacific turntable in 2016, and opens a Multi‑purpose Building housing the Model Railroad Display and Pullman Archive in 2021, cementing its status as the largest railroad museum in the United States.
The Trains
The museum’s operating fleet includes Illinois Terminal Railroad interurban car 415, the J. Neils Lumber Company steam locomotive 5, and numerous electric, diesel and trolley‑bus cars that run on its 4.6 mi (7.4 km) of standard‑gauge main‑line track plus a one‑mile (1.6 km) street‑car loop; the collection also contains two‑foot‑gauge equipment. Main‑line excursions travel eastward from the Union campus toward Kishwaukee Grove, while the street‑car service circles the campus on the dedicated loop.
Nearby
Union, Illinois is home to the Illinois Railway Museum, with the Fox River Trolley Museum about 20 mi off, the Batavia Historical Society Depot Museum roughly 28 mi away, and the Rochelle RR Park and Gift Shop about 35 mi out.
Where to Stay
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Rent a Car
Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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