Illinois Railway Museum
Illinois Railway Museum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Aerial overview of the museum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Union, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°13′40″N 88°31′43″W / 42.22778380°N 88.52859170°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | Union Pacific Railroad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Commercial operations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Built by | Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preserved operations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reporting mark | IRMX | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stations | Mainline: 2 Streetcar loop: 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Length | 4.6 mi (7.4 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preservation history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1953 | Opened as Illinois Electric Railway Museum | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1956 | Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company right-of-way acquired | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1961 | Named Illinois Railway Museum | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1964 | Museum relocated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1966 | Illinois Terminal Railroad interurban car 415 first operated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1968 | First steam locomotive operated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1972 | First storage barn erected | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1981 | Streetcar loop constructed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Late 1980s/early 1990s | Railroad line built | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Headquarters | Union, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM, reporting mark IRMX) is the largest railroad museum in the United States.[1][2] It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, 55 miles (89 km) northwest of downtown Chicago.
Overview
History
The museum was founded in 1953 by ten people who joined to purchase Indiana Railroad interurban car 65. Originally called the Illinois Electric Railway Museum, the museum was located on the grounds of the Chicago Hardware Foundry in North Chicago. In 1961, it was renamed to the Illinois Railway Museum to reflect its expanding scope. In 1964, the museum moved to Union, Illinois along the former right-of-way of the Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company. In 1968 the first steam locomotive was operated at the museum. The first storage barn was erected in 1972. In 1981, a one-mile (1.6 km) streetcar loop was constructed.[3][4] The right-of-way the museum was constructed next to still had back taxes into the 1980s. To gain full use of the track, the museum paid the back taxes, and gained the 4.6 miles (7.4 km) of railroad track to add to their property portfolio.[5] In 2016, the IRM purchased a 130-foot turntable from Union Pacific's former Denver & Rio Grande Western Burnham Shops complex in Denver for $10,000. The turntable is large enough for any locomotive in their collection, and will be used to store their steam locomotives, along with a planned roundhouse.[6] There are over 500 pieces of equipment, and over 100 acres of land owned by the museum.[4]
Operations
The museum's operations are primarily concentrated around its main campus just east of Union. Train rides are offered on the main line as well as the streetcar loop. Electric trains are operated from April through October and diesel and steam trains from the beginning of May through the end of September. Trolleybus operation occurs on the Saturdays of the Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day weekends, as well as on "Bus Day"; the last Saturday in September or the first Saturday in October. IRM is one of only two railway museums in the country that operates both electric and diesel trains, and the only one to offer trolleybus rides on a regular basis.
Equipment and structures
Museum site and structures
The Illinois Railway Museum property covers more than 80 acres (32 ha),[7] the most extensive physical plant of any rail museum in North America. In 2009, the museum bought another 89 acres (36 ha) of adjacent land as a buffer against development.[8] The main campus is located at 42°13′40.0″N 88°31′38.08″W / 42.227778°N 88.5272444°W. In addition to the museum's revenue trackage, the main campus in Union includes:
- 11 equipment storage barns with a total of 3.25 miles (5.23 km) of track under cover
- Two additional garages housing trolleybuses and motor buses
- A dedicated steam restoration shop
- A former Chicago and North Western railway depot from Marengo, Illinois, built in 1851
- A complete Chicago Rapid Transit Company ground-level station (50th Avenue station, closed by CTA in 1978)
- Five streetcar stations of varying design
- Several restored and functional neon signs and concrete entablatures on display
- An indoor dining facility built in 2003 (open seasonally)
- The Multi-purpose Building completed in 2021 housing the Model Railroad Display, the Revolving Exhibit Gallery, the Pullman Archive, and the Milwaukee Road Historic Association.
- A 130-foot (40 m) turntable from the Union Pacific Railroad's Burnham Shops[9]
- Seven railroad crossings, with five wigwags. Two of the five wigwags are upper-quadrant wigwags from the Magnetic Signal Company, one from the Union Switch & Signal, and the other two are lower quadrant wigwag from the Western Railroad Supply Company. The other two crossings are from the Griswold Signal Company.
IRM also owns one off-site library; the Strahorn Research Library in downtown Marengo. The Pullman Archive, formerly located in downtown Union, IL moved on campus to the Multi-purpose Building in 2021.
Equipment
Locomotives
Number | Image | Type | Class | Builder | Built | Status | Previous owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1630 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-10-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1918 | Undergoing 1,472-day inspection and overhaul | Eagle-Picher Mining and Smelting Company |
7 | Steam | 0-4-0 | Vulcan Iron Works | 1917 | Display | American Creosote Works | |
231 | ![]() |
Diesel | F40PHR | Electro-Motive Division | 1977 | Operational | Dynamic Rail Preservation |
6976 | ![]() |
Diesel | SDF40-2 | Electro-Motive Division | 1974 | Operational | Dynamic Rail Preservation |
92 | ![]() |
Diesel | FP45 | Electro-Motive Division | 1967 | Operational | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway |
2903 | ![]() |
Steam | 4-8-4 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1943 | Display | Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) |
1 | ![]() |
Diesel | F9A | Electro-Motive Division | 1954 | Operational | Burlington Northern |
2 | Diesel | F9B | Electro-Motive Division | 1954 | Operational | Burlington Northern | |
3 | ![]() |
Diesel | E9A | Electro-Motive Division | 1956 | Operational | Burlington Northern |
5383 | ![]() |
Diesel | U30C | GE Transportation | 1974 | Operational | Burlington Northern |
9400 | Diesel | SD70MAC | Electro-Motive Division | 1993 | Inoperable, awaiting restoration | BNSF Railway, Burlington Northern | |
314 | Diesel | FA2 | American Locomotive Company | 1956 | Display | Feather River Rail Society | |
2707 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-8-4 | American Locomotive Company | 1943 | Display | City of Cincinnati, Ohio |
3001 | Diesel-Electric Box Cab | 60-ton switcher | ALCO/GE/Ingersoll-Rand | 1926 | Display | Ingersoll-Rand | |
103 | Diesel | VO-660 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1945 | Display | Wyandotte Terminal | |
B71 | Diesel | Diesel-Electric Visibility cab | Baldwin-Westinghouse | 1930 | Undergoing cosmetic restoration | American Rolling Mill Company | |
E110 | ![]() |
Diesel | LS-1200 | Lima-Hamilton | 1951 | Display | Unknown |
1366 | ![]() |
Diesel | H-12-44TS | Fairbanks-Morse | 1947 | Display | Southwestern Portland Cement Company |
543 | ![]() |
Diesel | H-12-44TS | Fairbanks-Morse | 1956 | Display | California State Railroad Museum |
DuPont | Diesel-TC-Mech | JDT25 | Plymouth | 1959 | Operational | DuPont | |
14 | Diesel | SC | Electro-Motive Corporation | 1937 | Display | Unknown | |
96B | Diesel-Electric | F7B | Electro Motive Division | 1951 | Display | Milwaukee Road | |
2 | ![]() |
Diesel-TC-Mech | 12DM38 | Whitcomb Company | 1951 | Display | Unknown |
1792 | ![]() |
Gas-Electric | Unknown | Davenport | 1928 | Display | Unknown |
504 | Diesel | SD24 | Electro-Motive Division | 1959 | Operational | Burlington Northern | |
1951 | Diesel | RS1 | American Locomotive Company | 1957 | Display | Unknown | |
33C | Diesel | E9A | Electro-Motive Division | 1956 | Display | Milwaukee Road | |
637 | ![]() |
Steam | 4-6-0 | Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works | 1892 | Display | City of Aurora, Illinois |
3007 | ![]() |
Steam | 4-6-4 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1930 | Display, awaiting restoration | City of Griggsville, Illinois |
4963 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-8-2 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1923 | Display | Chicago scrapyard |
1603 | Diesel | HH600 | American Locomotive Company | 1939 | Display | Milwaukee Road | |
9255 | ![]() |
Diesel | SW7 | Electro-Motive Division | 1950 | Operational | Burlington Northern |
9911A (Silver Pilot) | ![]() |
Diesel | E5 | Electro-Motive Division | 1940 | Operational | Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad |
9976 | ![]() |
Diesel | E9A | Electro-Motive Division | 1953 | Operational | Burlington Northern |
411 | ![]() |
Diesel | F7A | Electro-Motive Division | 1949 | Operational | Metra |
515 | ![]() |
Diesel | E8A | Electro-Motive Division | 1953 | Operational | Iowa Pacific Holdings |
1518 | ![]() |
Diesel | GP7 | Electro-Motive Division | 1949 | Operational | Chicago and North Western Railway |
1689 | ![]() |
Diesel | RSD-5 | American Locomotive Company | 1954 | Operational | Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad |
6847 | ![]() |
Diesel | SD40-2 | Electro-Motive Division | 1976 | Operational | Union Pacific Railroad |
7009 | ![]() |
Diesel | SD50 | Electro-Motive Division | 1985 | Operational | National Railway Equipment |
5 | ![]() |
Steam | 0-6-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1922 | Display | Chicago scrapyard |
15 | ![]() |
Diesel | SW1 | Electro-Motive Division | 1950 | Operational | Midwest Generation LLC |
9 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-6-2 | H.K. Porter, Inc. | 1925 | Display | Private owner |
16 | ![]() |
Steam | 4-4-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1915 | Display | The Henry Ford Museum |
6323 | ![]() |
Steam | 4-8-4 | American Locomotive Company | 1942 | Display | Private owner in Detroit, Michigan |
8380 | ![]() |
Steam | 0-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1929 | Display | Northwestern Steel and Wire Company |
26 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-6-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1926 | Display | Private owner |
2407 | ![]() |
Diesel | RSD-15 | American Locomotive Company | 1960 | Operational | Green Bay and Western Railroad |
201 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-4-4T | Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works | 1880 | Display | Private owner |
3719 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-6-0 | American Locomotive Company | 1900 | Display | Steamtown, U.S.A. |
1605 | ![]() |
Diesel | GP7 | Electro-Motive Division | 1953 | Operational | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
5 | ![]() |
Steam | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 1929 | Operational | J. Neils Lumber Co. |
35 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1916 | Display | Marquette and Huron Mountain Railroad |
207 | Steam | 0-6-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1936 | Display | Private owner in Detroit, Michigan | |
99 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1919 | Display | South Shore Railroad |
902 | ![]() |
Diesel | GP9 | Electro-Motive Division | 1957 | Display | MBTA |
606 | ![]() |
Diesel | AS-416 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1950 | Display | Unknown |
308 | ![]() |
Diesel | F7A | Electro-Motive Division | 1949 | Operational | Metra |
614 | ![]() |
Diesel | F40C | Electro-Motive Division | 1974 | Awaiting restoration; Operable as control car | Metra |
30 | ![]() |
Inspection car | Sedan | Dodge | 1947 | Display | Mid-Continent Railway Museum |
118C | ![]() |
Diesel | F7A | Electro-Motive Division | 1951 | Operational | Milwaukee Road |
265 | ![]() |
Steam | 4-8-4 | American Locomotive Company | 1944 | Display | City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
760 | ![]() |
Diesel | H-10-44 | Fairbanks-Morse | 1944 | Operational | Milwaukee Road |
21 | ![]() |
Diesel | DT-6-6-2000 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1948 | Operational | Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway |
200 | ![]() |
Diesel | RS-3 | American Locomotive Company | 1951 | Operational | Minnesota Transfer Railway |
14 | ![]() |
Diesel | S-1 | American Locomotive Company | 1947 | Operational | Nekoosa Paper, Inc. |
2050 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-8-8-2 | American Locomotive Company | 1923 | Display | AK Steel Holding |
7 | ![]() |
Steam | 0-6-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1926 | Display | Central Illinois Public Service Company |
938 | ![]() |
Steam | 4-6-2 | American Locomotive Company | 1910 | Display | Fort Worth and Western Railroad |
4506 | ![]() |
Diesel | GP9R | Electro-Motive Division | 1955 | Operational | Rock Island |
975 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-10-2 | American Locomotive Company | 1918 | Display | City of Beaumont, Texas |
1518 | Diesel | SD7 | Electro-Motive Division | 1951 | Operational | Southern Pacific | |
400 | Diesel | RS-11 | American Locomotive Company | 1958 | Display | ||
800 | Diesel | C424 | American Locomotive Company | 1964 | Operational | Morristown and Erie Railway | |
101 | Steam | 2-6-2 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1924 | Awaiting restoration | T. R. Miller | |
4 | ![]() |
Fireless | 0-4-0 | H.K. Porter, Inc. | 1946 | Display | Transport Museum Association |
18 | ![]() |
Gas turbine | GTEL | GE Transportation | 1960 | Display | Union Pacific |
428 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1900 | Under restoration | Union Pacific Railroad |
1848 | ![]() |
Diesel | Dash 8-40B | GE Transportation | 1988 | Operational | Union Pacific Railroad |
6930 | Diesel | DDA40X | Electro-Motive Division | 1970 | Display | Union Pacific Railroad | |
260 | ![]() |
Diesel | U28B | General Electric | 1967 | Operational | Transkentucky Transportation Railroad |
5056 | Diesel | U25B | General Electric | 1965 | Display | Miller Compressing | |
501 | Diesel | 44-ton switcher | General Electric | 1943 | Display | Unknown | |
Lone Star Cement | Diesel | 25-ton switcher | General Electric | 1942 | Operational | Unknown | |
8537 | ![]() |
Diesel | 45-ton switcher | GE Transportation | 1944 | Operational | United States Army Transportation Corps |
967B | Diesel | E9B | Electro-Motive Division | 1955 | Operational | Wisconsin and Southern Railroad | |
7525 | ![]() |
Diesel | SD45 | Electro-Motive Division | 1971 | Operational | Wisconsin Central |
30 | ![]() |
Diesel | RS1325 | Electro-Motive Division | 1960 | Operational | Atlantic and Western Railway |
104C | Diesel-Electric | FP7A | Electro-Motive Division | 1952 | Display | Milwaukee Road | |
967B | Diesel-Electric | E9B | Electro-Motive Division | 1955 | Operational | Union Pacific | |
BN-2 | Diesel-Electric | F9B | Electro-Motive Division | 1955 | Operational | Burlington Northern |
Electric locomotives
Number | Image | Type | Builder | Built | Status | Previous Owner(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
945 | ![]() |
AEM-7 | Electro-Motive Division | 1982 | Display | Amtrak |
803 | ![]() |
Little Joe | GE Transportation | 1949 | Operational | Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad |
4601 | ![]() |
E33 | GE Transportation | 1956 | Display | Railroad Museum of New England |
4927 | ![]() |
GG1 | GE Transportation | 1942 | Display | Amtrak |
431 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Cincinnati Car Company | 1927 | Operational | Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad |
409 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Pullman Car Company | 1923 | Operational | Trolleyville USA, Chicago Aurora & Elgin |
460 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | St. Louis Car Company | 1945 | Operational | Trolleyville USA, Chicago Aurora & Elgin |
451 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | St. Louis Car Company | 1945 | Under restoration | Trolleyville USA, Chicago Aurora & Elgin |
453 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | St. Louis Car Company | 1945 | Under restoration | Trolleyville USA, Electric City Trolley Museum, Chicago Aurora & Elgin |
36 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Stephenson Car Company | 1902 | Operational | Trolleyville USA, Chicago Aurora & Elgin |
308 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Niles Car Company | 1906 | Operational | Indiana Museum of Transportation and Communication, Chicago Aurora & Elgin |
309 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Hicks Car Works | 1907 | Operational | Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad |
319 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Jewett Car Company | 1914 | Operational | Trolleyville USA, Chicago Aurora & Elgin |
321 | ![]() |
Interurban Car | Jewett Car Company | 1914 | Display | Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad |
306 | Interurban Coach | St. Louis Car Company | 1924 | Under restoration | Shaker Heights Rapid Transit,Trolleyville USA, Aurora Elgin & Fox River Electric | |
160 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Brill Car Company | 1915 | Operational | Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad |
205 | Streetcar | G. C. Kuhlman Car Company | 1927 | Display | Yakima Electric Railway Museum | |
1467 | Streetcar | Chicago Union Traction | 1899 | Display | Electric Railway Historical Society | |
2843 | Streetcar | Chicago Surface Lines | 1903 | Display | Electric Railway Historical Society | |
141 | ![]() |
Streetcar | McGuire-Cummings Mfg. Company | 1924 | Operational | Electric Railway Historical Society |
460 | Streetcar | Pullman Company | 1908 | Operational | Chicago Transit Authority | |
144 | ![]() |
Streetcar | Pullman Company | 1908 | Operational | Chicago Transit Authority |
4 | Streetcar | Pullman Company | 1895 | Display | Chicago Transit Authority | |
4001 | ![]() |
Streetcar | Pullman-Standard | 1934 | Display | Electric Railway Historical Society |
4223 | Streetcar | Pullman-Standard | 1946 | Under restoration | Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority | |
2846 | Streetcar | South Chicago City Railway | 1907 | Display | Electric Railway Historical Society | |
1374 | ![]() |
Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1905 | Operational | Electric Railway Historical Society |
966 | Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1927 | Display | Milwaukee & Suburban Transport | |
972 | ![]() |
Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1927 | Display | Milwaukee & Suburban Transport |
354 | Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1928 | Operational | Chicago Hardware Foundry | |
3865 | Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1930 | Display | Henry Ford Museum | |
4021 | ![]() |
Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1936 | Display | Chicago Transit Authority |
755 | ![]() |
Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1946 | Display | Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority |
4 | Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1946 | Display | City of Bayonne, NJ | |
8 | Streetcar | John Stephenson Car Company | 1859 | Display | Unknown | |
116 | Streetcar | McGuire-Cummings Mfg. Company | 1917 | Display | Private owner | |
18 | Rapid Transit Car | G.C. Kuhlman Car Company | 1914 | Operational | Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority | |
172 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Cincinnati Car Company | 1920 | Display | Indiana Railway Museum, Anderson Railroad Club, Indiana Museum of Transportation and Communication, Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee |
251 | ![]() |
Interurban Combine | Jewett Car Company | 1917 | Operational | Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee |
170 | Streetcar | American Car Company | 1921 | Display | Illinois Terminal | |
483 | Streetcar | American Car Company | 1913 | Display | Unknown | |
253 | ![]() |
Interurban Combine | Jewett Car Company | 1917 | Display | Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad |
714 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Cincinnati Car Company | 1926 | Operational | Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad |
749 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Pullman Car Company | 1928 | Operational | Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad |
757 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Standard Steel Car Company | 1930 | Operational | Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society, Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad |
763 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Standard Steel Car Company | 1930 | Display | Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society, Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad |
504 | Interurban Coach | American Car and Foundry Company | 1910 | Display | Private owner | |
101 | Interurban Coach | American Car Company | 1917 | Operational | Illinois Terminal | |
504 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Cincinnati Car Company | 1906 | Display | Private owner |
68 | Interurban Coach | Cincinnati Car Company | 1918 | Operational | Ozark Mountain Railroad | |
172 | Interurban Coach | Cincinnati Car Company | 1920 | Display | Indiana Museum of Transportation | |
251 | Interurban Coach | Jewett Car Company | 1917 | Operational | Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad | |
321 | Interurban Coach | Jewett Car Company | 1914 | Display | Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad | |
50 | Interurban Coach | Laconia Car Company | 1904 | Display | Private owner | |
58 | Interurban Coach | Laconia Car Company | 1904 | Display | Private owner | |
150 | Interurban Coach | Niles Car and Manufacturing Company | 1906 | Display | Station Square, Pittsburgh, PA | |
8 | Interurban Coach | Pullman-Standard | 1926 | Display | Chicago South Shore and South Bend | |
65 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Pullman-Standard | 1931 | Operational | Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway |
19 | Interurban Coach | Pullman-Standard | 1926 | Display | National Park Service | |
233 | Interurban Coach | St. Louis Car Company | 1906 | Display | Illini Railroad Club | |
28 | Interurban Coach | St. Louis Car Company | 1913 | Under restoration | Private owner | |
277 | Interurban Coach | St. Louis Car Company | 1913 | Operational | Illinois Terminal | |
91 | Interurban Coach | St. Louis Car Company | 1924 | Display | Private owner | |
1129 | Interurban Coach | The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | 1924 | Display | London and Port Stanley Railway | |
1136 | Interurban Coach | The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | 1924 | Display | London and Port Stanley Railway | |
801-802 (Electroliner) | ![]() |
Interurban Four-Section Articulated Streamliner | St. Louis Car Company | 1941 | Under restoration | Philadelphia Suburban Transportation, Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad |
19 | Interurban Coach | Pullman Car Company | 1928 | Display | National Park Service, Chicago South Shore & South Bend | |
28 | Interurban Coach | Standard Steel Car Company | 1929 | Display | Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society, Chicago South Shore & South Bend | |
34 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach | Standard Steel Car Company | 1929 | Operational | Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad |
40 | Interurban Coach | Standard Steel Car Company | 1929 | Operational | National Park Service, Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad | |
8 | Interurban Coach | Pullman Car Company | 1926 | Display | Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad | |
101 | ![]() |
Interurban Center-Entrance Coach | American Car Company | 1917 | Operational | Illinois Terminal |
9020 | Streetcar | J.G. Brill Car Company | 1921 | Display | Electric Railway Historical Society | |
233 | Interurban Office Car | St. Louis Car Company | 1906 | Display | Illini Railroad Club, Illinois Terminal | |
234 | ![]() |
Interurban Observation Car | Danville Car Company | 1910 | Operational | Illini Railroad Club, Illinois Terminal |
1565 | Boxcab | Illinois Traction System | 1910 | Operational | Illinois Power Company | |
1889 | Streetcar | Cia de Transporte Colectivos | 1912 | Display | Electric City Trolley Museum | |
277 | ![]() |
Interurban Combine | St. Louis Car Company | 1913 | Operational | Illinois Terminal |
209 | Streetcar | Chicago Surface Lines | 1914 | Display | Chicago Transit Authority | |
415 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach/Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1924 | Operational | Illinois Terminal |
3142 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach/Streetcar | J. G. Brill Company | 1923 | Operational | Electric Railway Historical Society |
4391 | ![]() |
Interurban Coach/Streetcar | St. Louis Car Company | 1948 | Operational | Electric Railway Historical Society |
504 | ![]() |
Interurban Sleeper | American Car and Foundry Company | 1910 | Display | Illinois Terminal |
518 | Interurban Trailer | St. Louis Car Company | 1911 | Operational | Illini Railroad Club, Illinois Terminal | |
65 | ![]() |
Light Interurban Coach | Pullman Car Company | 1931 | Operational | Indiana Railroad, Cedar Rapids & Iowa City |
170 | Streetcar | American Car Company | 1921 | Display | Illinois Terminal | |
19 | ![]() |
Streetcar | J.G. Brill Car Company | 1914 | Operational | Lake Shore Electric Railway |
209 | Streetcar | Chicago Surface Lines | 1930 | Display | Chicago Transit Authority | |
22 | ![]() |
Rapid Transit Car | St. Louis Car Company | 1959 | Operational | Historic ‘L’ Car Society |
2153, 2154 | Rapid Transit Car | Pullman-Standard | 1964 | Operational | Chicago Transit Authority | |
1198, 1380 | Railroad-Roof Steel Commuter Coach | Pullman-Standard | 1926 | Operational | Illinois Central Railroad | |
6100-6600 series | Rapid Transit Car | St. Louis Car Company | 1951, 1954, 1957 | Display | Chicago Transit Authority | |
4146 | Rapid Transit Car | Cincinnati Car Company | 1915 | Operational | Chicago Transit Authority | |
4290 | ![]() |
Rapid Transit Car | Cincinnati Car Company | 1922 | Operational | Chicago Transit Authority |
4312 | Rapid Transit Car | Cincinnati Car Company | 1922 | Display | Chicago Transit Authority | |
4410 | ![]() |
Rapid Transit Car | Cincinnati Car Company | 1924 | Operational | Chicago Transit Authority |
4412 | Rapid Transit Car | Cincinnati Car Company | 1924 | Operational | Chicago Transit Authority | |
2872, 2888 | Rapid Transit Car | Pullman-Standard | 1906 | Display | Chicago Transit Authority | |
24 | Railroad-Roof Wood Gate Car | Pullman | 1898 | Operational | Chicago Transit Authority | |
55 | Railroad-Roof Steel Subway | J. G. Brill Company | 1927 | Operational | Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | |
7926, 7927 | Rapid Transit Car | American Car and Foundry Company | 1961 | Display | New York City Transit Authority | |
2433, 2434 | Rapid Transit Car | Boeing-Vertol | 1977 | Operational | New York City Transit Authority | |
1268, 1797, 1808 | Rapid Transit Car | American Car and Foundry Company | 1907 | Operational | Chicago Hardware Foundry | |
1754 | Rapid Transit Car | Jewett Car Company | 1906 | Operational | Chicago Elevated Railway, Chicago Transit Authority | |
4034 | Rapid Transit Car | Hawker-Siddely Canada Ltd | 1979 | Operational | Toronto Transit Commission | |
1268 | Rapid Transit Trailer | American Car and Foundry Company | 1907 | Operational | Chicago Rapid Transit Company, Chicago Transit Authority | |
1500-1600 series | ![]() |
Bi level Highliner EMU | St Louis | 1971-1972 | Operational | Metra Electric |
4715 | S-Motor | Alco/GE | 1906 | Display | Conrail | |
4 | Steeplecab | Alco/GE | 1911 | Operational | Commonwealth Edison | |
S105 | Steeplecab | Baldwin Westinghouse | 1920 | Display | East Troy Electric Railroad | |
14 | B1 | Baldwin Westinghouse | 1929 | Display | Cornwall Transit | |
1 | Steeplecab | General Electric | 1923 | Display | East Troy Electric Railroad | |
4601 | E-33 | General Electric | 1956 | Display | Railroad Museum of New England | |
1565 | Boxcab | Illinois Traction System | 1910 | Operational | Illinois Power Company | |
300 | Steeplecab | McGuire-Cummings Manufacturing Company | 1915 | Operational | Iowa Traction Railway | |
L3 | Steeplecab | The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | 1920 | Display | Private owner | |
L4 | ![]() |
Steeplecab | The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | 1920 | Display | Private owner |
L7 | Steeplecab | The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | 1931 | Display | The Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society | |
L10 | Steeplecab | The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | 1944 | Display | Wisconsin Electric Power Company |
Rolling stock
Number | Image | Type | Builder | Built | Status | Previous Owner(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
907853 | Fuel Tender | American Locomotive Company | 1937 | Display | Union Pacific | |
234 | Observation car | Danville Car Company | 1910 | Operational | Illini Railroad Club |
Formerly owned locomotives
Number | Image | Type | Class | Builder | Built | Status | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
154 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1909 | Display | The Henry Ford Museum |
102 | Steam | 4-6-0 | American Locomotive Company | 1923 | Display | End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum | |
34 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1916 | Stored; under restoration | Western Maryland Scenic Railroad |
475 | ![]() |
Steam | 4-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1906 | Operational | Strasburg Rail Road |
2 | ![]() |
Steam | 2-8-2 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1912 | Operational | Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, Oregon Rail Heritage Center |
Organization
The Illinois Railway Museum is an IRS Chapter 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation owned and managed by its membership. Museum management includes a board of directors, elected by the regular membership of about 160 active volunteers. A board president is elected by the directors. The board oversees the general manager, a volunteer who in turn has oversight over an array of department heads. Major departments include Steam, Diesel, Electric Car, Passenger Car, Freight Car, Track & Signal, Buildings & Grounds, Trolley Bus, Motor Bus, and Operations. Other departments oversee the museum's libraries, electrical infrastructure, and display and education functions. Most department heads are volunteers. All workers at the museum fall under the direct authority of one of the department heads. The vast majority of workers are volunteers. Anyone who is interested in trains or other collections/aspects of the museum is actively encouraged to volunteer, with required training done by the museum.
Appearances in media
IRM has been used in several films, due to its proximity to Chicago and its extensive collection of historic railroad equipment. In the 1992 film A League of Their Own, starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna, the museum's depot was used for several small-town depot scenes; other scenes featured with the Nebraska Zephyr and only surviving EMD E5.[21] The 1993 movie Groundhog Day featured the museum's EMD SD24 diesel locomotive.[21] The museum's grounds and some of the passenger cars were used in the movie The Babe, starring John Goodman.[21] In late 2005, the Burlington 9911A and several coaches operated to Chicago for filming in Flags of Our Fathers, a Clint Eastwood film.[22] Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) made IRM the host of several scenes.[23]
Many television shows' railroad sequences have been shot at the IRM. Scenes depicting steam era operations in the late 1920s were shot for the 1993 television series The Untouchables.[24] The show Chicago Fire features the IRM onsite in the season 2 episode "No Regrets".[25]
Special events
See also
- List of common carrier freight railroads in the United States
- List of Illinois railroads
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
- List of railway museums
References
- ^ "Illinois Railway Museum - The Largest!". CNN iReport. September 28, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ Green, Joey (2017). Vacation on Location, Midwest. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press Inc. p. n.p. ISBN 978-1-61373-725-5 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Illinois Railway Museum: Roster, Steam, Overview". American-Rails.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Illinois Railway Museum's History and Development". Illinois Railway Museum. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "IRM 50th Anniversary". www.rypn.org. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Illinois Railway Museum buys Burnham Shops turntable | Trains Magazine". Trains. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ Tourist Trains Guide Book (second ed.). Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books. 2009 [2007]. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-87116-273-1 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kallas, Nick (November 20, 2009). "89 Acre Siegel Farm Purchase". IRM.org. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ "Illinois Railway Museum buys Burnham Shops turntable". Trains. March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016. (subscription required)
- ^ "Steam Engines". Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ a b "Internal Combustion Locomotives". Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ "Metra donates F40C locomotive to Illinois Railway Museum". Trains. February 21, 2025. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ "Two former Amtrak diesels donated to Illinois Railway Museum". Trains. July 2, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ "Pioneering AC Traction Diesel Locomotive Acquired by IRM". www.irm.org. Illinois Railway Museum. July 31, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ a b "Interurban Cars". Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ "Electric Locomotives". Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ "Streetcars". Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ "Rapid Transit Cars". Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ Moedinger, William M. (1993). The Road to Paradise: The Story of the Rebirth of the Strasburg Rail Road (3rd ed.). The Strasburg Rail Road Shop. p. 25.
- ^ Burkhart, M.T. (April 22, 2021). "Western Maryland Scenic Has No Immediate Plan to Restore 2-8-0". Railfan & Railroad. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Press Page". Illinois Railway Museum. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Welcome to the Shore Line Interurban Historical Society | "Flags of Our Fathers" Filming". www.shore-line.org. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Transformers Movie Comes to Union". Marengo-Union Times. October 1, 2013. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
- ^ "Introduction to IRM 101" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Fire: Season 2 - Episode 7; No Regrets". Retrieved December 29, 2021.
External links

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