Illinois Railway Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Illinois Railway Museum
The only surviving EMD E5, named Silver Pilot, pulling one of the museum's excursion trains
Locale	Union, Illinois
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 the Illinois Electric Railway Museum
1956	Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company right-of-way acquired
1961	Current name adopted
1964	Museum relocated
1966	Illinois Terminal Railroad interurban car 415 first operated
1967	First steam locomotive operated
1971	First storage barn erected
1981	Streetcar loop constructed
Late 1980s/early 1990s	Railroad line built
Headquarters	Union, Illinois

Interlocking Tower that once protected the junction of the Milwaukee Road and the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern at Spaulding, just east of Elgin, IL The tower was closed in 1980 and was donated in 1988.

The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM, reporting mark IRMX) is the largest railroad museum in the United States. It is located in the Chicagoland metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, 55 miles (89 km) northwest of downtown Chicago.

Granted tax-exempt status in 1957, the museum aims to demonstrate the vital role railroads have played in the growth of Chicago and the United States as a whole. There are over 450 pieces of prototype equipment in its collection as well as numerous displays. Visitors may ride on some of the museum's electric, steam, and diesel-powered trains from April through October.

Overview

History

The museum was founded in 1953 by ten people who joined together to purchase Indiana Railroad interurban car 65. Originally called the Illinois Electric Railway Museum, the museum was renamed in 1961 to reflect its expanding scope. Initially located on the grounds of the Chicago Hardware Foundry in North Chicago, Illinois, the museum's entire collection was moved in 1964 to Union along the former right-of-way of the Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company. Two years later, operations began using Illinois Terminal Railroad interurban car 415; in 1967, the first steam locomotive was operated. The first storage barn was erected in 1971. In 1981, a one-mile (1.6 km) streetcar loop was constructed. A 4.6-mile (7.4 km) railroad line was built during the 1980s and early 1990s.

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

Physical plant

The electrified mainline at the Illinois Railway Museum

The Illinois Railway Museum property covers more than 80 acres (32 ha), 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. The main campus is located at 42°13′40.0″N 88°31′38.08″W / 42.227778°N 88.5272444°W / 42.227778; -88.5272444. In addition to the museum's revenue trackage, the main campus in Union includes:

• 11 equipment storage barns with a total of about 3 miles (4.8 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)
• A 130-foot (40 m) turntable from the Union Pacific Railroad's Burnham Shops
• 7 railroad crossings, with 5 wigwags. Two of the 5 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 two off-site libraries; the Pullman Library in downtown Union and the Strahorn Research Library in downtown Marengo.

Locomotive roster

Operating Steam and Diesel Locomotives
Locomotive	Class	Image	Type	Builder	Built	Status	Previous Owner	Notes
Frisco 1630	2-10-0 Decapod		Steam Locomotive	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1918	Operational	Eagle-Picher Ore Mine	Often used on coach trains out of East Union Station.
J. Neils Lumber Co. No. 5	3 Truck Shay		Steam Locomotive	Lima Locomotive Works	1929	Operational	J. Neils Lumber Co.	Previously woodfired and converted to run on coal.
Union Pacific 428	2-8-0 Consolidation		Steam Locomotive	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1900	Under Restoration	Union Pacific	Arrived in 1969, currently under restoration.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9911A Silver Pilot	EMD E5		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1940	Operational	Chicago Burlington And Quincy	The only surviving EMD E5 and often paired with the Nebraska Zephyr.
Chicago And North Western 411	EMD F7A		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1949	Operational	Metra	Ex Metra 305
Metra 308	EMD F7A		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1949	Operational	Metra	As of 2020 still in original Metra paint scheme.
Milwaukee Road 118C	EMD F7A		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1951	Operational	Milwaukee Road
Burlington Northern 1	EMD F9A		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1954	Operational	Burlington Northern	Built as Northern Pacific 6700A
Burlington Northern 2	EMD F9B		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1954	Operational	Burlington Northern	Built as Northern Pacific 7002C
Burlington Northern 3	EMD E9A		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1956	Operational	Burlington Northern	Formerly Burlington Northern 9919
Wisconsin & Southern 102	EMD E9B		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1955	Operational	Wisconsin Southern	Formerly Union Pacific 467
Chicago And North Western 6847	EMD SD40-2		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1976	Operational	Union Pacific	Formerly Union Pacific 3028
Santa Fe 92	EMD FP45		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1967	Operational	Santa Fe	Built as Santa Fe 102
Rock Island 4506	EMD GP7R		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1952	Operational	Chicago And North Western	Ran as Chicago And North Western 4160 until restoration back into Rock Island Paint.
Illinois Terminal 1605	EMD GP7		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1953	Operational	Illinois Terminal Railroad	Formerly Norfolk & Western 3406
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 504	EMD SD24		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1959	Operational	Burlington Northern	Formerly Burlington Northern 6244
Southern Pacific 1518	EMD SD7		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1951	Operational	Southern Pacific	First SD7 Built
Wisconsin Central 7525	EMD SD45		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1971	Operational	Wisconsin Central	Has Operation Life Saver paint scheme applied.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9255	EMD SW-7		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1950	Operational	Burlington Northern	Formerly Burlington Northern 121
Commonwealth Edison 15	EMD SW-1		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1950	Operational	Midwest Generation LLC	Often seen on the Caboose Train
Minnesota Transfer Railway 200	Alco RS3		Diesel Locomotive	American Locomotive Company	1951	Operational	Minnesota Transfer Railway	Used for the take the Throttle Event at Diesel Days 2019
Green Bay & Western 2407	Alco RSD15		Diesel Locomotive	American Locomotive Company	1960	Operational	Green Bay & Western	Formerly Santa Fe 841
Chicago And North Western 1689	Alco RSD5		Diesel Locomotive	American Locomotive Company	1954	Operational	Chicago And North Western	Formerly J.K. Line Incorporated 1689
Milwaukee Road 760	FM H10-44		Diesel Locomotive	Fairbanks-Morse	1944	Operational	Milwaukee Road	First Diesel built by Fairbanks - Morse
TTI 260	GE U28B		Diesel Locomotive	GE Transportation	1967	Operational	Transkentucky Transportation	Formerly Chicago Burlington & Quincy 114
Burlington Northern 5383	GE U30C		Diesel Locomotive	GE Transportation	1974	Operational	Burlington Northern	Repainted In 2006
Union Pacific 1848	GE B40-8		Diesel Locomotive	GE Transportation	1988	Operational	Union Pacific	Formerly Cotton Belt 8049
MBTA 902	EMD GP9		Diesel Locomotive	Electro-Motive Corporation	1957	Operational	MBTA	Formerly GTW and SEMTA
Nekoosa Paper 14	ALCO S1		Diesel Locomotive	American Locomotive Company	1947	Operational	Nekoosa Paper, Inc.	Ex-South Omaha Terminal

Notable equipment

Among the locomotives preserved at IRM are:

• Amtrak 945: EMD AEM-7
• Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 2903: 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive
• Burlington Northern 5383: GE U30C
• Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 114: Only GE U28B in preservation, and the only one in its original shape
• Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy 504: One of two EMD SD24s in preservation
• Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy 9911A "Silver Pilot": The only surviving EMD E5
• Chicago and North Western 1518: First EMD GP7 ever built
• Chicago and North Western 411: EMD F7
• Chicago and North Western 6847: EMD SD40-2 restored from Union Pacific
• Chicago South Shore and South Bend 803: 2-D+D-2 "Little Joe", the only operational "800 Class", only run during special occasions
• Conrail 4601: One of only two GE E33s known to exist, bought in 2015 from RMNE
• Grand Trunk Western 6323: Class U-3 4-8-4 "Northern" type locomotive, the last GTW steam locomotive to run on GTW rails
• Illinois Central 201: On static display, participated in the "Wheels A-Rolling" pageant at the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1949
• Illinois Central 3719: The railroad's only surviving 2-6-0
• J. Neils Lumber Co. 5: Three-truck Shay locomotive, restored to operating condition in 2018
• Metra 308: EMD F7
• Milwaukee Road 265: 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive, sister to 261
• Milwaukee Road 760: First diesel locomotive built by Fairbanks-Morse in Beloit, Wisconsin, restored to operating condition
• Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern 21: Only existing Baldwin DT-6-6-2000 road switcher
• Morristown and Erie 18: ALCO C424, Ex-TPW 800
• Norfolk and Western 2050: 1923 ALCO Richmond-class Y3a 2-8-8-2 "Mallet" type steam locomotive
• Pennsylvania Railroad 4927: GG-1
• St. Louis–San Francisco Railway 1630: 2-10-0 "Decapod" type steam locomotive, operational since 2013
• Southern Pacific 1518: First EMD SD7 built, operational
• Texas and New Orleans/Southern Pacific 975: One of two surviving SP 2-10-2s
• Union Pacific 18: 8,500-hp gas turbine-electric locomotive
• Union Pacific 428: 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive currently under restoration
• Union Pacific 1848: B40-8, the second Dash 8 to be preserved
• Union Pacific 6930: EMD DDA40X

Other equipment includes:

• Toronto Transit Commission CLRV #4034, the newest in the museum's streetcar collection. The streetcar is being regauged (truck exchange or Wheelset exchange) from TTC gauge (4 ft 10 ⁷⁄₈ in/​1,495 mm) to operate on IRM's 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge trackage.
• Nebraska Zephyr: Streamlined Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad passenger train
• North Shore Line Electroliner trainset: One of only two built, under restoration
• Two New York City Transit Authority IRT Division R28 Series subway cars from 1960 (numbers 7926–7927): Built by ACF in the Berwick, Pennsylvania Plant
• The museum's depot: Built in 1851 for the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, the oldest train station west of the Appalachian Mountains in regular use
• 22 electric trolleybuses from Chicago, Dayton, Ohio, Cleveland, Des Moines, Iowa, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Indianapolis, and Seattle;
• 8 motor buses: seven from Chicago and one from Montebello.

Museum gallery

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  Frisco 1630 crossing Olson Road in front of the museum

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  One of only two surviving examples of Union Pacific's turbines is kept in display condition

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  SP 1518, the first EMD SD7 built

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  MILW 760, the first locomotive built by Fairbanks-Morse

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  IC 201, a 2-4-4

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  GBW 2407, an ALCO RSD-15

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  CBQ 1923, a railway post office car

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  IR Interurban operating within the museum

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  UP EMD DDA40X 6930, preserved at the museum

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  CBQ SD24 504 in 2009, after its 7-year restoration

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  A circa 1907 interurban train operating at IRM in 2003

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  ITC 1605, an EMD GP7, preserved in operational condition

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  CA&E car 431 sits in a barn at the museum

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  Chicago Surface Lines streetcar 3142

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  CNW 411, an EMD F7, pulls a train of CNW commuter coaches in 2006

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  AMTK 945, an EMD AEM-7, preserved at the museum

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  BN 3, an EMD E9AM, preserved and in operating condition at the museum

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  ATSF 92, an EMD FP45, preserved and in operating condition at the museum

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  CSS&SB RR "Little Joe" electric locomotive no. 803

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  BN 5383, a GE U30C

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  North Shore Line 801-802, an Electroliner train set

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  NYC Subway 7926, a R28 subway car

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  Union Pacific #1366, a FM H-20-44 switcher

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  PRR4927/Amtrak 4939, a GG1 undergoing restoration at the museum

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  BFIX #520, a railroad milk tank car

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  An ex-Veracruz streetcar preserved in operating condition at the museum

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  NP #325, a railroad passenger car

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  An ex-Chicago trolley bus operating at the Illinois Railway Museum in 2016

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  MN&S #21, a Baldwin DT-6-6-2000 transfer locomotive

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  Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley Traction Company #504, a wooden-bodied interurban car

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  CNW caboose no. 10304

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  Illinois Terminal Railroad #1565, a boxcab locomotive

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  CTA subway train no. 2244

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  Charles City Western Railway no. #300, a steeplecab locomotive

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  Former Chicago PCC streetcar operating at IRM

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  The ex-Montebello motor bus #343, preserved and in operating condition at the museum

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.

Use in film

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. The 1993 movie Groundhog Day featured the museum's EMD SD24 diesel locomotive. The museum's grounds and some of the passenger cars were used in the movie The Babe, starring John Goodman. In late 2005, the Burlington 9911A and several coaches operated to Chicago for filming in Flags of Our Fathers, a Clint Eastwood film. The initial sequence of 2008's The Express: The Ernie Davis Story was shot at IRM. The most recent film Transformers: Age of Extinction starring Mark Wahlberg, released in 2014, made IRM the host of several scenes.

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. The hit show Chicago Fire features the IRM onsite in the season 2 episode "No Regrets".

Special Events

The IRM sign, containing the days when the “Day out with Thomas” event operates

• Note for 2020 Season all events prior to September 18 have been canceled

The museum hosts a series of annual special events:

• Day out with Thomas event in July
• Bunny Trolley Hop around Easter
• Chicago Day in June, which commemorates the end of streetcar service in Chicago in 1958
• Scout Day in May
• Vintage Transportation Extravaganza one of the largest antique car shows in the state on the first Sunday in August
• Diesel Days in mid-August
• Museum Showcase Weekend in mid-September
• "Bus Day" the last Saturday of September or first Saturday of October
• "Happy Holiday Railway" (weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas)