Midwestern US The Illinois Railway Museum
The Illinois Railway Museum PDF Print E-mail
Written by Andrew Leonard   
Tuesday, 01 June 2010 00:00

Early in May, we took a trip to visit the Illinois Railway Museum. It is the largest railroad museum in the United States, containing dozens of engines, passenger cars, and more, on its 26 acres. It is located in Union, Illinois, a tiny town located roughly mid-way between Rockford and the outer edges of the Chicagoland area.

Upon entering, we were greeted with the blow of a horn; a train had just left the station to take some passengers on a ride along their short track. The museum is a working railroad, with not only tourists riding on trains, including the trolley that runs around the park, but also mechanics and restoration crews constantly at work on the equipment. I saw lots of people enjoying not only looking at the cars and riding on them, but also taking an interest in how they worked and the restoration efforts.

When it returned to the depot, I saw that the train that had left as we entered was being pulled by Southern Pacific 1518, the first EMD SD7 ever built. I looked back at the station and realized it looked familiar; I recognized it from being used in the film A League of Their Own. The trolley that circulates through the campus is Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee 160, and the museum maintains one of only two North Shore Line Electroliner sets ever built.

At first glance, once you get past the running trains, the place may seem a bit bland, with nothing but giant hangars in view. But enter them and you discover a treasure trove of railroadiana. The first barn contained about a dozen passenger cars, including some Pullmans, some restored to their former glory, some undergoing active work. Hanging from the ceiling is a classic set of rhyming Burma Shave advertisements.


Outside the next barn was a large array of signals, showing not only how they work but how they’ve changed throughout the years. Inside was their main interurban hanger, consisting primarily of electric cars that ran around the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Indiana areas during the first half of the 20th century. After that is an open yard with lots of different engines and cars lined up, including Union Pacific 18, one of only two surviving examples of UP’s gas turbine locomotives; Illinois Central Railroad 201, a 2-4-4 built in 1880; and the beautiful Burlington Northern BN-1.

The next two barns featured their rapid transit and streetcar selection, including the aforementioned Electroliner set. Along with the Metra locomotives and cars in the rail yard, and the mockup ‘L’ station near the entrance, complete with train, you’d be hard-pressed to find any part of Chicagoland’s railroad heritage not represented at the museum. But it’s not just about Illinois. Inside the last barn is what I thought should be the crown jewel of their exhibit, and they seem to think so too, considering the amount of signage leading to it, yet sadly it was confined in a hangar so that only the front end of it could be seen: The Nebraska Zephyr. Powered by the last surviving EMD E5, an imposing, beautiful engine, this train operated on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad starting in the 1930s, and the entire train was donated to the museum in 1968. I understand they can’t have it exposed to the elements all the time, but it was a slight letdown to not see it in all its glory.

This is only a portion of what’s there. Among the other famous artifacts are AT&SF 2903, a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built in 1943; CBQ 1926, a railway post office; and even the buildings are historical. The depot itself is the former Marengo Station, built in 1851 and moved to Union after it was purchased by the museum in 1967; it is the oldest station in continuous service west of Pittsburgh. And the tower used by the park for dispatching the demonstration railroad is Spaulding Tower, which for many years handled the crossing between the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway, and Metra’s Milwaukee line.

Anyone who has an occasion to be near Chicago, or even in Wisconsin or other neighboring states, should really try to make your way out to Union to visit this great museum. Their website is at www.irm.org, and a note to anyone looking them up online: Pretty much no website knows where Union is, since there are multiple towns named that in Illinois. The museum’s full address is 7000 Olson Rd, Union IL, 60180.

 


The author standing in front of Burlington Northern 1, an EMD F9 formerly Northern Pacific Railway 6700A, built in 1954. Photo by Nikole Villanueva.
  Illinois Central Railroad 201, a commuter 2-4-4 built in 1880. This is the only surviving 19th century commuter engine (designed to operate with either end forward), the second-oldest surviving Rogers locomotive, and the oldest steam locomotive at the Illinois Railway Museum. Photo by Andrew Leonard.
  The interior of one of the dining cars, showing the mid-century design. Photo by Nikole Villanueva.
  Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee 160 circulates around the park, stopping periodically to offload and take on more passengers. Photo by Andrew Leonard.
  Army Transportation Corps 8537, a diesel-electric locomotive built in 1944. Photo by Andrew Leonard.
  A large display of signals throughout the years, each with a sign explaining when and where it was used, and what each signal indicates. Photo by Nikole Villanueva.
  
  
  
  

 

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