Who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned train ride? The Prairie State is home to the largest locomotive museum in the country, and anyone who has an interest in transportation, Americana, or fun family day trips is sure to love a visit to the Illinois Railway Museum. Here’s what you can expect on an open-air train ride in Illinois at the Illinois Railway Museum:

The Illinois Railway Museum is close to Chicago, so it makes for an easy day trip destination for most Illinoisans.
Facebook / Illinois Railway Museum
It was founded by 10 train enthusiasts in 1953, and has been growing by leaps and bounds ever since! What started as a single car - the Indiana Railroad interurban car 65 - has become the biggest collection of train-related memorabilia and artifacts in the United States.
The museum was originally called the Illinois Electric Railway Museum and was in North Chicago. By the 1960s, it was renamed and moved to its current location in Union, along the path of the former Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company tracks.
Facebook / Illinois Railway Museum
By the late '60s, the collection was rapidly expanding. In 1968, the Illinois Railway Museum purchased and operated their first steam locomotive! In the 1980s, a one-mile loop for streetcars was built and opened.
Facebook / Illinois Railway Museum

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The museum is the only one in the country that offers regular Trolleybus rides - you'll be able to take a trip on Saturdays of certain holiday weekends - Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. There's also a specific Trolleybus Day in the fall!
Facebook / Illinois Railway Museum
The inside of the train is just as old-school and unique as the exterior. Keep an eye out for the museum's special lunch and dinner train events.
Illinois Railway Museum/Facebook
Throughout the year, the museum will host special family-friendly events. An Easter Bunny train, a Polar Express train, and a Thomas the Tank Engine-themed ride are all favorites.
Illinois Railway Museum/Facebook
You'll also find that this railway museum is one of only two places that operate both electric and diesel trains, too. If you visit in the summer, you may get to experience both.
Illinois Railway Museum/Facebook
Electric trains run for the longer season, from April through October. Diesel and steam engines start in May and run through September. More information, including tickets and a full schedule, can be viewed on the Illinois Railway Museum website.

 

Want a look at all the fun at the Illinois Railway Museum without having to make the trip right now? The Magic Geekdom took this ten-minute video of their visit to the railroad and museum back in 2021.

Visit the Illinois Railway Museum Facebook page to start planning your journey! There’s nothing quite like the train rides on a beautiful, vintage open-air train ride in Illinois. If you’re planning a longer visit to the area, you can get a relaxing night’s sleep at the Best Western Woodstock Inn only a few minutes’ drive away.

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The Illinois Railway Museum is just one of the many exciting rail attractions located in Illinois!

  • The Monticello Railway Museum is a non-profit located in Monticello, Illinois, and they offer a short-but-sweet train ride that gives you a taste of the lovingly preserved vintage railway. May through October, rail fans can hop on board one of the classic steam trains and pick either indoor or outdoor accommodations. The scenery is beautiful, and once a month the railway brings out one of their oldest trains for a ride.
  • The Silver Creek and Stephenson Railroad is run by the Stephenson County Antique Engine Club, so it's no surprise that this non-profit focuses on some VERY old trains. While the nonprofit might have only been founded in 1982, they've lovingly restored engines that are far older than that. You can hop on board for a 3.4-mile ride on an authentic 1912 locomotive - which during the Halloween season, turns into a haunted train ride filled with scare actors!
  • Fox River Trolley Museum focuses on a different kind of train, but it's no less exciting. This train ride departs the Jon Duerr Forest Preserve and takes you on a scenic ride aboard a classic trolley car. The experience is at its peak in winter, when it's converted to a Polar Express ride. This family-friendly adventure will take you to the North Pole for a personal meeting with Santa and a tour of some of Illinois' most beautiful lights.

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Illinois Railway Museum, Olson Road, Union, IL, USA