Illinois Railway Museum

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.

Illinois Railway Museum
An aerial overview of the museum
LocaleUnion, Illinois
Coordinates42°13′40″N 88°31′43″W
ConnectionsUnion Pacific Railroad
Commercial operations
Built byElgin and Belvidere Electric Company
Original gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Reporting markIRMX
StationsMainline: 2
Streetcar loop: 5
Length4.6 mi (7.4 km)
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preservation history
1953Opened as the Illinois Electric Railway Museum
1956Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company right-of-way acquired
1961Current name adopted
1964Museum relocated
1966Illinois Terminal Railroad interurban car 415 first operated
1968First steam locomotive operated
1972First storage barn erected
1981Streetcar loop constructed
Late 1980s/early 1990sRailroad line built
HeadquartersUnion, Illinois
Website
irm.org
Route map
Elgin and Belvidere Electric
west to Belvidere and Rockford
 Union Pacific Railroad
Schmidt Siding
50th Ave.
Central Ave.
East Union
Barn 9 North
Depot St.
Springfield Ave.
Electric Park
Boot Creek
 Johnson Siding
 Seeman Road
 4 Mile Siding
South Branch
Kishwaukee River
Elgin and Belvidere Electric
east to Elgin

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 round table from Union Pacific's former Denver & Rio Grande Western Burnham Shops complex in Denver for $10,000. The round table is large enough for any locomotive in their collection, and will be used to store their steam locomotives, along with a planned roundhouse.[6] Currently, there are around 450 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. In addition to the museum's revenue trackage, the main campus in Union includes:

IRM also owns two off-site libraries; the Pullman Library in downtown Union and the Strahorn Research Library in downtown Marengo.

Main units
Name Class Image Type Builder Built Status Previous Owner Notes
St. Louis-San Francisco 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.[10]
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 92 EMD FP45
Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1967 Operational Santa Fe Built as Santa Fe 102
Burlington Northern 1 EMD F9A
Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive 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
Burlington Northern 5383 GE U30C Diesel Locomotive GE Transportation 1974 Operational Burlington Northern Repainted In 2006.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 114 GE U28B Diesel Locomotive GE Transportation 1967 Operational Burlington Northern Only non-rebuilt GE U28B in preservation.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 504 EMD SD24
Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1959 Operational Burlington Northern Formerly Burlington Northern 6244.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9255 EMD SW7 Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1950 Operational Burlington Northern Formerly Burlington Northern 121
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9911A Silver Pilot EMD E5 Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive 1940 Operational Chicago Burlington And Quincy The only surviving EMD E5 and often paired with the Nebraska Zephyr.
Chicago Burlington & QUincy 9976 EMD E9A Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive 1953 Operational Burlington Northern Recently Burlington Northern 9908
Chicago And North Western 411 EMD F7A Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive 1949 Operational Metra Ex Metra 305
Chicago And North Western 515 EMD E8A Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive 1953 Operational Iowa Pacific Holdings Originally C&NW 5029B
Chicago And North Western 1689 Alco RSD5
Diesel Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1954 Operational Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Formerly operated by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
Chicago And North Western 6847 EMD SD40-2
Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1976 Operational Union Pacific Formerly Union Pacific 3028
Commonwealth Edison 15 EMD SW1 Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1950 Operational Midwest Generation LLC Often seen on the Caboose Train
Illinois Terminal 1605 EMD GP7 Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1953 Operational Illinois Terminal Railroad Formerly Norfolk & Western 3406
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.
Lake Superior and Ishpeming 2407 Alco RSD15
Diesel Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1960 Operational Green Bay and Western Railroad Formerly Santa Fe 841
MBTA 902 EMD GP9
Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1957 Operational MBTA Formerly GTW and SEMTA
Metra 308 EMD F7A Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive 1949 Operational Metra As of 2020, still in original Metra paint scheme.
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
Milwaukee Road 118C EMD F7A Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive 1951 Operational Milwaukee Road
Milwaukee Road 760 FM H10-44
Diesel Locomotive Fairbanks-Morse 1944 Operational Milwaukee Road First Diesel built by Fairbanks - Morse
Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern 21 Baldwin DT-6-6-2000
Diesel Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1948 Operational Minneapolis Northfield and Southern Railway The only Baldwin DT-6-6-2000 left to be preserved.
Nekoosa Paper 14 ALCO S1
Diesel Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1947 Operational Nekoosa

Paper, Inc.

 Ex-South Omaha Terminal
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.
Southern Pacific 1518 EMD SD7
Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1951 Operational Southern Pacific First SD7 ever built.
Toledo, Peoria and Western 800 ALCO C424 Diesel Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1964 Operational Morristown and Erie Railway
Tuskegee 101 2-6-2 Prairie Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1924 Awaiting restoration T. R. Miller It operated on the IRM's trackage from 1970 to 1987. It has been disassembled since 1990.[11]
Union Pacific 428 2-8-0 Consolidation Steam

Locomotive

 Baldwin Locomotive Works 1900 Undergoing restoration Union Pacific Arrived in 1969, currently undergoing restoration to operating condition.
Union Pacific 1848 GE Dash 8-40B
Diesel Locomotive GE Transportation 1988 Operational Union Pacific Formerly Cotton Belt 8049, second B40-8 restored.
United States Army 8537 GE 45-ton switcher Diesel Locomotive GE Transportation 1944 Operational United States Army Transportation Corps Has been used as one of the museum's primary switchers for several years.
Wisconsin & Southern 102 EMD E9B Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1955 Operational Wisconsin Southern Formerly Union Pacific 467.
Wisconsin Central 7525 EMD SD45 Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1971 Operational Wisconsin Central Has Operation Life Saver paint scheme applied.

Inoperable units
Name Locomotive Image Type Builder Built Status Previous Owner Notes
Amtrak 945 EMD AEM-7
Electric Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1982 Static display Amtrak
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 2903 4-8-4 Northern Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1943 Static display Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) Arrived in 1993.
Chesapeake and Ohio 2707 2-8-4 Kanawha Steam Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1943 Static display City of Cincinnati, Ohio Only 2-8-4 in the collection.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 637 4-6-0 Ten wheeler
Steam Locomotive Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works 1892 Static display City of Aurora, Illinois Second oldest locomotive in the collection, and formerly used for the CB&Q's steam excursion trains in the 1950s.
Chicago Burlington and Quincy 3007 4-6-4 Hudson Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1930 Static display City of Griggsville, Illinois Only 4-6-4 in the collection.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy 4963 2-8-2 Mikado Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1923 Static display Chicago scrapyard It was traded in echange for five Grand Trunk Western 0-8-0s in the early 1990s.
Chicago And North Western 1518 EMD GP7 Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive 1949 Static display Chicago And North Western First EMD GP7 ever built.
Chicago South Shore and South Bend 803 Little Joe
Electric Locomotive GE Transportation 1949 Displayed, operable Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad
Commonwealth Edison 5 0-6-0 switcher Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1922 Static display Chicago scrapyard It operated on the museum's trackage from 1970 to 1974.[12]
Conrail 4601 GE E33 Electric Locomotive GE Transportation 1956 Static display Railroad Museum of New England Formerly Virginian Railway 131. One of only two E33s left to be preserved.
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton 16 4-4-0 Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1915 Static display The Henry Ford Museum One of only two DT&I steam locomotives to be preserved. It was traded for Bessemer and Lake Erie 154.
Grand Trunk Western 6323 4-8-4 Northern (Confederation)
Steam Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1942 Static display Private owner in Detroit, Michigan Famous for being the very last steam locomotive to operate under GTW ownership.
Grand Trunk Western 8380 0-8-0 switcher Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1929 Static display Northwestern Steel and Wire Company[13]
Illinois Central 201 2-4-4T
Steam Locomotive Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works 1880 Static display Private owner Oldest locomotive in the collection.
Illinois Central 3719 2-6-0 Mogul
Steam locomotive American Locomotive Company 1900 Static display
Lake Superior and Ishpeming 35 2-8-0 Consolidation
Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1916 Static display Marquette and Huron Mountain Railroad One of only three LS&I SC-1 locomotives to be preserved.
Milwaukee Road 30 Sedan Inspection car Dodge 1947 Static display Mid-Continent Railway Museum It was sold to the museum on May 26, 2014.[14]
Milwaukee Road 265 4-8-4 Northern Steam Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1944 Static display City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin One of only two Milwaukee Road S3s to be preserved.
Norfolk and Western 2050 2-8-8-2 Y-3a Steam Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1923 Static display Armco Only articulated steam locomotive in the collection. One of only two N&W 2-8-8-2s left to be preserved.
Pennsylvania Railroad 4927 PRR GG1
Electric Locomotive GE Transportation 1942 Static display Amtrak Only PRR locomotive in the collection.
Rock Island 938 4-6-2 Pacific
Steam Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1910 Static display Fort Worth and Western Railroad One of only three Rock Island steam locomotives left to be preserved.
Southern Pacific 975 2-10-2 Santa Fe type Steam Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1918 Static display City of Beaumont, Texas One of only two SP F-1 locomotives left to be preserved.
Union Pacific 18 Union Pacific GTEL
Diesel Locomotive GE Transportation 1960 Static display Union Pacific One of only two UP gas turbine locomotives left in the United States.
Union Pacific 6930 EMD DDA40X "Centennial"
Diesel Locomotive Electro-Motive Corporation 1970 Static display Union Pacific One of several EMD DDA40X locomotives to be preserved.

Other equipment

Formerly owned locomotives
Locomotive Class Image Type Builder Built Status Current owner Notes
Bessemer and Lake Erie 154 2-8-0 Consolidation
Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1909 Static display The Henry Ford Museum It was traded in exchange for Detroit, Toledo and Ironton 16 in 1989. It now resides in Dearborn, Michigan.[15]
Georgia Northern 102 4-6-0 Ten wheeler
Steam Locomotive American Locomotive Company 1923 Static display End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum It was moved to Currie, Minnesota in 1993.[16][17]
Lake Superior and Ishpeming 34 2-8-0 Consolidation
Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1916 Stored Western Maryland Scenic Railroad Has been used in excursion service between Cumberland and Frostburg, Maryland while masquerating as Western Maryland No. 734.[18]
Norfolk and Western 475 4-8-0 Mastodon
Steam Locomotive Baldwin Locomotive Works 1906 Operational Strasburg Rail Road It went through several ownerships, including the IRM between 1980 and 1982, before being restored to operating condition at Strasburg.[19]

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.[20] The 1993 movie Groundhog Day featured the museum's EMD SD24 diesel locomotive.[20] The museum's grounds and some of the passenger cars were used in the movie The Babe, starring John Goodman.[20] In late 2005, the Burlington 9911A and several coaches operated to Chicago for filming in Flags of Our Fathers, a Clint Eastwood film.[21] Transformers: Age of Extinction starring Mark Wahlberg, released in 2014, made IRM the host of several scenes.[22]

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.[23] The hit show Chicago Fire features the IRM onsite in the season 2 episode "No Regrets".[24]

Special events

See also

References
  1. "Illinois Railway Museum - The Largest!". CNN iReport. September 28, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  2. 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.
  3. "Illinois Railway Museum: Roster, Steam, Overview". American-Rails.com. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  4. "The Illinois Railway Museum's History and Development". Illinois Railway Museum. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  5. "IRM 50th Anniversary". www.rypn.org. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  6. "Illinois Railway Museum buys Burnham Shops turntable | Trains Magazine". Trains. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  7. Tourist Trains Guide Book (second ed.). Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books. 2009 [2007]. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-87116-273-1 – via Google Books.
  8. Kallas, Nick (November 20, 2009). "89 Acre Siegel Farm Purchase". IRM.org. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  9. "Illinois Railway Museum buys Burnham Shops turntable". Trains. March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016. (subscription required)
  10. "St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad 1630". Illinois Railway Museum.
  11. "HawkinsRails - Tuskegee #101". hawkinsrails.net. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  12. "Pictures of CWEX 5". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  13. "Northwest Steel & Wire Co". donsdepot.donrossgroup.net. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  14. "Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific #30 – Mid-Continent Railway Museum". Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  15. "Baldwin "Consolidation" Steam Locomotive, 1909 - The Henry Ford". www.thehenryford.org. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  16. "End-O-Line Railroad Park - www.rgusrail.com". www.rgusrail.com. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  17. admin (2021-03-18). "A Passion for Steam". The Trackside Photographer. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  18. "Celebrating No. 734's 105th Birthday". Western Maryland Railroad. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  19. "No. 475". Strasburg Rail Road. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  20. "Press Page". Illinois Railway Museum. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  21. "Welcome to the Shore Line Interurban Historical Society | "Flags of Our Fathers" Filming". www.shore-line.org. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  22. "Transformers Movie Comes to Union". Marengo-Union Times. October 1, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  23. "Introduction to IRM 101" (PDF). Retrieved 29 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. "Chicago Fire: Season 2 - Episode 7; No Regrets". Retrieved 2021-12-29.
External image
Railroad Picture Archives - Photos taken in Union, IL
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