IRM News to Share

Happy Holiday Railway is Nearly Here! Start a new family tradition this year and take a magical train ride with Santa at the Illinois Railway Museum! Tickets are now on sale - reserve your seat now, as trips are filling up fast. And that's not all that's happening at the museum: Tickets for Happy Holiday Railway are now on sale on our website Snowflake Special excursion on the CTA is this Sunday- a few tickets are still available! Rock Island GP7R 4506 has a new coat of paint Do you buy on Amazon? If so, you can support IRM with just the click of a button  Exciting progress on getting a second steam engine running for 2018 Memberships for 2018 are now on sale Parking lot expansion underway as part of entrance improvement project Significant milestone reached regarding mortgages Visit us online for schedules, blog updates, and more Happy Holiday Railway tickets Bring the whole family for an unforgettable holiday experience! This event features a magical train ride with Santa, cookies and hot chocolate, gifts, carols, plus train displays and holiday lights. Trains run weekends November 25th through December 17th and advance purchase is strongly recommended. Click here for tickets and information Snowflake Special Excursion The museum's famous Snowflake Special excursion is this Sunday! On November 12th, join our members for a special guided tour of portions of the 'L' network (including non-revenue trackage) to raise money for our 'L' car collection. The trip departs Rosemont at 9am. Tickets and more info are available here A Makeover for RI 4506 Work on repainting Rock Island GP7R 4506, formerly seen in C&NW yellow and green, is in the final stages - and she's a beauty! The locomotive has been repainted in 1970s light blue and white, colors it wore following a major rebuild, making it the only preserved diesel restored to that livery. For more information visit the Diesel Shop Facebook page. Your Purchases Help IRM If you shop on Amazon, your purchases can help support IRM's restoration activities. IRM participates in the Amazon Smile program, through which a portion of all your purchases is donated to the museum. There's no cost to you; just select IRM from smile.amazon.com or for a direct link click here. And thank you! Progress on Shay 5 The IRM Steam Team is making exciting progress on Shay 5, working towards the goal of operation in 2018. In October it was test run a short distance on compressed air and reassembly and piping work is being done now. But donations are needed to support this work as well as work on repainting Rock Island 938, our 4-6-2 Pacific.Click here to help. 2018 Memberships now on sale One of the best ways you can support IRM and its preservation activities is by becoming a member. You'll get free admission all year, gift shop and bookstore discounts, access to special events for members, and our quarterly news magazine "Rail & Wire." An IRM membership also makes a great gift! Sign up online to help support our history Parking Lot Expansion When you visit in 2018 you'll notice some changes when you enter the museum. One is in progress now: more of our parking lot is being paved. The museum's bookstore and gift shop are also being moved to the historic Schroeder Mercantile Store, located west of the 50th Avenue 'L' station. More improvements are coming, so stay tuned! Check out our Facebook page for regular news and progress updates.  Milestone Reached with Mortgage Retirement Ever since the Illinois Railway Museum moved from rented property in North Chicago to its present site in Union back in 1964, acquisition of land - both for expansion and as buffer space - has been one of our top priorities. In fact, we've acquired over 250 acres of land over the years, of which about 100 acres is now developed as part of our museum campus. With those land purchases have come mortgages. A recent large bequest, though, has enabled the museum to reach a wonderful milestone: we've retired the last of our mortgages. For the first time in more than 50 years, IRM is debt-free. We'd like to acknowledge everyone who has supported us over the years by donating to the Mortgage Retirement Fund. It is your support that helped to make this achievement possible. Thank you. But the work isn't done and donations to the Land Acquisition Fund, to expand the museum's campus and buffer land, are still needed. Visit us online for schedules, blog updates, and more