Monthly News Report

Happy Holiday Railway Now Running 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 and trips are selling out quickly, so make sure to reserve your seat today. There's a lot more news in East Union as well: Tickets for Happy Holiday Railway are now on sale on our website Tickets for the Snowflake Special are now available on our website J. Neils Lumber 5 approved for revenue service Pumpkin Train Successful North Shore Electroliner Update Do you buy on Amazon? If so, you can support IRM with just the click of a button  Memberships for 2019 are now on sale 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 through December 23rd and advance purchase is strongly recommended. Walk-up sales are extremely limited. Click here for tickets and information Snowflake Special Do you and your family enjoy riding CTA’s Holiday Train, but not the crowds or the standing-room-only experience? The members of the Illinois Railway Museum invite you to join them as they tour CTA’s rapid transit system on December 30th. Each ticketed rider will have a seat for the entire trip. Each trip is planned to travel to the City’s North, South, and West Sides, as well as downtown, with different lines to be covered on the two trips. Click here for tickets and information.   J. Neils Lumber 5 approved for revenue service The Steam Team reached a huge milestone on October 28th when J. Neils Lumber 5, our Shay steam locomotive, was tested and approved for revenue service. It was the same day as the end of our regular season, but the Shay will be in regular operation in 2019 along with Frisco 1630. It will be the first time this millennium that IRM has had two of its steam engines in service. Pumpkin Train Successful Our first Pumpkin Train event, held on October 20-21, went very well and saw better than expected attendance despite some unusually wintry weather. Nearly a thousand people took the opportunity to pick up their pumpkins by train! If you weren't able to make it to the museum for the event, don't worry - the Pumpkin Train will be back again in 2019.   North Shore Electroliner Update Restoration work has accelerated on the North Shore "Electroliner," our 1941 streamlined interurban train set. The train's trucks and motors are now completely rebuilt and ready for use. Meanwhile contractors are repairing and replacing components in the car's articulation joints in preparation for placing the train back onto its trucks and IRM volunteers are working to reassemble the train's interior and repair its windows. Watch our website and Facebook page for news on this exciting project. 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! 2019 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 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 be a part of IRM Visit us online for schedules, blog updates, and more