Day Out With Thomas is Almost Here
Our "special event season" is here and there's a lot happening at the museum! Trains operate daily through mid-September and weekends see steam or diesel trains along with the electric trains. Our biggest event, Day Out With Thomas, is only a month or so away and trips are selling out quickly. A full list of special events is here. There's other exciting news too, including a second operating steam engine and a new building under construction.
Featured in this e-newsletter:
- Day Out With Thomas tickets are now on sale - trips are selling out quickly!
- Join us for Railway Post Office Weekend and see our freshly painted RPO car
- Chicago Day is coming up June 22nd
- Shay 5 and the caboose train will run select days this summer
- Traction Weekend is June 29th and 30th this year
- Main Street's second building is officially under construction
- Dads are admitted free on Father's Day
- Steam Department Benefit Concert is June 23rd
- Vehicle registration is now open for the Vintage Transport Extravaganza
- We need volunteers and you can help!
- You can now take public transportation to IRM
- You can help save the last "Buffeteria" dining car
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Thomas tickets now on sale
Tickets to Day Out With Thomas are now on sale on our website! Our most popular event is returning on July 13th-14th and 20th-21st this year. Ride the train with Thomas and Percy, enjoy live music and hands-on childrens activities, and visit with Sir Topham Hatt and all his friends.
Click here for info and tickets
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Railway Post Office Weekend
June 8th & 9th is our annual RPO Weekend, when you can see mail bags dropped and picked up from a speeding train just like in the old days. Retired RPO workers can come and make one last "catch." Our Burlington RPO car is now being repainted and will debut for this event.
Click here for event information
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Chicago Day is June 22nd
It was 61 years ago that streetcar service in Chicago ended, but the past lives on at IRM. Join us on Chicago Day and ride historic streetcars, 'L' cars, interurbans, and commuter trains from the Windy City's past. Go for a streetcar ride on the "Green Hornet" or the "Matchbox" and join us for a trip on our restored C&NW commuter train.
Click here for more information
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Steam Caboose Trains in 2019
Our Steam Team has officially put Shay 5, our geared steam engine, into service for the first time since 1999 and its debut pulling the caboose train Memorial Day Weekend was a great success. The Shay will pull the caboose train July 4th, 6th and 7th; August 24th, 25th, and 31st; and September 1st, 2nd, 14th, and 15th this year. Make sure you join us and see this unique engine - nicknamed the "Sewing Machine" - in action!
Calendar and schedule information
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Traction Weekend June 29-30
The best time to see the widest variety of electric cars in operation at IRM is Traction Weekend, which this year will be June 29th and 30th. Saturday you can ride examples of intercity transportation featuring interurban cars; Sunday we will highlight intra-city transit with 'L' cars. Rarely-seen equipment will carry passengers on the main line and streetcar line both days.
Click for event info and scheduled trains
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New Building on Main Street
Our Main Street scene is expanding! Work has begun on the Multi-Purpose Building, located just west of the Schroeder Mercantile Store. This structure will house the Pullman Library, a model railroad exhibit, archive space, and a gallery for rotating exhibits. It will be the second building, and the first new construction, on Main Street.
Watch our Facebook page for updates
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Dads are Free on Fathers Day
Father's Day is Sunday, June 16th and what better day to celebrate than with a fun day out with the family? Dads are admitted free with a fare-paying child or adult. Enjoy some family time as you ride the steam train behind Frisco 1630 or go for a relaxing streetcar or interurban train ride.
Click for more information
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Steam Dept. Benefit is June 23
Our annual benefit concert to raise funds for the Steam Department will be held at the Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington on June 23rd. This is a great opportunity to hear the mighty Wurlitzer organ in concert and tour this unique collection of artifacts.
Click here for tickets and information
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Vintage Transport Extravaganza
One of our most popular events every year is the Vintage Transport Extravaganza, one of the largest antique car and truck shows in Illinois with over 500 vehicles exhibited. Registration is now open - anyone with a vehicle from 1999 or older is welcome to come and display!
Click here for info and vehicle registration
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Volunteers Needed!
Do you love trains? Do you have some free time, whether it's weekly or just a few times a year? Are you an IRM member? If you answered "yes" then you are an ideal candidate to be an IRM volunteer! We need people to help restore and maintain the trains. It's a fun, interesting, and rewarding way to spend your time. No experience is necessary - we will "train" you!
Contact us to ask about volunteering
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Take public transit to IRM in 2019
Starting in 2019, the museum is accessible via public transportation for the first time in many years. MCRide, the county's dial-a-ride service, will be offering trips from the Metra stop in Woodstock. Arrangements must be made by phone in advance.
Click here for more information
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Help save the "Buffeteria"
IRM has the opportunity to save the last Milwaukee Road "Buffeteria," a dining car rebuilt in the 1960s for buffet-style serving. This historic piece of equipment is in very good and original condition but funds are needed to move it to Union where it can be restored and operated.
Click here for more information
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