Illinois Railway Museum

Outstanding outdoor museum. Family friendly. Great all around learning facility, plus you get unlimited train rides. Families should definitely stop by here.

The museum is wonderful and the diner staff are really friendly & accommodating! The prices are the around for a day of fun with the family!

Been there sever times and it’s always interesting.
Staff is friendly and the weekend gives you the best choice of trains to ride.
Weekdays are great for a more relaxed pace.
Cons… I would love to see inside more engines and cars but I’m sure it’s a money thing.
Great for kids on Thomas the train days.

Negative — Day out with Thomas workers who are not associated with the museum are rude. After a half hour of waiting in line for tickets, we watched a dad cut ahead of the line and buy tickets for his kids. Another dad said something and a fight ensued. The employees did nothing and watched as the wife of the line jumper pushed the other dad several times. Then when confronted with it, acted like he saw nothing two feet from his face. I’d rather not have my four year old watch two men fight at what’s supposed to be our special day with Thomas. This could have been avoided if the day out with Thomas workers would have stepped in and done… hmm. IDK anything?
Positive — The people who actually work at the museum are amazing and really take the time to say hello and explain things to your child. My son is fascinated by trains and a man who fixes the trains, Thomas, was nice enough to show us around the repair barn. It’s really a magical place for the kids who love trains.

Went here to see Thomas the tank engine.
Not only did I see Thomas but there are a lot of cool trains there. I got there at 1pm and left around 5:30pm.
The trains that they have on display take you back to your childhood and your grandmas childhood.
They had steam engines and the wheels were over 6ft tall. The history behind these engines are amazing.
Some you could go in and check out.
They even had a real steam engine which I have not seen anything like it.
They had electric trolleys and the guy let my son sit in the captains chair for a couple minutes.
The back story on how some of the trains is acquired my the museum is pretty cool.
I highly recommend going to this,
Worth every penny.

Today was the vintage transport car show thing with everything old that rolls along with the hands on operating rail museum. Steam and electric trains were entertaining booth the young and the older people today. Today was very crowded for the special day and everyone seemed like they enjoyed the event. This event is the at least once a year day to hang at IRM from what it looks like. See my pictures.

The beau loves trains. So it was the perfect birthday outing. We spent about 4 hours roaming the giant property. SO many trains! Lots of cool information plaques to go along with them. I was mostly in it for the vintage signs and advertisements.
We went on a weekday, so there was less going on, but we rode an electric CTA train from the early 1900’s. There were also no crowds, which was fantastic.
Bonus: They have a (essentially 2 for 1) Groupon for the summer of 2015.

I thought the Disney Princesses were annoying… and then I met Thomas and his scary eyes. But Thomas and his scary eyes make my 1 ½ year old son very happy, which is why we drove over an hour to the Illinois Railway Museum for the annual Day Out with Thomas.*
I was expecting complete chaos, but have to give the folks behind Day Out with Thomas major props for keeping it as organized as possible. It helps that you purchase tickets for your exact Thomas train ride (yes, you get to ride the «real» Thomas train) ahead of time. Ours promptly took off at 10am as planned and returned 20 minutes later. From there we enjoyed pics with Sir Topham Hatt, dancing with a band, a magic show, Thomas tattoos & way too much shopping in the Thomas gift shop. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the typical carnival type of food (pretzels, corn dogs, popcorn, etc), but I should have known to pack lunch.
My ½ year old Thomas lover had the best time… and his 3 ½ year old Princess loving sister may have even had more fun. We’d definitely make the trip again next year unless (of course) they become too «cool» for Thomas & his friends.
Not sure I’d make the trip to the Illinois Railway Museum for a typical day that didn’t involve Thomas. My son liked seeing all the trains, but for the drive we could just spend the day at our nearby metra station. If you do find yourself in this area Wild West Town** is nearby so you can make a day of it.
*
**

Cannot believe I lived in the area for 20+ years and never went to this museum. Frankly, I’m AMAZED that something as great as this is in rural Union, IL.
The museum has numerous barns filled with trains from every era — streetcars, elevated train cars, steam locomotives and passenger trains from the mid-​20^th Century. Incredible.
Most of them are closed off (can’t go inside), but you can walk up and down the barns to check them out from the outside, etc. Lots of plaques filled with interesting information on the history of the trains and the railroads themselves. Awe inspiring stuff.
Took a train ride on one of the streetcars and had a great time with the engineer/​tour guide — informative and fun.
Weather was perfect and that definitely helped to enjoy it even more.
If you haven’t been, do yourself a favor and check out this GREAT museum.

Some people who come to the Illinois railway museum come with the expectations of riding fully restored trains, and of being able to feel as if they had stepped backwards in time. Others come with an expectation of finding exhibits behind velvet ropes with endless explanatory signage, multimedia presentations, and guided tours, like the big museums of Chicago. The. I.R.M. is none of these things.
The iRM is a huge collection of buildings, street cars, trollies, rolling stock, and locomotives, some of which is partially restored, and some of which is operable on their own private track. The place is run by volunteers and funded by donations, so much of of their equipment shows its age.
That said, what they have accomplished on a limited budget is impressive. Understand that operating a railroad, even a short line like the one the IRM has is a difficult. Federal regulations apply. Licenses must be maintained. Track and rolling stock must be kept safe. Despite all this and more their main line operates each day, usually with more than one engine.
They have operating electrics, deisels, and steamers, attached to vintage rolling stock that you can ride in if you are so inclined, and I always do. In the summer, the ride can be hit and crowded, but the brakemen and conductors know their trains and the museum, and once they have delivered their speech, they will answer questions at length.
Afterwards, board an electric streetcar and as more questions as you circle the property on a loop, or tour the buildings and get up close to historical artifacts. Take a walk through a zephyr. See huge steam engines. Enjoy slightly overpriced concession food. Bring, you your dog if you like, but keep it off the trains and outside the buildings. Have a picnic. Take pictures. Visit the gift shop. Make it a family memory that endures. And, yes, do bring the little ones for Thomas the tank engine days.
If you are not really a train person, watch for special events at their website. The IRM is a great backdrop to classic cars, carousel bandwagons, scary Halloween monsters, and more. If you are a train person, then consider joining, because one of the big perks is being able to volunteer, and to learn about these machines. You can even learn the jobs of conductor, brakeman, streetcar operator, and more. Sadly, engineer is a federally licensed position, and that is out of reach.