CORNERS

By Jamie Baker • Photos by Bob Weder Photography

The Illinois Railway Museum in Union is marking a significant milestone in 2023.

“This year is the museum’s 70th anniversary, so it’s been around for a long time,” says Jason Maxwell, a museum curator. “The museum started in 1953 and the original goal was trying to save one particular interurban car. They were trying to save Indiana Railroad 65 and they did save that one car in 1953. After that, they started to accumulate a lot of interurban cars. It was actually the Illinois Electric Railway Museum, and it was electric only. After roughly 10 years or so, they moved to the current location and changed their name to the Illinois Railway Museum, as they were going to collect more than just electric railway equipment from that point on.”

Every year, the Railway Museum holds a plethora of family-friendly events dedicated to celebrating a crucial part of our nation’s transportation history. This year, they’ve added even more to the docket in celebration of seven successful decades being open to the public.

“We’re going to do a ‘50s day this year – we’re trying to have every month have some sort of special event so we’re trying to do that for the 70th anniversary,” says Maxwell. “We have a lot going on July 4 weekend. We’ll be running trains four consecutive days – July 1, 2, 3 and 4. Typically, on that weekend we’ll do what we call a ‘trolley pageant’ where we run a lot of trolley cars that, many times, we only run once or twice a year. For the

70th anniversary, we’re going to try to get 70 trolley cars going.”

A Day Out with Thomas, one of the museum’s annual events, will take place July 15, 16, 22 and 23.

“It’s one of the big weekends at the museum,” says Maxwell. “One of my favorite weekends at the museum is the first Sunday in August. It’s our Vintage Transportation Day and we have a big car show on the property. It’s a really fun day with all the vintage trains running and the vintage cars out there.”

Another weekend in August will be spent celebrating Diesel Days, where the museum will run a variety of diesel, vintage equipment.

“Labor Day is also a big weekend for us,” says Maxwell. “We run extended hours on Labor Day and into the night. Some people really enjoy the night trains and so forth. Our biggest weekend of the year is our Museum Showcase Weekend, and that’s going to be Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16 and 17. We’re going to run trains from 10 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday. There will be trains running all night long, into the wee hours. This is something new for the anniversary that we’re going to try.”

The showcase weekend is a celebration of the museum and an event dedicated to recognizing all of their volunteers. Make sure to check out their website for more information on these amazing events and learn how you can help champion the museum’s cause!

70th Anniversary Activities This Summer At The Irm

June 10: ‘50s Day – Live music, costume contest, carnival games, period automobiles and more

June 18: Father’s Day – Dads admitted free with one paid child or adult

July 1-4: 4th of July Weekend – Trolley Pageant and extra train operations

July 15-16 & 22-23: Day Out With Thomas –Thomas the Tank Engine and Percy visit the museum

Aug. 6: Vintage Transport Extravaganza – Display of historic cars and trucks plus streetcar and train rides. To display a vehicle, call 815-923-4391, ext. 404.

Aug. 11-13: Diesel Days – Enjoy the museum’s variety of diesel locomotives

Sept. 1-4: Labor Day Weekend – Extended hours Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy a twilight ride to see illuminated sign displays.

Sept. 9: Scout Day – Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops participate in a daylong event.

Sept. 16-17: “Non-Stop” Museum Showcase Weekend – Museum open continuously from 10 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday

Sept. 30: Bus Day – Trolley and motor bus operations plus bus displays