Plan Your Visit

The Illinois Railway Museum has the largest collection of historic railway equipment in America.

When you plan your visitplan on spending the day. From horse-drawn streetcars to million-pound steam locomotivesfrom sleek streamliners to workaday boxcarsthere's a LOT to see!

Please check the operating schedule and our calendar for open days. The grounds are open for self-guided tours all days the museum is open.

You can purchase tickets at the gate orto save timepurchase your tickets online. Click here to reserve tickets online. Museum members do not need a ticket and just need to bring their plastic membership card.

Safety First: always look both ways before crossing any railroad tracks and expect a train on any track at any time. Climbing on trains can be dangerous and is prohibited except where boarding a train is specifically indicated.

What to Expect at the Illinois Railway Museum

The main Illinois Railway Museum campus in UnionIllinoisfeatures more than twenty structures spread out across 100 acres of land. These include exhibit buildings which house much of the museum's collection of trains as well as historic structures like the 1851 East Union DepotSpaulding Towerthe Schroeder Mercantile Storeand the Central Diner.

IRM is an outdoor museum so when planning your visit please dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Exhibit buildings are not heated or air-conditioned but are wheelchair-accessible. The Schroeder StoreCentral DinerModel Railroad Exhibitand Gallery have heat and air conditioning. Smoking and vaping are prohibited inside any building or aboard any train.

Unlimited Train Rides During Your Visit

On operating daysexhibit buildings will be open. Admission is charged on all operating days but parking is always free. Except for special-fare dayswhen you may have an assigned train timeyour general admission ticket includes unlimited train rides and access to all public areas of the museum.

Facilities available during operating days include restrooms in the East Union Depot and Central Diner. Food service is available in the diner on weekends between mid-May and early Octoberand on weekdays between mid-June and Labor Day. When opendiner hours are 11am-4pm on weekends and 11am-3pm on weekdays. The Central Diner incorporates an original 1930s roadside diner. It also features a dining room with panoramic views of streetcars on the streetcar line.

There are picnic tables located around the property and you are welcome to bring your own food. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited.

What to Do at the Illinois Railway Museum

The Illinois Railway Museum strives for an immersive experience: we want you to feel transported back into the glory age of rail travel aboard our rolling time machines. The centerpiece of the museum experience is the train ride. One or more authentichistoric trains will be in operation during your visit.

Take a ride on our time machines.

Board the streetcar next to the 50th Avenue ‘L’ station for a ride up to the historic 1851 East Union Depotwhere on weekends during the summer you can transfer to a main line steam or diesel train. A train trip on the museum’s five-mile main line railroad takes 35-45 minutes and returns directly to the depot. Hear the clickety-clack of the railfeel the breeze through the open windowsand smell the coal smoke of the steam engine.

If you’d like a shorter tripa ride on the streetcar line is just the thing. Streetcars operate in a loop around the propertystopping at several locations around the museum campus. You may board or alight at any stop. A complete circuit of the streetcar line takes about 15 minutes. On weekends during the summer there are typically multiple trains operating on both the main line and streetcar line. On weekdays an electric train will travel over both routes.

Explore the museum campus.

There’s much more to see and do as you walk around the museum campus. Our train-themed playgroundlocated just behind the depot on the north side of Barn 3is a great way for kids to play while watching a parade of railway equipment pass by at busy Car Line Junction. Nearby you can explore an authentic track inspection caror “speeder,” from the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. In Barn 3climb aboard a train of historic Pullman passenger cars and see what luxury travel was like 60 or 70 years ago. Relax in the plush armchairs of the Santa Fe Lounge car to view a video about the museum or have a seat in the Galt House dining car from the famous Pan-American train. If you likeyou can even make a speech from the open platform of one of our historic parlor-observation cars! On the next track overwalk through a stock car and refrigerator car to learn about Chicago's famous meatpacking industry or clamber up into the cupola of an iconic red caboose.

What to See at the Illinois Railway Museum

The highlight of the Illinois Railway Museum is its collection of historic railway equipment – the largest collection in North Americain fact. On your visit you’ll have the opportunity to tour several large exhibit buildings packed with antique trains. There's much more to see in addition to the trains themselvesthough. From restored buildings and signsto educational exhibits and model trainsthere's a wide variety of things to see. Click here for a list of exhibits open during your visit.

Accessibility at the Illinois Railway Museum

The public areas of the museum grounds are all wheelchair-accessible. All of the train exhibit barns and most of our buildingsincluding the depotCentral Dinerand Schroeder Storeare fully or partially wheelchair-accessible. Some main line trains are wheelchair-accessible as well. These include coach trains and CTA 'L' trains (see our calendar for a list of what's running on any day). Contact our office at 815-923-4391 to inquire about whether a wheelchair-accessible train will be operating on the day of your visit.