Purchase Hops Aboard Event Tickets
NEW FOR 2025: Join IRM the evening of Saturday, September 13th for the first annual Hops Aboard, an adults-only beer festival celebrating local breweries and beer's long history with the railroad.
Sample brews while exploring all that IRM has to offer. The event includes:
- Eighteen tickets per person for use at 20 different brewery tents. Each ticket is good for one 5 oz. pour.
- A special collaborative brew from Scorched Earth Brewing, inspired by IRM's own Chicago Burlington & Quincy 504 locomotive. Enjoy this tasting aboard a coach train pulled by CB&Q 504 itself!
- Discover how the railroad helped grow Milwaukee's beer industry with a Beer Line-themed exhibit from the Center for Railroad Photography & Art.
- Delicious bites from local food trucks, including Uncle Cam's
- Live music
Hours / Admission / Operating Schedule Information:
Electric and steam or diesel trains will be operating.
Event Hours:
Saturday, September 13th, 6:00PM to 9:00PM (last train 8:00PM)
IRM will close at 4:00 PM following general admission hours. The museum will reopen at 6:00 PM for Hops Aboard. All attendees will be carded at the entrance.
Admission Rates:
Adults $45, "Designated Driver Tickets" $20
ALL attendees must be age 21+
- This event is only open for holders of event tickets. Everyone, including museum members, will need a ticket for admission to the event.
- There is a 100% ID check for all attendees. Designated driver attendees will receive a different color wristband than those who are planning to drink.
- Please drink responsibly. Local police will be on site in case of any emergencies.
Participating breweries include:
- Scorched Earth Brewing, Algonquin, IL
- Sew Hop'd Brewery, Huntley, IL
- Tighthead Brewing Company, Mundelein, IL
- Phase Three Brewing, Lake Zurich, IL
- And many more!
Equipment Scheduled to Operate in the Evening for the Hops Aboard Event:
- J. Neils Lumber Co. 5 and the Steam Coach Train ♿
All equipment, schedules and prices subject to change without notice.
♿ = this train is wheelchair-accessible
