Purchase General Admission Tickets

Bring the entire family for a step back in time. Enjoy the fall colors of bucolic McHenry County from the window of a 100-year-old steam train as you savor the evocative smell of coal smoke in the autumn air. Steam in the Fall will be the final public operation of steam trains at IRM for the year.

Before you visit, even if you have been a regular visitor in the past, please take the time to review the procedures and policies listed at this link.

Electric trains and Diesel or Steam trains will be operating.

Equipment Scheduled to Operate on Saturday, October 1st:

• Frisco 1630 and steam coach train 
• Shay 5 and steam caboose train
• Chicago Rapid Transit 1797 and 1268 
• Chicago Transit Authority 3142

Equipment Scheduled to Operate on Sunday, October 2nd:

• Frisco 1630 and steam coach train 
• Shay 5 and steam caboose train
• Chicago Aurora & Elgin 309 and 36
• Chicago Transit Authority 3142

Admission Rates:
Adults $16, Senior $14, Children $12

Museum Hours:
Trains operate hourly 11:00am to 4:00pm or more often as needed.
The Museum grounds open at 10:00am and close at 6:00pm.
The parking lot opens at 9:30am and closes at 6:30pm.

All equipment, schedules and prices subject to change without notice.

Purchase Photo Shoot Tickets

Photographers, come and join us for a special evening of nighttime pictures with Frisco 1630 on October 1st! IRM will be providing synchronized lighting for illuminated scenes with 1630 at special locations with vintage cars and volunteers dressed in era-appropriate attire. There will be a handful of scenes with 1630 located in terrific spots for photography including our Spaulding Tower and the RPO mail crane. The event will start at 5:30 PM after our daytime "Steam into Fall" event on Saturday 10/1. Coordination and lighting will be done by Dave Zeman and Rob Schreiner. Tickets are $50 per person and attendance is limited to 25 people. Participants need to bring their own tripod and have a basic understanding of manual settings on their own camera. Participants must also wear close-toed shoes. Space is limited and tickets are expected to sell out quickly!