At about 4:45 p.m. on the evening of November 30th, at the peak of our Happy Holiday Railway event, Commonwealth Edison suffered a failure in their supply system that deprived the museum of electrical power. Power was not restored until approximately 8:00 p.m.

While we were able to operate the Santa train rides at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 on schedule, as the train generates its own power, facilities on the campus were seriously impacted, leaving our visitors with dark waiting areas, poor restroom facilities (as our water supply depends upon electric pumps) and the loss of our light displays.

We would like to acknowledge the efforts of our volunteers and staff in adapting quickly to keep people safe and facilities operating as much as possible in the difficult situation with which we were faced. Above all, we would like to recognize the good humor and understanding of our guests, who joined in making the best of a frustrating situation.

We hope that those of you who were affected by this problem recognize that it was caused by an issue over which the museum had no control.

However, if you were ticketed on the 5:00, 6:00 or 7:00 trains on this day, and feel your enjoyment was seriously impacted, the museum offers the following:

• If you would like to schedule another visit during the 2019 HHR event, we will book you on any date or time that is still available at no cost; or
• We will offer a gift card in the amount of $10 for each ticket you have for the HHR event on 11/30, usable for future admissions, goods and services at the museum.