Search Results for: interurban car
History
The Illinois Railway Museum was founded in 1953 by ten men who each contributed $100 to purchase Indiana Railroad 65, an interurban car that had just been retired and was in imminent danger of being scrapped. The museum’s origins, however, actually go back further. In 1907 the Elgin & Belvidere
Train Talks
Looking for an engaging, educational program for your civic group or organization? Book an Illinois Railway Museum Train Talk. Train Talks are approximately 45-minute lectures about railroad-related topic. Each program includes a slideshow presentation and is given by a knowledgeable staff member or volunteer. IRM travels within 50 miles of
Trains and Tunes
NEW FOR 2025! It’s 1920’s day at IRM! All operating equipment hails from the Roaring ‘20s, including a coach train pulled by steam locomotive Shay 5 and the electric interurban North Shore Line 749. After enjoying IRM’s historical offerings, hop aboard the streetcar to a jazzy concert at IRM’s Springfield
Don’s Depot Rail Photos Website Restored
A collaborative venture between the Illinois Railway Museum, IRM’s Strahorn Library, and the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University has resulted in the “Don’s Depot Rail Photos” website being restored. The original Don’s Depot website was created by the late Don Ross and hosted thousands of railroad, train, and transit
Take a Seat on the CA&E
The museum has embarked on a fundraising campaign to replace the seating material in all three of our Chicago Aurora & Elgin 1945-vintage "curve-sider" interurban coaches. These include car 460, which is currently in regular operation at IRM, and cars 451 and 453, which are undergoing restoration to service. UPDATE:
Post Office Gallery
Featured in the Post Office Gallery for a limited time during 2025 only, the Illinois Railway Museum presents Beebe and Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy, produced in cooperation with the Center for Railroad Photography & Art (CRP&A). Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg introduced railroad photography and the world of railroading to
IRM Celebrates 70th Anniversary
The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2023 with a number of special and expanded events throughout the year. Many of these events are unique to this anniversary-year celebration, so the public is encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities where special equipment is scheduled to
North Shore Line Day
In 2023, the Illinois Railway Museum will celebrate 70 years as an organization. On January 21st, festivities will kick off when IRM will commemorate 60 years since the abandonment of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad, an electric interurban which ran between its namesake cities from 1908 until a
Barn 8
Barn 8 is one of our train exhibit buildings, or barns. In Barn 8 you’ll find restored ‘L’ cars from the Chicago rapid transit system, electric interurban cars from across the Midwest, and electrified freight equipment. Learn about the history of Chicago’s elevated railroad cars, from c1910 wooden cars to
Barn 7
Barn 7 is one of our train exhibit buildings, or barns. In our Barn 7 exhibit building you can tour the history of street railways in America, starting with horse-drawn streetcars and ending with the streamlined PCC streetcars from the 1940s that closed out streetcar service in Chicago and many