The Illinois Railway Museum is located in Union, Illinois, near Chicago and is the country’s largest railroad museum. The museum has been in operation since the 1950s and tells the story of the role trains and the railroad have played in the growth of the city of Chicago and surrounding area as well as the entire United States. The museum campus is quite large and it can take a while to explore it all. There are eleven storage barns that contain approximately 3 miles of covered tracks, a steam engine restoration shop, a train depot dating back to 1853, four streetcar stations, a collection of neon and concrete signs, a large number of trains, and more. Two train rides are offered in the summer, including on both electric and diesel trains.

7000 Olson Road, Union, IL 60180, Phone: 815-923-4000

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