Illinois Railway Museum

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Union, IL
Illinois Railway Museum

The Illinois Railway Museum in Union, McHenry County, Illinois is America's largest railway museum. The official website for IRM is at: http://www.irm.org/
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This is the official page for the Illinois Railway Museum.

05/26/2026

Sale Ends Today! Save big on tickets to Day Out With Thomas! Get $4 OFF per ticket* on Day Out With Thomas train rides at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL on July 11-12 and 18-19 (Percy rides excluded.) Use code MAY2026 to enjoy a real train ride with Thomas, join in music activities, and make lasting memories with family and friends! https://www.irm.org/event/day-out-with-thomas/
T&Cs:
*MAY2026 offer may be applied to Thomas train rides on July 11-12 and 18-19. Excludes Percy rides. To redeem: enter code MAY2026 at checkout to receive $4 OFF per Day Out With Thomas ticket discount. Offer valid May 22 at 12:01am – May 26 at 11:59pm on www.TicketWeb.com only while supplies last. Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer may be modified, suspended, or cancelled at Illinois Railway Museum’s sole discretion.

05/22/2026

Save big on Memorial Day on tickets to Day Out With Thomas! Get $4 OFF per ticket* on Day Out With Thomas train rides at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL on July 11-12 and 18-19 (Percy rides excluded.) Use code MAY2026 to enjoy a real train ride with Thomas, join in music activities, and make lasting memories with family and friends! https://www.irm.org/event/day-out-with-thomas/

T&Cs:
*MAY2026 offer may be applied to Thomas train rides on July 11-12 and 18-19. Excludes Percy rides. To redeem: enter code MAY2026 at checkout to receive $4 OFF per Day Out With Thomas ticket discount. Offer valid May 22 at 12:01am – May 26 at 11:59pm on www.TicketWeb.com only while supplies last. Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer may be modified, suspended, or cancelled at Illinois Railway Museum’s sole discretion.

05/21/2026

Kick off Memorial Day Weekend at the Illinois Railway Museum with Trains & Tunes on Saturday, May 23! Ride historic trains into the evening, enjoy live music from the Petty Thieves, grab dinner and snacks on-site, and stick around for a free fireworks show at dusk. It’s the perfect way to start summer with family, friends, music, and trains! More info: https://www.irm.org/event/memorial-day-weekend/

05/16/2026

A quartet of new arrivals joined the IRM collection yesterday! We'd like to thank the CTA for their generosity in donating four pieces of Chicago transit history, including two 'L' cars and two buses. Read all about it at www.irm.org/in-the-news/cta-cars-buses-arrive

05/15/2026

Mark your calendar! June 13th at IRM, join us for a Model Train Show and Sale at the IRM Hobby Shop. Doors open at 8:00am. Find amazing prices on Z, N, HO, S, and O gauge trains, track, buildings, accessories, and more. Admission to the train show is free but does NOT include train rides or admission to the Museum itself. For more information visit http://www.irm.org/event/june-13-2026

05/14/2026

We've opened another new building! This time it's the Bob Bourne Transit Building, which will provide storage space for our Motor Bus and Trolley Bus Departments. As of this past week, IRM has all 38 buses and trolley buses in its collection stored indoors. Learn more about this leap forward at https://www.irm.org/in-the-news/new-storage-building-opens/
Photo by Ashtin White

05/13/2026

Spend your Memorial Day weekend at IRM with the first Trains & Tunes concert of the season on Saturday, May 23! Enjoy an evening of live music from the Petty Thieves, vintage train rides, food, and a free fireworks show to end the night. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy a summer evening where history meets live music at the Illinois Railway Museum! More information: https://www.irm.org/event/memorial-day-weekend/

05/07/2026

Run the rails at IRM’s first-ever Rail Runner 5K/10K on Sunday, June 14! Enjoy a unique race through the Illinois Railway Museum with routes past historic trains and museum exhibits. Plus, all participants can enjoy the museum after the race. Register today: https://www.irm.org/event/the-railrunner-5k-10k/

04/29/2026

A century ago, the pinnacle of luxury travel was the Pullman car. This weekend at IRM, experience the best of the golden age of rail travel during our Pullman Weekend event. Relax in the sumptuous private car "Pawnee" or the elegant sleeping car "Villa Real," or enjoy the ride from an armchair in the lounge car "Inglehome". For info and tickets see www.irm.org/event/pullman-weekend

04/09/2026

Thomas the Tank Engine is coming on July 11th, 12th, 18th & 19th with fun for the whole family! Day Out With Thomas will have loads to do with new music-inspired activities, live entertainment, games and more. Meet Thomas the Tank Engine and join him for a real train ride. Book your adventure today at https://www.irm.org/event/day-out-with-thomas/

04/08/2026

Mark your calendar - on April 13, local PBS station WTTW is airing a new program titled Riding the Rails with Geoffrey Baer. Learn about rail-related history and attractions across the Chicago area - including, of course, IRM, where Geoffrey visited for a chance at the throttle of our Shay steam locomotive! wttw.com/rails

Address

7000 Olson Road
Union, IL
60180

Telephone

+18159234000

Website

http://www.irm.org/

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