Local Railroad Attractions

​Our region's railroad history is acknowledged by many communities...most of these towns owe their existence to the railroad.  There are also numerous pieces of equipment and buildings throughout the region -- too many to list here, but each with their own story to tell. 

For a list of nearby railroad museums, go to our Museums & Tourist Railroads page. 
​
Do you have a link to a place you would like to share?  Have you found a broken link?  Please send us an E-mail.​

​Railroad Viewing Parks

Several local communities have set up parks, platforms, or special viewing areas for the general public to safely watch trains.
​Joliet Union Station - 
Joliet Railroad Museum (UD Tower)
Joliet, IL

​​Homewood Railroad Park
Homewood, IL

​​Park Forest/CN Rail-Fan Park
Park Forest/Matteson, IL
Tower B-12
​Franklin Park, IL

​​Rochelle Railroad Park
Rochelle, IL

​​​Griffith Historical Society
Griffith, IN

Restored Depots and Equipment


​Thanks to preservation efforts of countless people, organizations, and communities, there are dozens upon dozens of depots and pieces of railway equipment (often retired cabooses and locomotives) that have been restored (or are being restored) throughout our region.

​A few local projects are covered on this website's preserved Depots page.

If we do attempt to make a list some day, we will likely constrain it to make it manageable...probably keeping it to Will County and adjacent areas.

Railroad-Themed Food and Lodging/Dinner Trains


​​From food brought to you by a toy train, to dining and/or hotel in historical railroad structures, our region has numerous railroad-themed experiences for train fans of all ages to enjoy.
Some of our local tourist railroads and museums also offer a recreation of full dining service, or themed trains with catered food service, usually on special occasions or on an infrequent schedule - contact them directly for more information. ​

​​Model ​RR Clubs & Displays

​Although Blackhawk keeps its focus on our region's "full-size" railroad history, we also know that many of our members and their families enjoy the smaller versions of these fascinating machines. ​
Except for the publicly accessible museums that display a model railroad, many are private organizations. Contact them and find out when they are holding open houses or other public events.  

The Midwest Division of the National Model Railroad Association keeps a list of model railroad clubs (including some of the ones listed below) on its website.  Visit those websites for further information.
Arlington Heights Society of Model Engineers 
Arlington Heights, IL

Blackhawk Model Railroad Club
Oregon, IL

​Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club
New Lenox, IL

​Discovery World
Milwaukee, WI.

DuPage Society of Model Engineers
Wheaton, IL

Elmhurst Model Railroad Club
Elmhurst, IL

Garfield-Clarendon Model Railroad Club
Clarendon Park, Chicago, IL

Hi-Rail Modular Train Club
Griffith, IN

Lake Shore Model Railroad Association
Calumet Park, Chicago, IL
​​Mendota Depot Museum
Mendota, IL

Midwest Mod-U-Trak
Homer Glen, IL

​Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Hyde Park, Chicago, IL

Illinois Midland Model Railroad Club 
Alexis (northwest of Galesburg), IL

Oak Park Society of Model Engineers
Oak Park, IL

Prairie Scale Model Railroad Club
Lombard, IL

Ridge Model Railroaders
​Griffith, IN

Valley Model Railroad Club
South Elgin, IL

Will County Model Railroad Association
Joliet, IL

Garden Railroads

​Large Scale Live Steam Railroads

​​Smaller than full-size railroads were a popular attraction in the past in public parks and amusement parks.  A few places (Disney World, Six Flags Great America) still use these tiny trains to move guests around.  Many of these little machines have been lost as modern amusement parks no longer want to operate or maintain them.

​Contents © 2026 Blackhawk Railway Historical Society, Inc. - an Illinois not-for-profit corporation.   Photos and images on this site without credit belong to Blackhawk Railway Historical Society or the Public Domain.  Credited photos and images are the property of their owner.  The Blackhawk Railway Historical Society, Inc. is a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

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