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.

The Roundhouse - Two Brothers Artisan Brewing
(in former 1856 Chicago & Aurora roundhouse)
Aurora, IL

The Choo Choo Diner
Des Plaines, IL

Flossmoor Station - Restaurant, Brewery
and Caboose Ice Cream Shoppe
Flossmoor, IL

The Junction Diner
Forest Park, IL

2Toots Train Whistle Grill
Glen Ellyn, IL

Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station
Joliet, IL

Bull Moose Bar and Grille
Sandwich, IL

Riley's Railhouse Bed & Breakfast
Chesterton, IN

Monon Connection Museum and Whistlestop Restaurant
Monon, IN

Tyler's Tender Railroad Restaurant
Schererville, IN

Kingsley Inn/Historic Santa Fe Depot
Fort Madison, IA

A Lil R&R
Palo (west of Cedar Rapids,) IA

East Troy Electric Railroad Museum
East Troy, WI

Wisconsin Great Northern
Spooner, WI

Buffalo Phil's Pizza & Grille
Wisconsin Dells, WI

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.

Also, the Midwest Division of the National Model Railroad Association is organized into several divisions, each of which often 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

Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club
New Lenox, IL

Discovery World
Milwaukee, WI

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

Valley Model Railroad Club
South Elgin, IL

Will County Model Railroad Association
Joliet, IL

Garden Railroads

Chicago Botanic Garden
Glencoe, IL

The Morton Arboretum
Lisle, IL

Illiana Garden Railway Society
Valporaiso, IN

Gabis Arboretum at Purdue Northwest
Valparaiso, IN