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.
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.
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Railroad Viewing Parks
Some communities have setup parks and platforms for the benefit and safety of those who come trackside to watch trains:
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Joliet Union Station
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 |
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Restored Depots and Equipment
There are countless restored (or being restored) depots and individual pieces of railway equipment (usually retired cabooses and locomotives) throughout our region, far more than we could ever hope to list. But that hasn't stopped someone from trying...
Railroad-themed Food and Lodging
From food brought to you by a toy train, to dinning experiences in historical depots, to a bed and breakfast in a historic freight house, our region has many railroad-themed experiences for train fans of all ages.
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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 A Lil R&R Palo (west of Cedar Rapids,) Iowa Buffalo Phil's Pizza & Grille Wisconsin Dells, WI |
Dinner Trains
Relive the days of fine dining while riding the rails. Heritage railroads and museums may also offer dinner trains on special occasions or on an infrequent schedule. Check with them for details.
East Troy Electric Railroad Museum
East Troy, WI
Wisconsin Great Northern
Spooner, WI
East Troy Electric Railroad Museum
East Troy, WI
Wisconsin Great Northern
Spooner, WI
Model Railroad Clubs and Displays
Although Blackhawk focuses on our region's "full-size" railroad history, we also know that many of our members enjoy the "smaller" versions of these fascinating machines. Fortunately, there are numerous places where you can visit and enjoy railroading on a miniature scale.
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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 Museum of Science and Industry Hyde Park, Chicago, IL Oak Park Society of Model Engineers Oak Park, IL Prairie Scale Model Railroad Club Lombard, IL Will County Model Railroad Association Joliet, IL |
Garden Railroads
Chicago Botanic Garden
Glencoe, IL
Illiana Garden Railway Society
Valporaiso, IN
Gabis Arboretum at Purdue Northwest
Valparaiso, IN
Glencoe, IL
Illiana Garden Railway Society
Valporaiso, IN
Gabis Arboretum at Purdue Northwest
Valparaiso, IN
Live Railcams
Can't leave the house. Catch live railroad action on the hundreds of railcams across the United States and Canada, including many in our area. You can also connect to many of these for free on YouTube.