Museums & Heritage Railroads
Our region features dozens of railroad museums, many offering rides on their vintage equipment to the public. To get days and hours of operation, go to their website and see everything they offer. Once again we are just listing within a resonable drive from Joliet/Lockport, IL. There are other grest museums and tourist railroads in these states as well that would require an overnight trip and are worth visiting.
We have marked the museums that offer rides on operating equipment with a 🚂
We have marked the museums that offer rides on operating equipment with a 🚂
Illinois
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Pullman Factory and Company Town Chicago (Pullman), IL
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Chicago Great Western Depot Museum Elizabeth, IL |
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Indiana
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Indiana Rail Experience, featuring Nickel Plate 765 and the Indiana Northeastern Railroad 🚂 Several locations in IN, OH, and MI |
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Whitewater Valley Railroad 🚂 Connersville, IN |
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National New York Central Railroad Museum Elkhart, IN |
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Nickel Plate Express 🚂 Nobleville, IN |
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Iowa
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Michigan
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Wisconsin
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Missouri
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Large Scale Live Steam Railroads
Enjoy the sights and sounds of working steam locomotives in a smaller package, as each of these organizations offer rides behind less than full-size trains to the public.
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Riverside and Great Northern 🚂 Wisconsin Dells, WI |
Operating Mainline Steam Locomotives
Although the opportunities to run them are few and far between, there are dozens of organizations maintaining a full-sized locomotive, and when one makes a public appearance, it is a special occasion.
Due to ongoing restrictions imposed by insurance requirements, along with the technical, regulatory, and generational changes in the railroad industry, your chance to see an operating steam locomotive outside of a few museums or tourist lines is a rare event, but can still happen.
Here is a handful of locomotives based around the Midwest. There are other resources listing the locomotives operational across North America.
Contact the individual groups that restore and maintain these locomotives for the latest information.
Due to ongoing restrictions imposed by insurance requirements, along with the technical, regulatory, and generational changes in the railroad industry, your chance to see an operating steam locomotive outside of a few museums or tourist lines is a rare event, but can still happen.
Here is a handful of locomotives based around the Midwest. There are other resources listing the locomotives operational across North America.
Contact the individual groups that restore and maintain these locomotives for the latest information.
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Canadian Pacific 2816 Calgary, AL Scheduled in 2024 to stop in Bensenville as part of its North American tour celebrating the CPKC merger. |
Trains Magazine photo by Steve Glischinski
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Flagg Coal Company 75 Lehigh Valley Coal 125 Jeddo Coal Company 85 Gramling Locomotive Works Ashley, IN Unique in the steam locomotive preservation field, Gramling has assembled of fleet of working industrial steam locomotives that can be transported to anywhere in the country, giving any place or museum that doesn't usually have steam power the opportunity to host a working engine. |
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