Steam Locomotives - Operating or Being Restored
At one time, the mighty steam locomotive was the symbol of not only the railroad industry, but of progress and prosperity. The railroad was highly influential in establishing, developing, and growing communities by providing transportation to people and goods. The steam locomotive was the machine that made that possible,
Due to insurance requirements, along with the technical, regulatory, and generational changes in the railroad industry, your chance to see an operating steam locomotive is a rare and usual event, but it still happens and often causes a large and excited public response.
Contact the individual groups that maintain these locomotives for the latest information on how you can help support their restoration and operation.
To find out more about the steam locomotives that are operating or undergoing restoration at our local museums, go to the Museums and Tourist Railroads page.
Due to insurance requirements, along with the technical, regulatory, and generational changes in the railroad industry, your chance to see an operating steam locomotive is a rare and usual event, but it still happens and often causes a large and excited public response.
Contact the individual groups that maintain these locomotives for the latest information on how you can help support their restoration and operation.
To find out more about the steam locomotives that are operating or undergoing restoration at our local museums, go to the Museums and Tourist Railroads page.
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Grand Trunk Western 4070
Midwest Railway Preservation Society Cleveland, OH Reading 2100 American Steam Railroad Preservation Association Cleveland, OH |
Other Operating Steam Locomotives Recently Appearing in the Chicagoland Area
Canadian Pacific 2816
CPKC Calgary, AL CP 2816, nicknamed "The Empress," travelled from Calgary to Mexico City in 2024 for the "Final Spike" ceremony to celebrate the CPKC (Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern) merger, with a stop in the Village of Franklin Park, outside of the former Milwaukee Road's Bensenville Yard. |
Union Pacifc 4014
Union Pacific Steam Program Cheyenne, WY Famed Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest steam locomotive, returned to the rails in 2024 for a tour celebrating the railroad’s deep history and connection to communities and its employees, including a run through the Chicagoland area. |
Large Scale Live Steam Railroads
(Andrew Riha photo)
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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.
Some organizations have saved and restored these trains, operating these working steam locomotives in a much smaller package. Hesston Steam Museum Hesston, IN Wabash Frisco and Pacific Railroad Glencoe (Wildwood), MO Wiskey River Railroad at Little Americka Amusement Park Marshall, WI Riverside and Great Northern Wisconsin Dells, WI |