Monticello Railway Museum

Last updated
Monticello Railway Museum Herald.jpg
Monticello Railway Museum 1.jpg
A museum tourist train, being led by Wabash Railroad F7A #1189, rests in front of the Nelson's Crossing depot.
Locale Monticello, Piatt County, Central Illinois
Preserved operations
Reporting mark MRMZ [1] [nb 1] (Temporary equipment transfers/loans)
Length15 mi (24 km)
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened1966 (1966)
Preservation history
Headquarters Monticello, Illinois
Website
www.mrym.org

The Monticello Railway Museum (initialized MRYM, reporting mark MRMZ [1] [nb 1] ) is a non-profit railroad museum located in Monticello, Illinois, about 18 miles west of Champaign, Illinois. It is home to over 100 pieces of railroad equipment, including several restored diesel locomotives and cars.

Contents

Overview

The museum offers a tourist railroad which operates excursion trains over a former railroad line that was owned by Illinois Terminal and Illinois Central Gulf. For a donation, guests can operate one of the locomotives during the "Throttle Time" program. Trains run from May through October and on holidays.

The Camp Creek yard was originally built by the museum's volunteers. The Terminal Division is a rebuilt Illinois Terminal right-of-way running from Camp Creek up to Blacker's towards White Heath. The Central Division was purchased by the museum from the Illinois Central. The Central Division purchase allowed the museum to enter downtown Monticello to the historic Wabash Railroad depot, which is the mainline of the museum's heritage railroad. The Central Division is currently being restored up to White Heath to allow occasional operation into that town. Only a short section of the Terminal Division is currently in use from the central switch down past Nelson's Crossing depot into Camp Creek Yard but has been restored to within a few miles of White Heath.

Location

The Monticello Railway Museum is located off Interstate 72 at Market St. Exit 166. Turn at the stoplight onto Iron Horse Place at the Best Western Gateway Inn, and follow the frontage road to the end. Driving time is about 25 minutes from Champaign and Decatur; 50 minutes from Bloomington.

History

The Monticello Railway Museum, a not-for-profit educational organization, was founded in 1966 as "SPUR, Inc" (Society for the Perpetuation of Unretired Railfans, Inc). Its original goal was to encourage the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to continue operating its steam-powered railfan excursions. [2] When that effort failed, the organization decided to operate its own steam-powered excursions and began a search for equipment and a suitable location. SPUR contacted the Illinois Central Railroad about operating on the West end of ICRR's lightly used Rantoul District between LeRoy and Sabina, Illinois. For such an operation, ICRR would require SPUR's equipment to be in "ICC condition" and use the railroad's union train crews. SPUR concluded this would be prohibitively expensive for the organization and continued its search. In 1966, SPUR was invited to Monticello, Illinois by a member of the Illinois Pioneer Heritage Center and moved its first piece of equipment, locomotive #1, a 1925 Alco 0-4-0T, to a vacant lot near the Heritage Center in Monticello. [3] The organization's name was changed in 1970 to the Monticello & Sangamon Valley Railway Historical Society, Inc., and then shortened in 1982 to the present day Monticello Railway Museum.

The first land purchased was about five miles (8 km) of former Illinois Terminal interurban right of way between Monticello and White Heath. This right of way had been abandoned a few years before and the grade had only ballast in place. A former popcorn field was purchased for a railroad yard and maintenance area. The volunteers prepared the yard area for the arrival of locomotive #1 and moved it from the Heritage Center's lot in Monticello. Through the years track was laid on the former Illinois Terminal interurban grade toward White Heath until approximately 2+12 miles was completed. A run-around was constructed at (Blacker's), about 2 miles from White Heath. No further construction took place on the former interurban grade and Blacker's became the North end of the line. In 1988, after the purchase of some of the adjacent Illinois Central Gulf's Decatur District, the portion of the museum's trackage built on the former Illinois Terminal interurban grade was designated the "Terminal Division.

In 1975, an old-time piano contest by the name of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival was started on the land of the new railway museum as a fundraiser. The contest remained at the museum using a piano on the back of a caboose and the audience in lawn chairs around it for about ten years, until it was moved to the football field of Monticello High School.

In 1987, the museum purchased 7+12 miles of Illinois Central Gulf Decatur District trackage between Monticello and White Heath which parallels the Illinois Terminal right-of-way. The Nelson Crossing display track lead was extended to a new connecting turnout in the former ICG trackage, joining the museum's track with the newly purchased line. The connection was built by Museum volunteers in just two weekends. After a short "Golden Spike" ceremony, the museum's first run into Monticello was made. The former Illinois Central Gulf trackage to Monticello and White Heath was designated the museum's "Central Division."

Today the train ride primarily traverses the Central Division, using the Terminal Division only when pulling into the depot at Nelson's Crossing. The station names used on both the Central and Terminal Divisions were used by the original railroads.

Equipment

Locomotives

Locomotive details [4] [5] [6]
NumberTypeImageWheel arrangementBuiltBuilderStatus
401 Steam Southern -401 2-8-0 Consolidation, Baldwin, 1907.jpg 2-8-0 1907 Baldwin Locomotive Works Operational
1189 F7A WabF71189.jpg (B-B)1953General Motors DieselOperational
6789 FPA4 CNR DL 6789 2006.jpg (B-B)1959 Montreal Locomotive Works Operational
1649 NW2 (B-B)1947Electro-Motive DivisionDisplay
8733 GP11 (B-B)1958Electro-Motive DivisionOperational
6071 SD40 (C-C)1964Electro-Motive DivisionDisplay
1407 EMD SW14 (B-B)1950Electro-Motive DivisionStored, awaiting restoration
1559 RS-3 (B-B)1955 American Locomotive Works Stored, awaiting repairs
44 GE 44-ton switcher Lincoln Sand & Gravel B-B Switcher 44, Davenport, 1940.jpg (B-B)1940Davenport Locomotive WorksDisplay
5764 E8A (B-B)1952Electro-Motive DivisionUnder restoration
1Steam 0-4-0 1929American Locomotive WorksDisplay
191Steam Republic Steel -191 0-6-0 Switcher, Alco, 1916.jpg 0-6-0 1916American Locomotive WorksDisplay
333Steam 4-6-0 1916 Baldwin Locomotive Works Stored, awaiting restoration
6862 FPB4 (B-B)1958 Montreal Locomotive Works Operational
31 EMD RS1325 (B-B)1960Electro-Motive DivisionOperational
784 EMD SW1200 (B-B)1955Electro-Motive DivisionStored, awaiting restoration
9940 EMD E9A (B-B)1950Electro-Motive DivisionDisplay

Rolling stock

Rolling stock details [7] [8] [9]
Number / NameTypeImageBuiltBuilderStatus
892 Combine car Illinois Central Passenger-Baggage -892, Pullman, 1918.jpg 1918 Pullman Company Operational
2541Passenger car1925Pullman CompanyOperational
2855Passenger coach Illinois Central Passenger Car 2855, Pullman, 1918.jpg 1918Pullman CompanyStored, awaiting restoration
7Observation car1917Pullman CompanyOperational
3531Passenger car1950Pullman CompanyDisplay
NautilusAquarium car1949Pullman CompanyDisplay
405Baggage car1957American Car and FoundryDisplay
Pleasant ValleySleeper car1942Pullman CompanyDisplay
3312Sleeper car1942UnknownOperational
2612Passenger car1947Pullman CompanyOperational
2920Passenger car Illinois Central Passenger Car 2920, Pullman, 1925.jpg 1925Pullman CompanyOperational
1238Passenger car1927American Car and FoundryUnder restoration
6Office car1911American Car and FoundryDisplay
903 Railway Post Office car 1903American Car and FoundryStored, awaiting restoration
4112Dining car1946Pullman CompanyOperational
4110Dining car1946Pullman CompanyOperational
1907Open Air Flatcar1929Nickel Plate RoadOperational
827Baggage car1892Pullman CompanyStored, awaiting restoration
758Railway Post Office car1882Chicago and Alton RailroadStored, awaiting restoration
Timothy B. BlackstoneSleeper car1950American Car and FoundryStored, awaiting restoration
9012Sleeper car Illinois Central Dormitory Car -1906, IC, 1951.jpg 1950American Car and Foundry CompanyStored
City of DecaturParlor car1927Pullman CompanyStored, awaiting restoration
1827Passenger car1947Pullman CompanyOperational
GulfportObservation car1942Pullman CompanyStored, awaiting restoration
105Tanker car1928General American Transportation Co.Operational
7297Tanker car1925General American Transportation Co.Operational
80129Hopper car1953 American Car and Foundry Company Operational
47947Boxcar1927UnknownUnder restoration
82697Boxcar1941 Wabash Railroad Out of service, awaiting repairs
41390Boxcar1937General American Transportation Co.Operational
567595BoxcarUnknownUnknownDisplay
65018Hopper car1955 Illinois Central Railroad Operational
7990Hopper car1961Magor Car CompanyOperational
1145Tanker car1972Union Tank Car CompanyStored
509Tanker car1965General American Transportation Co.Operational
3161Tanker carUnknownUnknownStored, awaiting restoration
127Boxcar1964UnknownStored
26012Boxcar1950sGeneral American Transportation Co.Under restoration
3516Boxcar1906Chicago & Alton RailroadStored, awaiting restoration
70528Flatcar1951General American Transportation Co.Operational
70557Flatcar1951General American Transportation Co.Operational
5571Boxcar1966Chicago Freight Car CompanyStored
9831Side Door Cupola Caboose1941Illinois Central RailroadOperational
9926Side Door Cupola Caboose1950Illinois Central RailroadOperational
806Transfer Caboose1924Illinois Terminal RailroadOperational
2824Cupola Caboose1949Wabash RailroadDisplay
2834Cupola Caboose1949Wabash RailroadStored
C1735Bobber Caboose1910 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Display
500836Cupola Caboose1943 Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway Display
555047Cupola Caboose1976International Car CompanyOperational
557530Bay Window Caboose1960 Nickel Plate Road Stored
1879Cupola Caboose1909UninownOperational
14042Cupola Caboose1891Chicago, Burlington & Quincy RailroadUnder restoration
477692Cupola Caboose1909UnknownStored
9365Wide Vision Cupola Caboose1972Illinois Central RailroadDisplay
9570Wide Vision Cupola Caboose Cupola Caboose1969Illinois Central RailroadDisplay
2954Wide Vision Cupola Caboose1968International Car CompanyDisplay
99100Cupola Caboose1910American Car & Foundry CompanyStored
2834Cupola Caboose Wabcab2834.jpg 1949Wabash RailroadOut of service
C2210Cupola Caboose1929 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Stored

Structures

Nelson's Crossing Depot was donated in 1977. This Illinois Central Railroad depot was formerly located in Deland, Illinois. The depot was built in 1919 and rebuilt in 1942. The depot was moved to the museum in 1980 and is the ticket office and gift shop of the museum.

The Wabash Depot was built in 1899 to replace a smaller depot that had burned earlier that year. At the time the Wabash mainline went through Monticello between what is now the grain elevator and McDonald's. The line was moved west onto a fill, straightened, and a new steel bridge was built over what was the Illinois Central Railroad (now Monticello Railway Museum trackage). On April 20, 1904, the depot was moved to higher ground beside the new mainline. The depot was moved to its present location on May 29, 1987, and was restored by the Monticello Depot Association. January 1. 1993, that organization, its members and its assets were absorbed into the Monticello Railway Museum.

Special events

Railroad Days

Among the special events at the museum, Railroad Days are held each year on the third weekend of September. One daily ticket allows riders to experience the ultimate railroad experience in the Midwest. A regular passenger train using former Illinois Central coaches and office car #7, a mixed-freight train, along with motor cars going into White Heath.

Fireworks Special

A fireworks special train, pulled by two locomotives, leaves at 8:00 pm and travels north to the museum grounds to view fireworks. Air-conditioned coaches, an open-air car, and open-window coaches are used.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Direct sources from the AAR/NMFTA cannot be publicly accessed/located, although such markings have been second-handedly verified via the FRA, ILDOT, and visual wise; however, these marks may be considered expired, reassigned, or unofficial as of 2009.

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References

  1. 1 2 Association of American Railroads Alpha Codes, Illinois Railroad Information System, Department of Transportation (ILDOT), pp. 158–159
  2. "Central Illinois Railroad Buffs Hope to Run Excursion Train". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 23, 1966. p. 95 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. Stahly, Jim (November 19, 1966). "SPUR Trucks Engine to Monticello". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, IL. p. 10 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. "Locomotives". Monticello Railway Museum. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  5. Smedley, Steve. "E unit for Monticello". Classic Trains . Vol. 25, no. Spring 2024. Kalmbach Media. p. 8.
  6. "Preservation Points - New arrivals at Monticello museum". Trains. Vol. 60, no. 10. Kalmbach Publishing. October 2000. p. 86. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  7. "Passenger Equipment". Monticello Railway Museum. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  8. "Cabooses". Monticello Railway Museum. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  9. "Freight Equipment". Monticello Railway Museum. Retrieved November 1, 2024.