Illinois Railway Museum

The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM, reporting mark IRMX) is the largest railroad museum in the United States. It is located in the Chicagoland metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, northwest of downtown Chicago.
Granted tax-exempt status in 1957, the museum aims to demonstrate the vital role railroads have played in the growth of Chicago and the United States as a whole. There are over 450 pieces of prototype equipment in its collection as well as numerous displays. Visitors may ride on some of the museum's electric, steam, and diesel-powered trains from April through October.
Overview.
History.
The museum was founded in 1953 by ten people who joined together to purchase Indiana Railroad interurban car 65. Originally called the Illinois Electric Railway Museum, the museum was renamed in 1961 to reflect its expanding scope. Initially located on the grounds of the Chicago Hardware Foundry in North Chicago, Illinois, the museum's entire collection was moved in 1964 to Union along the former right-of-way of the Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company. Two years later, operations began using Illinois Terminal Railroad interurban car 415; in 1967, the first steam locomotive was operated. The first storage barn was erected in 1971. In 1981, a streetcar loop was constructed. A railroad line was built during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Operations.
The museum's operations are primarily concentrated around its main campus just east of Union. Train rides are offered on the main line as well as the streetcar loop. Electric trains are operated from April through October and diesel and steam trains from the beginning of May through the end of September. Trolleybus operation occurs on the Saturdays of the Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day weekends, as well as on "Bus Day"; the last Saturday in September or the first Saturday in October. IRM is one of only two railway museums in the country that operates both electric and diesel trains, and the only one to offer trolleybus rides on a regular basis.
Equipment and structures.
Physical plant.
The Illinois Railway Museum property covers more than , the most extensive physical plant of any rail museum in North America. In 2009, the museum bought another of adjacent land as a buffer against development. The main campus is located at . In addition to the museum's revenue trackage, the main campus in Union includes: 
IRM also owns two off-site libraries; the Pullman Library in downtown Union and the Strahorn Research Library in downtown Marengo.
Notable equipment.
Among the locomotives preserved at IRM are:
Other equipment includes:
Organization.
The Illinois Railway Museum is an IRS Chapter 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation owned and managed by its membership. Museum management includes a board of directors, elected by the regular membership of about 160 active volunteers. A board president is elected by the directors. The board oversees the general manager, a volunteer who in turn has oversight over an array of department heads. Major departments include Steam, Diesel, Electric Car, Passenger Car, Freight Car, Track & Signal, Buildings & Grounds, Trolley Bus, Motor Bus, and Operations. Other departments oversee the museum's libraries, electrical infrastructure, and display and education functions. Most department heads are volunteers. All workers at the museum fall under the direct authority of one of the department heads. The vast majority of workers are volunteers. Anyone who is interested in trains or other collections/aspects of the museum is actively encouraged to volunteer, with required training done by the museum.
Use in film.
IRM has been used in several films, due to its proximity to Chicago and its extensive collection of historic railroad equipment. In the 1992 film "A League of Their Own", starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna, the museum's depot was used for several small-town depot scenes; other scenes featured with the "Nebraska Zephyr" and only surviving EMD E5. The 1993 movie "Groundhog Day" featured the museum's EMD SD24 diesel locomotive. The museum's grounds and some of the passenger cars were used in the movie "The Babe", starring John Goodman. In late 2005, the Burlington 9911A and several coaches operated to Chicago for filming in "Flags of Our Fathers", a Clint Eastwood film. The initial sequence of 2008's ' was shot at IRM. The most recent film ' starring Mark Wahlberg, released in 2014, made IRM the host of several scenes.
Many television shows' railroad sequences have been shot at the IRM. Scenes depicting steam era operations in the late 1920s were shot for the 1993 television series "The Untouchables". The hit show "Chicago Fire" features the IRM onsite in the season 2 episode "No Regrets".
Special Events.
The museum hosts a series of annual special events: