Monticello Railway Museum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monticello Railway Museum is a non-profit organization located in Monticello, Illinois, operating excursion trains over track formerly used by the Illinois Terminal and Illinois Central Gulf. The museum is home to over 100 pieces of railroad equipment, including several restored diesel locomotives and cars. For a donation, guests can operate one of the locomotives during the "Throttle Time" program. Special trains also run during holidays.

The museum itself can be viewed as three different sections. Camp Creek yard was originally built by the museum's ALL VOLUNTEER staff. The Terminal Division was re-built Illinois Terminal right-of-way built from Camp Creek up to Blacker's towards White Heath, Il. The Central Division was purchase by the museum from the Illinois Central. The Central Division purchase allowed the museum to enter into downtown Monticello to the historic Wabash Railroad Depot. The Central Division is the mainline of the museum and is currently brought up to operations to allow the museum to enter White Heath. 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.

[edit] Select Rolling Stock

ex-Wabash F7A #1189 the museum's pride and joy. It is the last Wabash F7 to be in operation and the last Wabash F7A built. It was orginially built and maintained for the Canadian divisions of the Wabash.

1 (0-4-0) orginally owned by the Montezuma Aggregate and Stone in Montezuma it is the very first locomotive owned by the museum's predecessor organization. It currently sits at the entrance of the museum on Iron Horse Drive (formerly Access road.) Known as Little Dumpy because a Pennsylvania Railway conductor wrote a children's story about this little locomotive.
401 Southern locomotive currently being readied for its first commnission at the museum. Hopefully to be complete at for its centennial celebration.

[edit] Special Events

Railroad Days Among the special events at the museum, there is Railroad Days held each year the third weekend of September. One ticket per day allows riders to experience the ultimate railroad experience in the Midwest. A regular passenger train (using fomer Illinois Central coaches and office car #7 owned by the Green Diamond Company), a mixed-freight train, plus MOW cars going into White Heath.