Introduction to IRM 101 Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois well as collections from the Electric Railway Mike Walker Historical Society (donated) and from Milwaukee Electric (acquired). The Illinois Railway Museum's beginning can be traced to the abandonment in 1941 of one of the The IRM operates a trolley line around the museum largest Midwestern interurban railways, the Indiana with stops to allow visitors to explore different Railroad (IR). For its time, the IR ran some of the areas. R&LHS members will be given a map to most technologically-advanced electric cars in the help them select the various areas they would like to US. Car #65 was one of these. A group of see. volunteers worked to preserve the car but were unable to secure enough financing for storage. Not to be missed are Burlington's Nebraska Zephyr They were, however, successful in persuading the streamliner, the AT&SF 4-8-4 No. 2903, originally Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (CR&IC) to purchase at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago #65. The car remained in service throughout WWII and one of six remaining "Santa Fe Northerns," the and until 1953, when the CR&IC ceased passenger UP Centennial No. 6930 diesel locomotive, the UP service. Car #365 was then purchased by ten "Big Blow" gas turbine locomotive, and N&W 2-8- enthusiasts and moved to North Chicago. To 8-2 Class Y3 No. 2050 steam locomotive. accomplish this task, the group formed the Illinois Electric Railway Museum (IERM). It was 2013 In addition to the collections on exhibit in located at the site of the Chicago Hardware Badger Union, the IRM also maintains two Foundry, near the Great Lakes Naval significant research libraries. The Strahorn Training Center. Rails Library, comprised of an East Gallery and West Gallery, is in Marengo, IL. The East As the IERM's collection increased, it was Gallery holds 1000 books of the EMD realized that a permanent home with engineering library donated to IRM in 1997, permanent buildings was needed for the books, and railroad publications; the West collection. Several locations were Gallery holds approximately 5,000 volumes investigated; a site near Union, IL, was related to general railway history, specific railroads, purchased in December of 1958. It provided open biographies, technical books, over 20,000 space and 2.2 miles of unfinished right-of-way. photographs, and railroading periodicals. In 1962 the name of the museum was shortened to The Pullman Library, housed in a former bank Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) to expand its scope building in Union, IL, contains all of the remaining to include significant steam locomotives and other construction drawings, photographs, and technical historic railroad equipment related mainly to the data of the Pullman Company and its corporate region. successor, Pullman Technologies. Interestingly, permission for IRM to use the Pullman name was In March of 1964, IRM purchased 26 acres adjacent granted by Bombardier, Inc., the parent company of to the right-of-way and began the enormous task of Pullman Technologies. relocating the growing collection to Union. The move was completed in August of that year. IRM has been used as the location for numerous movies and commercials. Examples include A From these beginnings, the IRM became America's League of their Own, Babe, Groundhog Day, and largest railway museum. It still reflects its streetcar the 1990's version of The Untouchables. and interurban railway origin, with seven of the nine barns housing the collection - including Car Your visit will include tours of the Diesel Shop, the #65, North Shore Line's Electroliner 801-802, as Steam Shop, and the Back Shop. ENJOY! .