This past Sunday, thanks to a much-needed Fall break, I found myself in Union, Illinois at the Illinois Railway Museum. I had an enjoyable experience, and spent quite a while looking at the various pieces of equipment and other exhibits. IRM certainly has a lot to offer the visitor, from steam, to diesel, and electric. Needless to say, I was impressed by many things. The size and scope of the collection impressed me, as well as the fact that a majority of the collection was under cover and well taken care of.

My two favorites out of the collection that I saw that day were the Indiana Railroad High Speed Interurban, number 65. It was stilling outside of the electric shop being worked on. I even saw it on part of the streetcar loop later that day. My second favorite was the Fort Wayne and Wabash Valley wooden interurban car. The restoration from a summer cottage to an interurban is simply remarkable. While not completed, the car looks beautiful. The quality of the restoration and the attention to detail are both amazing.

My kudos to the IRM and their volunteers. Now, where to visit next....

Thanks for the kind words.

The Indiana Railroad 65 was in the shop area to drop the motor generator set to pursue electrical repairs. Note this is part of the original design to provide low voltage to the car.

The Fort Wayne and Wabash Valley 504 (TALISMAN) is indeed a splendiid restoration of the carbody. I believe costs so far are over $150,000. All the lettering and striping is real gold leaf; I spent many days working (helping) to apply it.

Bob Kutella