Although the railroads’ golden age chugged off into the sunset long ago, Americans have never quite fallen out of love with trains. Here’s a handful of Midwest railroad festivals where you can rekindle the romance, if only for a few hours.
Depot Days of Green County, Wis.
April 28-29
Events will be held in three Green County communities, each celebrating its individual railroad heritage.
– In Monroe, passenger train excursions on a Wisconsin & Southern streamliner will highlight memories of the Milwaukee Road and Illinois Central railroads. Trains will depart Monroe on a 16-mile round trip journey on the hour Saturday (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.-4 p.m.). Tickets are $13 adults, $6 ages 3-12. Der Green County Speisewagen, a special excursion train serving samples of locally made sausages, cheeses, beef, pork, chocolate and other delights, will run from Monroe to Brodhead (30 miles round trip) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. That fare is $38 per person.
Monroe’s former Milwaukee Road depot, now a visitor centers and cheesemaking museum, will be open for tours both days.
– The historic Brodhead Depot Museum (15 miles east of Monroe), with its collection of local history and railroad memorabilia, will be open throughout the weekend. Tours of a 1973 Soo Line caboose are available.
– In Brooklyn, 25 miles northeast of Monroe, speeder car rides (track workers’ motor cars) will be offered starting at 10 a.m. both days. The fare is $6 for adults, $3 age 12 and under. Brooklyn also features model railroad displays, a Civil War encampment and a parade at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Depot Days buttons ($3) admit visitors to the main festival sites. For train ticket information: 608-897-8411. For general Depot Days information: 888-222-9211; www.greencounty.org.
Monroe is about 120 miles northwest of Chicago.
Railroad Days, North Vernon, Ind.
June 8-10
This annual festival celebrates a long tradition of railroading in Jennings County, which is continued by CSX Transportation and the Madison Railroad, a short line running between North Vernon and Madison, Ind.
Festival highlights include motor railcar rides (all day Saturday, donations accepted), a rail-spike-driving contest (7 p.m. Saturday) and a big parade on Sunday (2 p.m.). Also appearing will be the world’s largest portable model railroad, featuring seven or more “O” gauge trains operating on 400 feet of track; admission is $2 per person.
There will be craft and food booths, horse and buggy rides, live entertainment and other events. Festival hours are noon-10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Information: 812-522-8617.
North Vernon is about 250 miles southeast of Chicago.
Railroad Crossing Days, Mendota, Ill.
June 16-17
Mendota is rich in railroad heritage having been served in years past by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Illinois Central, and Milwaukee Road lines. Burlington Northern-Santa Fe freights still rumble through town, and Amtrak passenger trains make four stops daily.
Festival highlights include rides on the Gandy Dancer Express (another name for track workers’ motor cars) and tours of the Mendota Union Depot Museum, housed in the city’s historic railroad depot.
The museum showcases a detailed model railroad layout of Mendota’s rail yards in the 1930s and 1940s, a replica of a 1940s depot telegraph office and memorabilia from the lines that served Mendota. On the grounds are a 1923 steam locomotive and a caboose built in 1911, which will be open for tours.
There will also be demonstrations by the Morse code Telegrapher’s Club, a railroad memorabilia swap meet and an antique farm implement display (Sunday only). Festival hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days. Museum admission is $2 adults, $1 high school age and younger. Gandy Dancer Express rides require a $1 donation. Information: 815-539-3373 (Monday, Wednesday or Friday, 8-11 a.m.); www.mendotamuseums.org/
Mendota is about 90 miles west of Chicago.
Railroad Days Festival, Galesburg, Ill.
June 23-24
The Midwest’s premier railroad festival celebrates its 24th year with displays of railroad equipment, a model railroad show, rail yard tours, a downtown street fair and dozens of other events.
Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad equipment will be on exhibit at the Amtrak Depot (225 S. Seminary St.) from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Some choice locomotives will be displayed, along with a huge rotary snowplow and track maintenance equipment.
Rail excursion tours of Galesburg’s Burlington Northern-Santa Fe rail yards make frequent departures from the Amtrak Depot on Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is free, and boarding is on a first-come, first-served basis. Not surprisingly, the lines are long.
The Galesburg Railroad Museum (423 Mulberry St.) exhibits railroad memorabilia in a 1921 Pullman car. Also on display are a steam locomotive, a 1930 caboose, and a baggage express car and track maintenance equipment.
An outstanding model train and railroadiana show will be held at Carl Sandburg College (2232 S. Lake Storey Rd.) Saturday (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.-4 p.m.). Admission, $4 adults, free under age 14.
Information: 309-343-2485; www.visitgalesburg.com.
Galesburg is about 200 miles southwest of Chicago.
Pufferbilly Days, Boone, Iowa
Sept. 6-9
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Pufferbilly Days offers a host of events including train rides, model train exhibits, spike-driving contests and railroad heritage attractions.
Daily train rides on the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad depart from the excursion line’s depot at 11th and Harrison Streets. The fare for the scenic, 15-mile round trip ride is $12 adults, $5 ages 3-12, under 3 free when held in arms. The line operates daily from Memorial Day weekend through Oct. 31. Railroad information: 800-626-0319.
Railroad handcar races in head to head competition will be held at the B&SVRR Depot Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. The railroad spike-driving competition will be held at the depot Saturday afternoon.
Other Saturday highlights are the Pufferbilly Parade, which steps off at 9:30 a.m., and an all-star rock-n-roll show at 7 p.m. On Sunday, an arts festival/craft fair takes place at McHose Park beginning at 10 a.m. A $5 souvenir button is required for admission to some events. Boone Chamber and Pufferbilly Days information: 800-266-6312; www.booneiowa.com.
Boone is about 330 miles west of Chicago.
