Batavia: Summer Hours for Depot Museum

Batavia, Illinois -- Batavia's Depot Museum has posted "new summer hours." The depot will now be open longer on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from noon until 4 p.m. The depot is located next to the Fox River Trail at the northeast corner of Houston and Water streets in downtown Batavia.

Information about the museum is available at it's website. 

Chicago: Museum of Science & Industry

The Seattle skyline as seen in The Great Train Story

The best train destination in Chicago for railfans of all ages is, without a doubt, the Museum of Science and industry. Since 2002, The Great Train Story has entertained guests with an HO-gauge model railroad layout featuring more than 20 trains and more than 1,400 feet of track. Trains have been a cherished museum exhibit since 1941, when an original, smaller Q-scale layout showcased the place of the railroad in American agriculture and industry. The exhibit of today does the same thing by bringing visitors along on a cross country journey from downtown Chicago across the country to the Seattle harbor. Along the way, kids (or kids-at-heart) can help blast through a mountain tunnel with the push of a button or raise a river draw bridge when the train comes back to town. There they can wait along with the tiny passengers of the miniature Chicago el stops, and take in the skyscraper skyline. Visitors enjoy the meticulous details of city streets and country towns, rural fields and towering bridges. Trains of every stripe, CTA, Metra, Amtrak, BNSF and more, traverse the diminutive landscape. Because of the scope of the layout, allow ample time for a slow stroll around the exhibit taking in as many of the magnificent details as possible.

Fastest Steam Engine in the World,
 for awhile!

The Rocket

Surrounding the Lilliputian world of The Great Train Story is the life-size history of early railroading. Numerous engines from the steam era now live in the exhibit hall. One favorite is the Empire State Express 999, which welcomes guests into the Granger Court Transportation Gallery and invites them to step up to the cab for an engineer's look at the controls, fire box and tender. This engine was the first land vehicle to top 100 miles per hour, earning it a place in railroad history books. Kids who love the "Please, touch!" aspect of the MSI will also enjoy setting in motion the The Rocket, the engine of 1829 that so influenced later steam engine design, and imaging city streets of the past as they climb on a cable car that replicates those that once traveled along State Street in the late 1800s.

The Pioneer Zephyr

One other exhibit of the MSI is an absolute must for the rail enthusiast and it is impossible to miss. Housed in the museum's grand entry hall, All Aboard the Silver Streak: Pioneer Zephyr takes visitors back into the streamlined era of Art Deco style and speed. The stainlesss-steel cars are flanked by hands-on displays demonstrating the advantages of the streamlined style over steam engines. Additional displays show the cultural influence of Zephyr line's look.

Swiss Jollyball

For more whimsical train fun, visit the Swiss Jollyball, a larger-than-life pinball machine made from junkyard finds. A handful of train cars are just some of the wild rides the jolly ball finds itself upon. Despite the wonders of every kind at the museum, this one exhibit (located near the food court for great dinner-theater eating) gets repeatedly mentioned right after "The Great Train Story" as my children's favorite thing to see.

Our favorite souvenir 

As for souvenirs, the MSI gift shop across the entry hall from the ticket counter offers plenty of railroad items, but if you also need something more unique, you can' t go wrong by stopping at the Mold-A-Rama machine in the Transportation Gallery. An injection molded train will be created while you watch for $2 and gathering these little plastic statues from other exhibits makes for the start of a fun collection . There's also a souvenir penny machine in the gallery that will send you home with similar railroad memories.

Last of all, for that icing-on-the cake moment, remember that those of us coming in from the suburbs can bring a lot of joy to the kids in the car by simply choosing to drive home under el tracks or next to a CTA line. They don't realize how hard it is to get in or out of the city without passing trains, so you end the day as tour-guide hero. It's a railroad win!

Union: Extras needed for "Chicago Fire"

I've been following NBC's Chicago Fire because a high school friend of mine, Robyn Coffin, has a recurring role in the show as Cindy Herrmann. It's a thrill to see her on TV -- someone we know on a show filmed in a place we know. 

Now, the producers are looking for some of the rest of us to serve as extras in the show for a scene that will be filmed at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union. The details are reported at PlanItNorthwest, but according to Jami Kunzer's story " a call is out for roughly 150 extras to be available Oct. 4-10." Send an email to: extra.326@gmail.com with the subject line "five day." And hustle. The expectation is that spots will go quickly. 

Break a leg, folks!

Chicago: Randolph Pulman Porter Museum

To this mom, one of the best reasons to encourage children's interest in trains is how they provide a gateway to great discussions about history and social issues. I was reminded of this fact today when my email inbox contained a Groupon offer for the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum. Visiting Chicago's Pullman neighborhood has long been on my own to-see list, so I took a peek at their website. Under "Union History," we are given an overview of the history that brought African-American men to the Pullman Palace Car Company as porters. By the 1920s, the site reports, railroad workers provided the "the largest category of black labor in the United States and Canada."  A. Philip Randolph was the union president whose efforts led to improved pay and working conditions for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. More of this history is showcased through links to videos and reviews of the museum, including a profile of a former Pullman Porter reflecting on his career. Just browsing the site provides great insights into a notable chapter in Chicago history. Having this museum in Chicago means that when kids' history classes (or observant questions) turn to topics of civil rights and union organization, we have a nearby resource to inform the conversation.

Geneva History Center

The LGB club's Swedish Days layout

We stopped in to the Geneva History Center during Swedish Days to take a look at the LGB Model Railroad Club display. The club regularly appears at locations and events around the Chicago area, so we had previously enjoyed their large-scale layouts at Brookfield Zoo and Morton Arboretum. In honor of Swedish Days, this display included buildings adorned with Swedish flags and a small Kirsten doll of American Girl fame. These details and more than 20 others were included in a scavenger hunt for guests. Number one on the scavenger hunt, and seemingly most popular with viewers, was the coaling tower that repeatedly filled cars with "pearls."

When I was able to pull my son away from the display for a few minutes to look at the rest of the museum, he delighted in the dioramas of train stations from Geneva's past. One is just outside the building's Mary Bencini Room where the train show was held. The other is within the top-notch "Greetings from Geneva" exhibit in the main gallery. (This permanent exhibit on the city's history also included a hands-on design your own subdivision table that kept my future civil engineer engaged for quite awhile.) Once again, trains get us in the door and a little extra local history sneaks into unsuspecting young brains while they are looking and playing. That, my friends, is the reason I'm willing to keep feeding this passion for trains!

Aurora: David L. Pierce Art & History Center

Summer has officially begun, which means we are already planning our free days with help from our summer handbook: the Passport to Adventure. Since so many of its suggestions are local history museums and so many of our towns owe much of their early success to the railroad industry, I can sneak in some summer learning while my train fan thinks we're just looking for more train stuff.

Roundhouse model 

Aurora's David L. Pierce Art & History Center second floor exhibit provides a walk through the city's history, including the role of railroads in the community's development. My kids' favorites included the model of the Roundhouse, a real handcar and an engine's bell. There are also numerous pictures of trains that once traveled through town. For my toddler, it's enough to see the choo-choo on the wall. My older guy knows enough train history at this point that he can now tell me more about the steam engines, Zephyrs, etc. than I can explain to him.

Since we are in the middle of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie, seeing artifacts from the pioneer era interested my kids, too, and they asked about several other older items, like clothes, stoves and phones: "Did Laura and Mary have this in their house?" Often the answer was no, but we talked about who could have used it, both famous and in our own family.

Since I was so happy the museum prompted my kids to ask questions about history, I was willing to be talked into buying a few items in the gift shop. The staff there was very nice and helpful about pointing out things in the museum and the shop that would interest the children.

And for the drive home, simply taking Illinois 25 past the Roundhouse restaurant, Metra station and along the tracks made for happy travelers.

Handcar

The David L. Pierce Art & History Center is at 20 E. Downer Place, Aurora. 

Quiz your kids on local train history
or stand back as they tell you what they already know.  

Small hands can't resist ringing this old bell. 

Wauconda: Lake County Discovery Museum

Truly, we don't chose every family activity based on trains, but wherever we are, we do seem to find them. Case in point, our recent visit to the Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda. It's a great small museum with well-done exhibits on local history, its enormous postcard collection and, currently, a Charles Dickens exhibit. My kids loved the "Vortex Roller Coaster Theater" and the small antique (and climb-on-able) excursion boat that was supposed to explain some of the recreational history of the Chain of Lakes. Railroads weren't the focus of the exhibits or our trip, but the handful of pictures helped us play our usual "Find the Trains" game. Here's what we found :

Learn about a great train robbery

North shore train travel from days gone by

Known for their massive postcard collection,
some images feature our favorite mode of transportation.

Look up and pretend you're standing under the el tracks. 

Road Trip: National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, WI

The Union Pacific Big Boy and Pennsylvania electric locomtive

Big Boy

The goal of our recent family get-away (because we're predictable like this) was to head up to Green Bay, Wisconsin to see the National Railroad Museum. Sure, the Illinois Railway Museum in Union is bigger and certainly closer, but Green Bay has a shining star: the Union Pacific Big Boy. This steam engine was one of just 25 built in the early 1940s to tackle the mountains of the Wasatch Range in Utah. Only eight still exist in transportation museums around the country. It's notable because it's enormous, the largest steam engine ever built. Truly, words cannot express how massive this machine is. Any self-respecting train lover needs to take a look at this thing. Neither #4017 nor it's surviving peers run any more, so it's worry-free exploration for the kids. This Big Boy is living out its retirement in a comfy indoor shed and guests are welcome to climb into the cab and ponder the skill of the engineers who knew how to work the countless levers, gauges and dials. Those were men of serious skill.

They know their audience:
climb-on train structures at the playground

Anytime we visit a train museum, my kids are completely overwhelmed by how much there is to see and do. The National Railroad Museum is no exception. We arrived a bit before the museum opened for the day, but that was okay because a play area right next to the parking lot features wooden train climbing structures, as well as a large swing set and sand box. The play area alone could have entertained the kids for a good long time and might make for a good picnic spot on a warmer day. (Green Bay in October is chilly, after all.) Inside there are several interesting permanent and temporary exhibits on railroad history which I would have loved to digest, but small kids have no patience for things like railroad china, especially with giant engines down the hall. In addition to the indoor center, the train pavilion outside displays the streamlined Aerotrain, several additional steam engines, passenger cars from all eras and maintenance equipment. The kids love walking through the passenger cars, especially looking at the tiny sleeper car bedrooms and climbing around the observation car's tables and kitchens.  Behind the museum is an observation tower that gives a great view of the grounds and surrounding area. Several times each day, a train ride departs from the "Hood Junction Depot" for two loops around grounds. Honestly, it was the slowest train ride we've ever experienced, but it's not a long stretch of track, so at least we spent a respectable amount of time riding. Following that, a movie on the history of the Big Boy is shown in the museum's theater. I had to duck out with a squirmy toddler but my 6-year old assures me it was great. (That's a good review from someone who is actually more interested in diesel engines than steam, if truth be told.) To cap things off, there's a fully-stocked gift shop with a huge number of items for kids and adults.

We combined this visit with stops at other sights along the way and in Green Bay, which made for a very pleasant trip. The National Railroad Museum is definitely worth a stop either as a destination for train lovers or as a side trip during Wisconsin travels. Like so many train sites, there are special events planned for autumn and Christmas holidays for extra fun.

Aerotrain and other engines in the train pavilion

View from the observation tower -- 99 steps up!

In an old mail car, the town labels looked very familiar:
Geneva, St. Charles, West Chicago, Skokie, DeKalb, etc. 

South Elgin: Fox River Trolley Museum

A sign from local rail lines of the past. 

Stops included the

"Yeoman City of Childhood."

Red trolley! Trolley rides begin at the "Castle Muir" station
and gift shop at the north end of the property. 

Ooh, new velvet seats!
Keep your hands and heads inside the train, kids.

Waiting for the return train at the Jon Duerr Forest Preserve

Our brave girl and her dad on the hand car

Our family usually makes at least one trip to South Elgin's Fox River Trolley Museum each year. We often go in the fall for the Pumpkin Trolley, and many friends have made it a destination for their Polar Express Christmas program or other special events. This year we went during Trolley fest for the special treat of seeing and riding a handcar. For the fest, which was held concurrently with South Elgin's other RiverFest activities, the museum had extra rolling stock out for rides. We rode a car from the early twentieth century for the first leg of our journey along the Fox River, enjoyed the handcar and the beautiful scenery of the Jon Duerr forest preserve and then returned to the museum grounds via a Chicago CTA car. On the museum grounds, the kids enjoyed exploring other open cars and rail equipment. Some of collection is waiting for the time and resources for renovation, so there are a few cars that aren't much to look at, but the restored cars, the Fox River location and the knowledgeable volunteers always make it a pleasant outing. Be sure to watch for the Wood Cliff flag stop on the west side of the tracks during your ride.

Herself with the "new" train

Taking a look at the inside of a caboose

Some final words of wisdom

Naperville: DuPage Children's Museum

My young engineers drive the Metra 

Outside the museum, give the wheel a crank and watch the train's wheels spin.

Excited train face at the model RR

The evening before our most recent visit to the DuPage Children's Museum my oldest developed a stomachache from a bit of overindulgence at a church potluck. He was miserable, not because of any discomfort, but because he was afraid he might miss going to the museum. This is how much this place is loved. Fortunately, time and a few train videos on YouTube cure all ills and the trip went off as planned.

As a children's museum, there's no shortage of fun activities for kids of all ages and interests. From their very first visits, my children have loved the WaterWays, AirWorks, and Make It Move exhibits. Last year, however, the museum made itself even more appealing with the opening of a new exhibit: "Trains -- Get On Board!" Kids have always stopped playing to watch the Metra trains zip by just north of the museum's parking lot, but the new exhibit brings the trains right into the museum. Children can be engineers or passengers in a kid-sized Metra.  ("It's the old diesel engine," points out my boy who knows these things.) A control tower gives the children something to climb. A ticket window, engineer and conductor clothing allow for pretend play. Of course, the requisite model railroad layout fills the center of the area with viewing areas both outside and within the tracks. A few observant children might even delight in the beautiful Art Deco travel posters recalling train travel of days gone by. For the youngest members of the family, one of the museum's two Young Explorers areas for babies and toddlers is next to the train exhibit allowing fairly easy supervision of all family members at once.

Thanks to the generosity of the museum and our local library, the kids earned free admission passes for participating in the summer reading program. I was happy to find a discount coupon for myself in the Oaklees Guide. The baby just squeaked in for free since he's a few weeks shy of his first birthday. Without these discounts, everyone under 60 pays $9.50 each, so consider a membership if you'd like to make repeat visits, or do your coupon scouting homework!

The museum is at 301 N. Washington Street in Naperville. Road construction on Washington and surrounding streets is making entering the parking lot a bit of an adventure these days, so watch for construction and detour signs as you approach. 

West Chicago, Illinois

With kids in the car, the most mundane errands take on a level of excitement unheard of in the B.C. (before children) era. From time to time, I find myself needing to drive through West Chicago, Illinois. As a typical hurried adult, I don't relish the inevitable road delays resulting from the village's frequent train traffic. West Chicago traces its history to the early days of railroads in the mid 19th century. The recent acquisition one of the many rail lines through town by Canadian National has increased the rail traffic and time spent sitting at  crossings.

The perspective changes with train-loving kids in the car. Going through West Chicago is a small adventure because the odds are we will see a train, and a long one at that. Between the Canadian National and Union Pacific tracks that intersect just west of the downtown, a kid will likely see a train with multiple engines and enough box cars, coal cars, tanker cars and flat cars to challenge the counting skills of any preschooler. Because of the angle of the tracks, the noise of the rail cars bumping over the junction can be loud enough to wake sleeping babies. Otherwise, it's a delight to enjoy the enthusiasm of something so simple bringing so much joy to the backseat passengers.

Because of West Chicago's railroad history it has several sights and events that are on our Railroad To-See List. Thanks to Tara at Go West Young Mom for the suggestion to visit the West Chicago Library's children's department train: a steam-engine style train for climbing and pretending by the under six set. The city's museums, West Chicago City Museum and Kruse House Museum, feature railroad memorabilia among their collections and are sites included in the Passport to Adventure program. The city's annual festival, while not strictly railroad themed, does have the appealing name Railroad Days. This year's fest takes place July 12-15 at Reed-Keppler Park. So, there's plenty to bring us back to West Chicago for a stop beyond the railroad crossings.