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. 

Geneva: Model Railroad Display at Swedish Days

Geneva, Illinois -- Chicago's LGB Railroad Club returns to the Geneva History Center June 17 through 22 with the club's display train layout and other activities in honor of the 65th Swedish Days festival. The train is a large scale layout. The center will be open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children. 

The Geneva History Center is located at 113 S. Third Street in downtown Geneva across from the old courthouse. 

Maple Park: Orchard Train Coming to Kuipers Family Farm

Our first visit to Kuipers in 2007.
Future visits could include a train ride
among the autumn activities

Maple Park, Ill.  -- All aboard the orchard train! According to an article in today's Kane County Chronicle, Kuipers Family Farm has been given the okay to install a train for guests to ride. The Kane County Board approved the action during this week's meeting. The train may not be ready for little engineers for another year, but installation of the track could begin this summer. 

St. Charles: G-Scale Model Train on Display

According to releases appearing in local papers (I saw it in the Kane County Chronicle and the Chicago Tribune) a G-Scale Model train will be on display in the greenhouses of the Wasco Nursery and Garden Center during Fathers Day weekend. According to the release, the train will be set up in the greenhouse and among the plants. A "Live Steam Train" will be featured as well. The event is planned for June 13-15. Wasco Nursery is open 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.on Saturday and Sunday. Oh, and this is a free event! Count us in! 

Wheaton: Monkey Joe's

This train and its cars appear on the walls of the toddler zone

The twisting gears of a colorful train on the walls of the toddler area at Wheaton's Monkey Joe's give little ones something to enjoy while the bigger kids are bouncing around on the facilities many inflatables.  Other activities for the tiny tykes include many small toys to push around their very own corner, which is a safe distance away from the enthusiastic bouncing and inevitable running of older patrons. Slightly bigger, bolder youngsters have a bouncy place of their own just a few feet away. Of course, the bravest of all ages will want to try everything. So, bring them early before the biggest kids are out of school, done with their morning activities or out of their pajamas. Kids age 2 and under are half the price of their older siblings and friends! 
  

Coming down the slide on the little kids' inflatble

Aurora: Preschooler Train Class

Engine-eye view of Blackberry's train

The Fox Valley Park District is offering a fun class for preschoolers at Blackberry Farm this summer. The All Aboard! program for 4 to 6 year old meets at the farms Train Depot where children get to pretend to be station masters, then take a ride around the pond on the small-scale train. There are also train crafts, including a take-home whistle. The class meets for two hours with the choice of a June 30 or July 10 session. Full details are in the Summer Activity Guide. (Psst, it's on page 45.) Registration for residents begins May 10. Non-residents can sign up for activities beginning May 19.

No Polar Express Here: Digging out from the Polar Vortex

We here at Railroad Kids headquarters are just now digging out of the Polar Vortex. Oh, there has been much building of trains this winter. It takes the skill of an Olympic slalom skier to navigate rooms that have been literally covered in wooden train tracks, Lego train tracks and Power Train tracks, not to mention the urban landscapes that said railroads traverse.  As always, our reading of train books and viewing of train videos goes on and on. 

With the layout
she built herself 

Unfortunately, between the frigid cold and the epic power of Winter Germs, we haven't been out to visit many train sites this winter. We aren't the only ones who have sequestered ourselves. I was heartbroken to see the season has been too tough for a great little restaurant in Geneva. Last month, the Boxcar train restaurant announced that it was closing its doors. It was nice place: tasty food, fun for the kids, decorated in a way that even adults could appreciate. The Boxcar will be missed. 

After Christmas there was certainly a lull in train-themed family activities of all sorts, but take heart, those types of events are picking up again. May I point to the Chicago Family Palooza happening this very day in at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles? If you can't stand today's return to snow and icy winds, the many, many indoor attractions include a trackless train ride. It's the kind of thing that my kids would love if all three were healthy simultaneously. Alas, such is not the case. 

So, we continue to dream of Spring. Even now, my two year old is making a substantial Duplo train and station right here in the living room. No cough can hold him back from his engineering pursuits. Someday soon we hope to get out and ride the rails again. Until then, we build, build build!