The depot has been moved twice, first in 1904 when the Wabash line was moved and straightened, and again in 1987 to its present location. The Monticello depot is a former Wabash structure built in 1899. Once past the bridge the train picks up some speed as it covers the rural and urban terrain to reach downtown Monticello. Once on the mainline, the train passes the main yard area of the museum grounds, then proceeds toward a bridge over the Sangamon River, which was pretty dry when we were there. Leaving the station, the train once again reverses to the connection to the old Illinois Central track. To reach this depot from the engine house, the train backs past it on the far side of the parking lot, then switches to the station track, which is now the only portion of the Illinois Terminal Railroad in revenue service. It serves as one of two boarding locations for the train ride as well as a gift shop. This depot was donated and moved to the museum in 1977 from its original site on the Illinois Central in Deland, Illinois. Outside, a few more moves coupled the locomotive to the train and switched tracks for a backup move to the Nelson Crossing depot on the museum grounds. ![]() Tape rolling, the beautiful engine began backing up, and the EMD mounted camera produced a beautiful image as the headlight came on while the locomotive moved out. Southern 401 rests near the Monticello, IL downtown depot – Monticello Railway Museum – Yard Goat Images PhotoĪfter awhile it was getting close to moving the engine outside, so I set up two video cameras, one outside the shed for an external view, and the other one on the deck of a Milwaukee Road NW-2 which was parked ahead of 401 inside the building. Several hours are necessary to bring the boiler to operating pressure, so there was time to meet some of the volunteers, and wander about taking pictures of the equipment. When I arrived the fire was already warming the water as the engine sat inside the shed under the smoke hood. So, my main purpose for the weekend was to experience the beautiful 401, a 2-8-0 Consolidation built by Baldwin for the Southern Railway in 1907. Today 401 operates one weekend per month from April through October. It was converted to burn oil during the restoration work. Southern 401, on display at the museum since 1971, was determined to be the best candidate, and after many years of work, the locomotive made its debut in 2010. In the mid 1990’s a donor proposed selecting one locomotive for restoration. A cross-over track constructed by volunteers enables the trains to reach the historic Wabash Depot in downtown Monticello.Įven though Monticello Railway Museum owns several steam locomotives, none had operated since 1987. Its tracks run on portions of two parallel railroads, the former Illinois Terminal and the Illinois Central Gulf, over lines which ran between Monticello and the town of White Heath. ![]() It is a not-for-profit organization which has been around, under various earlier names, since 1966. The Monticello Railway Museum, is located in Monticello, Illinois. There was a lot of equipment stored outdoors when I was there, but no doubt much of this will soon find a home inside when the tracks are in place inside the new building. A complete equipment listing can be found here. plus many types of maintenance-of-way equipment. The Monticello Railway Museum not only has a vast collection of passenger and freight cars, they also have a sizable amount of “company service” equipment, including cabooses, cranes, a snow plow, a pile driver, Jordan Spreader, tool cars, etc. ![]() Many of the diesels are in operating condition. They need all those buildings to hold a remarkable variety of equipment including more than a dozen steam and diesel locomotives. Looking toward the Engine House – Monticello Railway Museum, Monticello, IL – Yard Goat Images Photo
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