Ranking: Value - 4 out of 5 Dad Fun Factor - 3 out of 5 Kid Fun Factor - 4 out of 5
Let's face it, trains are cool. I don't count myself in the crowd of men who grew up with a train set and an engineer's hat. I was more of a G.I. Joe guy (classic edition). With that said, I like taking the men to the rail yard. First of all, it's close to us NW suburbanites. It's in a cool, Mayberry-like town named Union. It's a small way off of I-90 heading out by the outlet mall so you can con the Mrs. into thinking it's a shopping trip. They recently paved the lot so that makes it a little more family friendly (think stroller and gravel). It's not too sophisticated. I've seen the gates open 20 minutes late because a volunteer was a little late. It's all volunteers (from what I can tell). The value is pretty god since you can bring in a cooler unchecked and have a picnic on the vast grounds. They also have a cool diner that has good ice cream. It's pretty much a roam-at-will experience.
They do run a schedule of vintage diesel, electric, and steam trains up and down a several mile stretch of track. It's a blast to prop open a window and let the air blow through the cabin. The boys like to try to hang out the window but we had one come crashing down once so we don't let the happen. It's a little long if you have easily bored kids. Make sure they take a leak before as well. No bathrooms. We like the electric best because it's fastest. Nothing better than a fast train. There is also a very old CTA trolley that runs a short course around the main grounds. The talk is very informative but not very interesting to 2 or 4 year olds. You can get on and off at several stops. One is near a big open grassy area prime for a pic-nic. Your call. There are a lot of nice to look at trains and cars at the IRM but not much to climb and explore. I understand why. These folks are spending a lot of time restoring these trains and they don't want my guys wrecking them. Cool. But it loses it's appeal in about an hour. Add in the train ride, a pic-nic lunch, maybe an ice cream, and a browse through the Thomas The Tank Engine-rich store, and you are killing a 2~3 hour afternoon.
I have to admit that I bought a family pass this Spring. It was not a wise investment on my part. It was used three times and we broke even. A fourth trip would have made it worth it but alas, I could not make it happen. There are a few other cool things to see out around Union, IL. I'll hit them up in another entry soon enough. In the meantime, make tracks to the Illinois Railway Museum for a pretty solid afternoon.
More info can be found at one of the poorest designed websites out there: http://www.irm.org/
Let's face it, trains are cool. I don't count myself in the crowd of men who grew up with a train set and an engineer's hat. I was more of a G.I. Joe guy (classic edition). With that said, I like taking the men to the rail yard. First of all, it's close to us NW suburbanites. It's in a cool, Mayberry-like town named Union. It's a small way off of I-90 heading out by the outlet mall so you can con the Mrs. into thinking it's a shopping trip. They recently paved the lot so that makes it a little more family friendly (think stroller and gravel). It's not too sophisticated. I've seen the gates open 20 minutes late because a volunteer was a little late. It's all volunteers (from what I can tell). The value is pretty god since you can bring in a cooler unchecked and have a picnic on the vast grounds. They also have a cool diner that has good ice cream. It's pretty much a roam-at-will experience.
They do run a schedule of vintage diesel, electric, and steam trains up and down a several mile stretch of track. It's a blast to prop open a window and let the air blow through the cabin. The boys like to try to hang out the window but we had one come crashing down once so we don't let the happen. It's a little long if you have easily bored kids. Make sure they take a leak before as well. No bathrooms. We like the electric best because it's fastest. Nothing better than a fast train. There is also a very old CTA trolley that runs a short course around the main grounds. The talk is very informative but not very interesting to 2 or 4 year olds. You can get on and off at several stops. One is near a big open grassy area prime for a pic-nic. Your call. There are a lot of nice to look at trains and cars at the IRM but not much to climb and explore. I understand why. These folks are spending a lot of time restoring these trains and they don't want my guys wrecking them. Cool. But it loses it's appeal in about an hour. Add in the train ride, a pic-nic lunch, maybe an ice cream, and a browse through the Thomas The Tank Engine-rich store, and you are killing a 2~3 hour afternoon.
I have to admit that I bought a family pass this Spring. It was not a wise investment on my part. It was used three times and we broke even. A fourth trip would have made it worth it but alas, I could not make it happen. There are a few other cool things to see out around Union, IL. I'll hit them up in another entry soon enough. In the meantime, make tracks to the Illinois Railway Museum for a pretty solid afternoon.
More info can be found at one of the poorest designed websites out there: http://www.irm.org/
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