Monticello Railway Museum - Monticello (IL)

5 /5 DIRTYDAN’s Trains: Incredible place, took a trip for the weekend with a few other friends. Staff super friendly and helpful, genuinely want you to have a great experience. I can’t thank the folks responsible for the operation enough for their efforts, and cannot wait to come back again.

5 /5 Kara Milward: Train lover must!!!!! We did the donut train. I highly recommend however it was hot when the train wasn’t moving and it was only 70 degrees out. Would not recommend in July :/ The donut train was so much fun! I recommend it for all ages. Even grandparents! The museum was very well done and enjoyable. I was very pleasantly surprised. There was plenty of space for picnics and a little train to climb on. Would love to try the polar express!

5 /5 Tina McHugh: Love the train barn, the collection is outstanding. I love that you can go inside many of the cars. Kid friendly. The train ride was great.

5 /5 Deb InVA: My husband is a bit of a train buff, so as we drove cross country this year, we searched for museums like this. The Monticello Railway Museum must have the largest collection anywhere and its incredibly well-displayed. We really wish wed stayed longer to see more of the restored works in action!

5 /5 Jennifer Childs: My hubby and I, spent October 6th, 2024, at Monticellos Train Museum. For a last moment car trip, this was fantastic and we plan to incorporate this as a family trip. To begin with we reside in Illinois and this gives us the ability to take the grandchildren of any age that walk. An arm baby might be appropriate; if the parents attend and have a backpack carrier or if somebody is able to manage a stroller for the duration of the day. The Depot in Monticello, was well maintained and there is a tourist shop in the depot; they carry standard tourist items for sale, such as postcards, t-shirts and other signage. Also, small toys were available for purchase. You have the ability to buy your tickets before you arrive online or you may purchase them at the Depot window. Your tickets will be returned to you so you may definitely keep them for a souvenir, too. Let us take a moment, to say just how really personable everyone was, from the people loading the train to the conductors, especially the well informed guides, and the shop keepers. They really took the time to make you knowledgeable of everything that works on the train and how the operation handles running the depot and restoring such amazing vintage modes of transportation. It was actually wonderful and a very personal experience for myself. I was able to remember my childhood in which I was fortunate enough, to have great-grand parents, which traveled extensively on the rail system using the sleeper cars. Precious memories, from times gone by, but the wonder of that little child, was just as real again! They have a car that you can go in and it has a place in the floor that has insulated glass so that you can see the actual wheels rotating as they travel over the tracks. Theres a steam engine still making its way around and bringing the light to travelers everyday theyre open. You also will have the possibility to disembark downtown, in Monticello IL, to grab something to eat or do some antique shopping. You can return to the original station on a later train. I just know this will forever be a regular stop for my family, hopefully the station will still be there in 30, 40 years! Thank you to everyone that made that day so special, just by being the kind, generous and welcoming people of a truly memorable great endeavor.