2018 Events
We have several special events planned for 2018 at the Monticello Railway Museum. Regular train service also operates Saturdays and Sundays from May through October – see the schedule for details. Different fares may apply to special events.
- Throttle Time
- You can be the engineer of our train!
- Dates: Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29, 2018; and many Saturdays from May 5 through October 28, 2018.
- 401 in Steam
- Ride behind our restored 1907-vintage steam locomotive!
- Dates: Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20; Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10; Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22; Saturday, August 18 and Sunday, August 19; Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21, 2018.
- School Days – Tuesday, May 1 and Wednesday, May 9, 2018.
- An opportunity for school children to ride a full-sized diesel-powered train.
- Mother's Day Weekend – Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13, 2018.
- Make this Mother's Day special by treating Mom to a relaxing ride with her family on our vintage train. Moms ride FREE when accompanied by their children!
- Father's Day Weekend – Saturday, June 16 and Sunday, June 17, 2018.
- Dads ride FREE when accompanied by their children!
- Fireworks Special – Tuesday, July 3, 2018.
- See the Monticello fireworks without worrying about traffic.
- Railroad Days – Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16, 2018.
- Come enjoy UNLIMITED rides on our vintage passenger and freight trains and motor cars running on our former Illinois Central and Illinois Terminal trackage, enjoy kids' games and more!
- The Polar Express™
- Read along with the story as the train makes its round-trip journey to the North Pole.
- Dates: Friday, November 16; Saturday, November 17; Sunday, November 18; Friday, November 23; Saturday, November 24; Sunday, November 25; Friday, November 30; Saturday, December 1; Sunday, December 2; Friday, December 7; Saturday, December 8; Sunday, December 9, 2018.
- Lunch with Santa on the Train – Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2, 2018
- Enjoy a visit with Santa Claus while eating a kid-friendly sack lunch. This event is hosted by the Monticello Chamber of Commerce.
NOTE: Due to the need for more capacity for the overwhelmingly popular Polar Express™, the Ghost Train will not be held for the foreseeable future.