2015 Events
We have several special events planned for 2015 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 25 and Sunday, April 26, 2015, Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2015, and most Saturdays from May 2 through October 24, 2015.
- 401 in Steam
- Ride behind our restored 1907-vintage steam locomotive!
- Dates: Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17; Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14; Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19; Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16; Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18.
- School Days – Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 13, 2015.
- An opportunity for school children to ride a full-sized diesel-powered train.
- Mother's Day Weekend – Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, 2015.
- 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 20 and Sunday, June 21, 2015.
- Dads ride FREE when accompanied by their children!
- Fireworks Special – Friday, July 3, 2015.
- See the Monticello fireworks without worrying about traffic.
- Railroad Days – Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 2015.
- 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: Saturday, November 14; Friday, November 20; Saturday, November 21; Friday, November 27; Saturday, November 28; Sunday, November 29; Friday, December 4; and Saturday, December 5, 2015.
- Lunch with Santa on the Train – Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 2015
- 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, Ghost Train will not be held for the foreseeable future.