Friday morning rail preservation news:
Illinois Railway Museum sets two weekends of special events
The Illinois Railway Museum, which reopened in July with special COVID-19 precautionary measures, is planning two weekends of special events in September. Labor Day weekend will feature night train operations until 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 5-6, and J. Neils Lumber Shay locomotive No. 5 Sept. 5-7. (Note that there are special hours on Saturday, Sept. 5, with the museum open from 2-9:30 p.m.) The Shay will also run Sept. 19-20 during Museum Showcase weekend, which will feature less frequently run equipment. As part of its COVID-19 measures, the museum now requires pre-purchased tickets to help ensure social distancing; those are available at the IRM website.
Ontario museum acquires 107-year-old wooden boxcar
The Niagara Railway Museum in Fort Erie, Ontario, has added a wooden box car dating to 1913 to its collection. The Welland Tribune reports the car was converted into a “boarding car” in 1947 by the Toronto, Hamilton, and Buffalo, and was saved in 1970s by a local businessman, whose family donated to the museum. It was moved from a Fenwick, Ont., farm to the museum on Thursday.
Wautauga Valley historical society plans Great Smoky Mountain excursion
The Wautauga Valley Railroad Historical Society and Museum, a National Railway Historical Society chapter with a museum in Jonesborough, Tenn., will sponsor excursions on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad in North Carolina on Sept. 12-13. Excursions will depart Bryson City, N.C., at 1 p.m. each day, returning at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit the society’s website.
