MONTICELLO, Ill. — The Monticello Railway Museum kicked off its opening weekend of 2022 operations using former Chicago & Illinois Midland Railroad RS1325 No. 31 as power for its passenger train.
The museum acquired the RS1325, one of only two of the model built by Electro-Motive Division, in late 2020.
New this year was the operation of a Saturday morning train, The Donut Train, featuring a restored Illinois Central dining car. The Donut Train will also operate June 11, July operate on June 11, July 16, August 13, and September 3 in 2022. There will be two departures each day, at 8:30 AM and 10 AM.
The museum plans to repaint No. 31 into its Chicago & Illinois Midland paint scheme. Those interested in helping fund the project can do so through the museum website.
Member Bill Crisp has also set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for the 31 and recently arrived Illinois Terminal Railroad SW1200 No. 784 [see “Monticello Railway Museum acquires …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 14, 2020].
Monticello is interesting. My son and I stopped by on one of their “off” days when nothing was scheduled. We parked and just walked in. A worker said we were free to check out the engine barn and we were able to see the works in progress.
Hopefully, one of these days they can reconnect between White Heath and the Seymour Spur and do tourist excursions out of Champaign-Urbana @ Illinois Terminal.
Perhaps that is why NS left a switch to nowhere at State Street in Champaign and left the wye track in place, albeit disconnected. I always wondered why that was left behind and it totally makes sense now.
There are a lot of good things happening at Monticello, and there are some big plans for the future. It’s a great place to stop by if you happen to be in central Illinois. The museum is located just off I-72, about 15 miles west of Champaign.
“The Donut Train will also operate June 11, July operate on June 11, July 16, August 13, and September 3 in 2022”
Did I read this correctly?
DPM is looking down and shaking his head…
“one of only of the model built by Electro-Motive Division” of only how many?
One of only two built of this model….reread the second paragraph.
I suspect when Larry read the story at 8:00 am the sentence was incomplete. When Steve read it at 2:20 pm it had been corrected.