The Stephenson County Antique Engine Club operates a rare wood-burning Heisler locomotive on the Silver Creek & Stephenson Railroad. This railroad consists of a historic depot and approximately two miles of track re-laid on an old Milwaukee Road grade.
Choices
A Heisler steam locomotive pulls a mixture of several cabooses and open-air cars through farmlands and across the Yellow Creek on a 30-foot-high cement and stone pier bridge. The Silver Creek depot houses the ticket office and railroad displays.
When to go
The train ride operates on various weekends and holidays between Memorial Day and the end of October. The Train of Terror operates in October. Check the Stephenson County Antique Engine Club’s website for the full, updated schedule.
Good to know
Volunteers created this railroad on the abandoned right-of-way of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, better known as the Milwaukee Road. Because rails and ties were removed prior to purchase, members had to haul rail in from as far away as Minnesota, and ties were salvaged from across Illinois. The track was then re-laid across the old roadbed.
Worth doing
While in Freeport, visit the Silver Creek Museum that’s also part of the Stephenson County Antique Engine Club. It contains 28 rooms of historical displays. It is open on the same days as the railroad
Don’t miss
The group also owns and operates a Cooper Corliss stationary steam engine in a separate building at the Freeport Museum adjacent to the railroad. This significant piece of industrial history weighs 130 tons and has a flywheel that is more than 25 feet in diameter.
Getting there
Freeport is about 20 miles west of Rockford on Highway 20, and the museum is on the corner of Walnut and Lamm Roads.
Location: West Lamm Road, Freeport, IL
Phone: 815-232-2306 or 815-235-2198
Website: thefreeportshow.com/scs
E-mail: thefreeportshow@thefreeportshow.com
