IRM Steam Team

04/09/2026

For generations, seemingly all paths led through Chicago as trains carrying passengers, livestock, and freight crisscrossed the country. Join Geoffrey Baer as he uncovers the clues all around us to railroads of the past, recalls the colorful characters who built them and the unsung workers who toiled on them, and reveals why our current rail system is just as vitalto Chicago’s existence today.

https://youtu.be/RDjhJFPQuN0?si=aljvwwh6FIOXK3hM

09/04/2025

https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/heritage-rail/preservation/young-guns-in-preservation-andrew-ossler/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAMmphRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHj7eMh8O_-McDIZ4Y3jVj73_zm_jG_MUQSoupbfe8OlrBY_OO-qkw1mTova5_aem_a1XvWl_SD_Zm-lmIP5p5cQ

Andrew Ossler grew up visiting one of North America’s largest railroad museums, located just a short drive from his home. That helped cultivate a passion for railroading in the now 26-year-old, who has since joined the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill., as a key volunteer. A teacher by day, O...

08/26/2025

Slots are still available! Get them while you can!

Have you ever wondered what it's like to operate a Shay? Well, now you can find out! The weekend of September 13-14, Shay 5 will be available for "Steam Engineer Experience" Tickets are available now; check out the link for more info.

https://tickets.irm.org/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=cws&c=steamexp

08/10/2025

Cutting one of 1630's flues with a pneumatic 5 1/2 rotary cutter.

08/10/2025

The Shay has the operational spotlight this season, but the crew has been working hard behind the scenes on 1630's overhaul. Here we see some members of the steam team removing the old superheater flues from the boiler.

Affectionately dubbed "The can opener of doom" by one of our crew, the air powered 5 1/2 in rotary cutter makes short work of cutting the flues. A follow up with the cutting torch finishes the bits the cutter didn't get and frees the flues for removal from the boiler.

If you would like to support the overhaul of 1630 by sponsoring a replacement boiler tube or superheater flue, or make a general donation towards the project, please visit the equipment restoration donations page of irm.org

https://tickets.irm.org/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=cws&c=restoration

08/10/2025

Old school meets new.

Shay 5's engineer uses an infrared sensor to check the temperature of a drive shaft bearing. Compared to feeling it with the back of your hand, modern tools such as this provide a more accurate method to track the condition of this historic machine.

Photo by Ralph Durham.