Model Railroading in CHICAGO What to see?

[Wdlgln005]

With gas price so high, you may want to fly to O'Hare or Midway, then take the EL downtown. THe CTA does have a guide to the city & take you anywhere you want to go, including MSI. For fun, you can't beat the Chicago lakefront, Navy Pier, Shedd Aquarium, etc.. For $1.75-$2.00, you can travel a good distance!

The best hobbyshops are NW of the city in DesPlaines, Chicagoland, & Hills. The Trost shop is a good prototype for those old DPM buildings with big showroom windows.

The RTA website offers a trip planner that uses CTA/Metra/Pace services.
Have fun on your trip!

[Jetrock]

They do allow photography in MSI (I used up more film photographing the model of Chicago on my last trip there than I did photographing the actual city of Chicago!)

The nice thing about the Zephyr these days is that you can actually go inside of it--as a kid I remember seeing it outside, kind of rusty and green, now it is inside and as shiny as the day it came off the factory floor!

Do a Yahoo Yellow Pages search for hobby shops in the Chicagoland area. You'll find A LOT. My favorites were Chicagoland Hobby, LaGrange Hobby, Des Plaines Hobby and Hill's Hobby, although I have heard good things about Golden Spike and a few others that I have yet to visit (I get to Chicago once every couple of years to visit family, which generally takes priority over hobby shop visits.)

The Chicago area is great for trainwatching in general--it is still positively riddled with various main lines, industries, yards and other railroady activities. I prefer to ride in on Amtrak to get a first-hand look at that sort of thing.

Next time I want to see if I can get my grandfather to come with me down to the IRM. I was able to bring him to the Railroad Museum, along with my 11 year old cousin, this summer--if you want to have a blast, take an 82 year old and an 11 year old to a railroad museum and see folks awed from two directions in time at once!

[Anonymous]

Contact me about museum. I am a volunteer at he museum and would be happy to show you around. Hank

The U-505 is scheduled to open 6/5/05

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mrgstrain

Hi, I am going to Chicago the first weekend in April. What should I go see that is model railroad related? Thank's
Larry

Hi: I am am a volunteer at The Great train Story. I would be happy to show you around the museum.

Hank

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by mrgstrain

Hi, I am going to Chicago the first weekend in April. What should I go see that is model railroad related? Thank's

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