HVRM Kicks Off Rail Season Saturday

HVRM Tourist Train
HVRM Tourist Train

The spring season has started, and so has baseball season, but how about rail season?

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum will have its season kick-off on Saturday. The museum is considered a tourism draw for thousands who have an appreciation of railroads post-World War II.

 

HVRM Marketing Director Loretta Kosloske says there are two train rides that the museum oversees.

“The first one is to English Lake or the Kankakee River,” says Kosloske. “It’s five miles out and five miles back it takes about 45 minutes. Then in the afternoon we have our LaCrosse excursion which does the same ride but then it goes an additional five miles to Lacrosse.”

The railroading season runs between May and October and, during that time, the museum offers several specialty cars and several holiday excursions. On May 9th, the railroad is offering deals on ticket prices for Mother’s Day.

According to the HVRM’s website, there is no fee to enter the museum itself; however, there is a small fee to ride in one of the railcars.

Kosloske says the railroad’s history is important for youth to learn.

“Railroads really started taking across the Unite States during and after the Civil War and it was a major way of moving people and commerce across the country and it just grew and grew,” says Kosloske.

Guest Engineers can operate a diesel locomotive with supervision if they are over the age of 18.