New Joliet Railroad Museum, Here's How It Looks: Photo Gallery

JOLIET — The Joliet Area Historical Museum, responsible for bringing the abandoned Old Joliet Prison into a world-wide tourist destination, has rolled out its latest endeavor to bring more visitors and Route 66 tourists to town: It's called the Joliet Railroad Museum, and it opens to visitors Friday.

Joliet's new railroad museum is at the very top of the Joliet Gateway Transportation Center. More than 100 years ago, it served as the old Union Station depot switching tower. The Joliet Railroad Museum will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $5, but free for people with a membership to the Joliet Area Historical Museum, according to Greg Peerbolte, chief executive officer at the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

Peerbolte said the railroad museum offers an unbelievable scenic view of Joliet's landscape, showcasing the historic Joliet Central High School campus off in the distance as well as the beautiful Jacob Henry Mansion. Visitors can watch the daily railroad traffic, including the Metra and Amtrak commuter trains plus all the freight trains rumbling past Joliet's Union Station, practically every hour on the hour.

"Joliet is already known as a rail fan center, but there's really been no place for fans to go before, as important as Joliet has been and still is," Peerbolte explained. "We're happy to have a location that reflects that importance and fixed to the transportation center and what it took to switch these tracks. It took an entire building; 1913 was when it was finished."

The railroad museum consists of two levels, and it's located on the top floor of the Gateway Transportation Center. Signs inside the train station direct railroad enthusiasts where to go to find the new museum.

"The city of Joliet was a great partner going back to 2014. They've had this vision," Peerbolte explained, also praising the Heritage Corridor for obtaining substantial grant funds for the railroad museum project.

Peerbolte said the new Joliet Railroad Museum, in addition to the Old Joliet Prison, the Joliet Area Historical Museum, the new Illinois Rock & Roll Museum in downtown Joliet, the museum's new Emma Planinsek Grocery and Meat Market Museum at 1314 Elizabeth St. that opened last September, plus the Joliet Slammers under the new ownership team of Bill Murray, Mike Veeck and son Night Train, will all factor into his vision of making Joliet into an overnight summertime destination for Route 66 tourists.

"I think you will definitely have some stopovers from Route 66 people and I think a lot of crossover from Route 66 and rail fans," Peerbolte said. "We really want to make Joliet an overnight destination. We have several days worth of activities that in my opinion are all top attractions and this Joliet Railroad Museum is a piece of that puzzle."