For the second year in a row, railroad fans will be able to take control of historic steam locomotive no. 765 for six miles of mainline running!
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The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society will host its Open House on August 17th, 18th and 19th and steam locomotive Jeddo Coal Company no. 85, a restored tank engine.
Built in 1928 and restored by the Gramling Locomotive Works of Ashley, Indiana, the tank engine will be transported by truck to the Society’s facility and operate train rides throughout the weekend. Ticket sales begin August 1st.
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Here’s our July 11th, 2018 email update for members, including details on Members Day and the 2018 Open House.
Click here to register and click here to purchase your ticket to the Members Picnic.
The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society is pleased to announce that ticket sales for The Joliet Rocket trips will begin at 6PM on May 9th for the general public and 6PM May 8th for members. Roundtrips will depart Joliet, Illinois for Chicago and return twice each day on September 15th and 16th over Metra’s Rock Island Line. Tickets can be purchased online at fortwaynerailroad.org or by phone at 1-888-718-4253.
Ticket classes include Deluxe Coach ($139.00), Open Air Car ($200.00), First Class and First Class Suites ($189.00), Dome Class ($249.00) and Executive Class (TBA.) The historic passenger will include the Stampede Pass, Wisconsin Valley, Frank Thomson, Superdome, Silver Palace, Silver Solarium, Silver Lariat, Braddock Inn, NYC 83 and Fox River Valley.
The open-air car will be placed immediately behind the steam locomotive, auxillary tender and tool car. Classes and passenger cars can be viewed at The Joliet Rocket event site.
Tickets for this exciting, themed event include appetizers and drinks, open vestibules (where applicable), an extended layover at LaSalle Street Station, live entertainment and much more. For more details, click here or read the press release. For questions, contact the ticket agent.
Following Amtrak’s announcement in March concerning charter trips and passenger cars, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) made the decision to delay ticket sales for The Joliet Rocket in order to reassess and reconfirm the cars planned for the event.
As of this writing, it is the goal of the FWRHS to finalize the consist for The Joliet Rocket by May 1st and open ticket sales within 30 days.
“While the delay in ticket sales is unfortunate, it’s our priority to make sure our customers have a seamless experience throughout the entirety of our event – from the ticketing process through the trip itself,” said Kelly Lynch, Vice President. “In light of the new policy, we needed to guarantee the availability of the equipment to the best of our ability, because in most cases the cars themselves are as unique as the steam locomotive.”
A sampling of the cars being confirmed for The Joliet Rocket, which is planned to include Deluxe Coach, First Class, First Class Suites, Dome Car, Open Air Car and Executive Class. For ticket prices, click here.
While the September 15th and 16th trips are not Amtrak events, the privately owned passenger cars that commonly operate in excursion service have been traditionally stored and transported by Amtrak at cost. New restrictions on the transportation of private cars currently limit where many are stored or how they are delivered to venues around the country.
In 2017, over 2,500 people enjoyed 2017’s four roundtrip excursions between Joliet, Illinois and Chicago’s LaSalle Street Station. The trips this year will feature an extended layover, improved service and other amenities.
FWRHS will notify its membership, the general public, and subscribers to the event waitlist when this issue has been satisfactorily resolved and ticket sales can progress. Click here to join our waitlist!