The Indiana Railway Museum and French Lick Scenic Railway

The Indiana Railway Museum is a small museum located in French Lick, Indiana. Along with the equipment their equipment the museum also operates a small tourist railroad (the French Lick Scenic Railway) on the property and operates over 10 miles of railroad, although they own a total of 16 miles. Below is a brief history of the museum courtesy of the museum’s website:

The Indiana Railway Museum is a tourist railway and museum located in French Lick, Indiana. The Museum was founded in 1961 in the town of Westport, Indiana where the railroad operated a tourist excursion utilizing one small locomotive, three passenger cars, and about twenty volunteers. Ridership was estimated at about 500 passengers in 1962. The museum and railway remained in Westport until a move was necessitated in 1971. The organization relocated to Greensburg, Indiana where it operated until 1976 when it again changed locations. The Museum was relocated to French Lick in 1978 after an agreement with the Southern Railway Company granted the Museum a total of sixteen miles of track stretching from West Baden, Indiana approximately one mile north of French Lick, to a small village named Dubois, to the south. The Indiana Railway Museum currently operates passenger trains over ten miles of this track from French Lick to Cuzco.

The railroad has continued to grow and currently boasts a roster of over 65 pieces of of rolling stock and locomotives, 9 full-time staff, 350 members, and 60 volunteers. In 2004, the railroad had a ridership of over 23,000 passengers.

Below is a schedule of when the tourist train typically operates at the museum, including hours of operation and fares to ride the train:

April – October: Saturday & Sunday; 10 am, 1 & 4 pm

November: Saturday & Sunday; 1 pm ONLY

Tuesdays and Thursdays: June – October; 1 pm ONLY

HOLIDAYS: Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day

Monday – Friday

8:30am - 4:00pm Year-round

Weekends

April - October

9:00am - 6:00pm

November

11:00am - 3:00pm

December - March

CLOSED

Admission to the museum is free and the cost of tickets for the excursion train is:

ADULTS; $12.00

CHILDREN (11 and under); $6.00

For more reading on Indiana's most famous railroad you might want to consider the book, Monon: The Hoosier Line from Gary Dolzall. The little Monon Route, known for years as the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway until its nickname became the railroad’s official name, was a Midwestern regional that struggled on and off for many years but for the last thirty years of its history did quite well. The Monon was never a large railroad and lived among giants only owning a bit over 500 total miles of track at its peak. As its original name implies it served the cities of Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville and was also a bridge route, hauling traffic for larger railroads like the Southern Railway and Louisville & Nashville. The author gives an excellent history of the railroad in his book with over 200 pictures (all black and white). If you are a fan of the Monon and/or are interested in learning more about the railroad I am sure you will find the book very enjoyable.