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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.

The Indiana Railway Museum looks to promote Indiana's railroading history but also the industry's history in general. Indiana railroading has a rich history dating back to the 1830s and historically has not only been home to the important market of Indianapolis but also a key through route to other important markets like St. Louis (the third busiest gateway behind Chicago and Kansas City) and Chicago. Today, Indiana is home to four of the seven Class I systems and has numerous shortlines, museums and tourist railroads operating with its borders.

Indiana railroading has its beginnings dating back to 1838 when the Madison, Indianapolis & Lafayette Railroad opened its original 15-mile main line from North Madison, Indiana. Much like Illinois, Indiana had virtually no railroads prior to 1840 but this quickly changed by 1880 when the state boasted over 4,000 miles of trackage. As with Illinois, Indiana was one of the few states that had both east-west main lines accessing Chicago and Indianapolis as well as north-south key routes (Louisville & Nashville and Illinois Central).

The history of the Indiana Railway Museum dates back to 1961 when it was founded by a group of locals in the town of Westport, operating primarily as a small tourist line using a diesel locomotive for power and three passenger coaches. The museum moved operations in 1971 to Greensburg and again moved in 1978 to French Lick when the Southern Railway offered the museum sixteen miles of a former branch line between West Baden and Dubois (passing through French Lick along the way). Today, the museum operates about 10 miles of this line between French Lick and Cuzco.

Along with its tourist line the Indiana Railway Museum also features more than 65 pieces of historic railroad equipment on its grounds, over 400 members, volunteers and paid staff, and more than 25,000 annual visitors. If you are ever in southern Indiana consider visiting the museum, it's just a short drive from Louisville, Bloomington or Jasper.

Below is a schedule of when the tourist train typically operates at the museum, including hours of operation and fares to ride the train. It should be noted that the museum itself is free of charge to visit (cost to ride the train is $12 for adults and $6 for kids 11 and up) and all operations cease between December and March.

Indiana Railway Museum Hours

Monday – Friday

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

Weekends

April - October

9:00am - 6:00pm

November

11:00am - 3:00pm

For more reading about 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.

Also, for more information and reading about excursion trains and railroad museums you might want to consider picking up Tourist Trains Guidebook from the editors of Kalmbach Publishing's Trains magazine. The book lists and reviews over 400 excursions and museums found throughout the country and is an excellent resource, which has received superb reviews by readers, if you're looking for one to visit. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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