Union Depot Railroad Museum in Mendota, Illinois

Oct 19

Mendota, Illinois · Updated October 19, 2026 · 12 min read

Depot museumTrain ridesOpen Saturdays and Sundays, 12 pm to 4 pm; tours by appointment

The Union Depot Railroad Museum is the restored surviving piece of Mendota's grand 1888 railroad station, where volunteers rebuilt the ticket office and waiting room and gathered a CB&Q steam locomotive, vintage cars and a detailed HO model of the town in its busiest railroad years.

Part of the 1888 Mendota station
Still an Amtrak station stop
CB&Q 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotive
Ring the bell from the cab
Speeder rides, conditions permitting
HO model of 1940s Mendota

Union Depot Railroad Museum at a glance

Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 12 pm to 4 pm; tours by appointment at (815) 539-3373
Admission: One museum: adults $5, high school $4, ages 7 to 13 $3, 6 and under free, family $12; two museums: adults $8, family $20
Train rides: Speeder rides, conditions permitting
Plan for: About 1.5 hours
Best for: Families with young kids, rail fans and Amtrak riders with time to spare
Best ages: Ages 3 and up

Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.

Contact and directions

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Look inside the book

Taking the kids to Union Depot Railroad Museum? Bring Rally along.

In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi's little legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to Mendota.

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Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

Like it so far? See the full book

25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.

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Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.

Bringing back the last piece of Mendota's grand station

Mendota was once a true railroad town. In its busiest years, the Illinois Central, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the Milwaukee Road all ran passenger trains here, and as many as 40 trains a day served the town. Travelers passed through a grand railroad station built in 1888. Most of that building was torn down in the early 1940s, and what survived is the building that now holds the Union Depot Railroad Museum.

When the Mendota Museum & Historical Society acquired the site, it was little more than an empty shell. Volunteers spent countless hours bringing it back to its original state, rebuilding the ticket office and the waiting room. The work paid off twice over: today the building is both a museum and a working Amtrak stop, with a waiting room for passengers whose trains stop in Mendota.

The society behind it was formed as a nonprofit in May 1993 by Horace Hume, who helped fund a new public library so the 1904 Carnegie library building could become a museum of Mendota history. That museum opened in August 1997. The society's mission is to educate, preserve and interpret the history of the Mendota area, and it now runs three museums: the Hume-Carnegie Museum, the Breaking the Prairie Museum and Chapel, and the Union Depot Railroad Museum, which tells the railroad story. Gifts from Mr. Hume, the City of Mendota, and many individuals and groups, along with artifacts, memories and volunteer labor, built the complex.

A depot, a model town and a yard full of equipment

Inside the depot, display rooms are filled with railroad artifacts, and an extensive railroad library holds the town's rail history. The centerpiece for many families is the large HO model railroad, which shows Mendota and its grand station as they looked in the late 1930s and early 1940s, with sound-equipped steam locomotive models pulling passenger trains the way the real ones once did.

Outside, the collection includes a 1923 CB&Q steam locomotive and tender, a 1911 CB&Q wooden waycar (the Burlington's word for a caboose), a 1937 Illinois Central mail storage car, a 1949 Golden Trencher dining car, a 1938 Milwaukee Road combine car and a Fairmont motor car. Tours of the equipment are included with the museum tour. Since the building is still a working station, you may see an Amtrak train during your visit, and if you miss one, the Steel Highway live stream shows Mendota's crossing online.

Don’t miss

CB&Q 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotiveA Baldwin-built locomotive on loan from LaSalle County that worked both freight and passenger trains for years. Visitors can climb up and ring the bell from the cab.
The speeder ridesRides on a motor track inspection car, or speeder, are offered to visitors when conditions permit.
The HO model of MendotaA large layout of the town and its grand station in the late 1930s and early 1940s, when up to 40 trains a day came through.
1911 CB&Q wooden waycarA wooden caboose more than a century old, from the same railroad as the museum's steam locomotive.
1949 Golden Trencher dining carA postwar dining car that shows the comfortable side of passenger rail travel.
The restored ticket office and waiting roomVolunteers rebuilt them from an empty shell, and the waiting room still serves Amtrak passengers today.

Ring the bell, ride the speeder

Kids can climb into the cab of the CB&Q Mikado and ring its bell, which tends to be the highlight of the day. When conditions allow, the museum also gives rides on its speeder, a small motor car that track crews once used to inspect the line. Inside, the HO layout's steam engines chuff along with sound effects through a tiny Mendota.

Children 6 and under get in free, and the family admission makes it easy for a group of siblings. Combining the depot with one of the society's other two museums costs only a little more, and the chance to see a real Amtrak train pull in adds a bonus for train-loving kids.

Plan your visit: tips for Union Depot Railroad Museum

Call (815) 539-3373 to book a tour on a weekday; regular hours are weekends only.
Ask about speeder rides when you arrive, since they depend on conditions.
Buy the two-museum ticket and add the Hume-Carnegie or Breaking the Prairie Museum.
Check an Amtrak schedule if your kids want to see a passenger train stop.
Search for Mendota on the Steel Highway website to watch the crossing live before you go.

The Mendota Museum & Historical Society

The museum is run by the Mendota Museum & Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a volunteer board, a small staff led by Executive Director Alex Revzan, and a station manager, Len Schwemlein. Annual memberships start at $20 for individuals and $25 for families, donations support upkeep and displays, and the society also offers parties and rentals. Its office at 909 Washington Street is open Tuesday to Thursday, 9 am to 3 pm.

Rail stops around Mendota

The Amboy Depot Museum is just 16 miles away, and Rochelle Railroad Park, where you can watch dozens of freight trains a day, is about 26 miles north. For trolley rides, the Fox River Trolley Museum is about 52 miles east. See our map of train museums in Illinois for more.

Every train museum in Illinois

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor of a dad lifting Rally the corgi up the big stairs of a red train car — From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

Kids at Mendota can climb into the cab of a big Burlington steam engine to ring the bell, and those cab steps are steep. That is the exact moment in our book when Rally's little corgi legs can't manage the big train stairs, and Dad gives him a boost. Every family has a Dad, Mom or grandparent doing the boosting. You can read how my mom first dreamed up that scene on our story page.

Free for train families

Print the Rally coloring pages before you go

Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. Tuck a few in a folder with crayons for the drive or the wait for the next train.

Get the free coloring pages

A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.

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Every Amtrak route with kids

Work or volunteer at Union Depot Railroad Museum?

We want this page to be the best introduction to your museum on the web. Send new hours, event dates, corrections or photos to kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com and we will update it. You are welcome to share this page with your members.

Sources

Everything on this page comes from the museum’s own website and social pages and, for history, Wikipedia, checked October 19, 2026.

Union Depot Railroad Museum in Mendota: 20 questions

What are the Union Depot Railroad Museum hours?

As of October 2026, the Union Depot Railroad Museum is open Saturdays and Sundays from 12 pm to 4 pm. Tours at other times are available by appointment; call (815) 539-3373 to arrange one. The building is also an Amtrak waiting room, but museum exhibits follow the weekend schedule.

Where is the Union Depot Railroad Museum in Mendota, IL?

The museum is at 783 Main St. in downtown Mendota, Illinois 61342, in the surviving part of the town's 1888 railroad station. It shares the building with Mendota's Amtrak stop, so it is easy to find. Some listings give 683 Main Street, so use the depot itself as your landmark.

How much does the Union Depot Railroad Museum cost?

As of October 2026, admission to one museum is $5 for adults, $4 for high school students, $3 for ages 7 to 13 and free for ages 6 and under, or $12 for a family. A two-museum ticket is $8 for adults and $20 for families. Equipment tours are included.

Where can I see Union Depot Railroad Museum photos?

The Mendota Museum & Historical Society shares photos on its Facebook page and on Instagram as @mendotamuseum, and its website has pictures of the steam locomotive, the HO layout and the depot. A separate Union Depot Railroad Museum Facebook page also posts updates from the station.

What do Union Depot Railroad Museum reviews say?

Visitors and museum directories highlight the restored 1888 depot, the extensive artifact collection, and the HO layout of old Mendota. The museum's own Facebook page has hundreds of likes and check-ins. Reading recent reviews on Facebook is the best way to get current impressions before you go.

Can you ride a train at the Union Depot Railroad Museum?

The museum offers rides on its speeder, a motor track inspection car, when conditions permit. It does not run passenger excursions, but because the depot is an Amtrak stop, you can catch a real passenger train from the same building. Call (815) 539-3373 to ask whether speeder rides are running.

Can kids climb on the steam engine at the Union Depot Railroad Museum?

Yes. Visitors can ring the bell from the cab of the museum's CB&Q 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotive, a Baldwin-built engine on loan from LaSalle County. Tours of the locomotive and the other cars are included with the museum tour, so ask a volunteer to show you the way up.

What trains are on display at the Union Depot Railroad Museum?

The collection includes a 1923 CB&Q steam locomotive and tender, a 1911 CB&Q wooden waycar, a 1937 Illinois Central mail storage car, a 1949 Golden Trencher dining car, a 1938 Milwaukee Road combine car and a Fairmont motor car. Tours of the equipment are included in admission.

What is the HO model railroad at the Union Depot Railroad Museum?

It is a large HO layout showing Mendota and its grand railroad station in the late 1930s and early 1940s, when up to 40 trains a day served the town. Steam locomotive models with sound effects pull passenger cars, recreating the era of the Illinois Central, CB&Q and Milwaukee Road.

Is the Union Depot in Mendota still an Amtrak station?

Yes. The Union Depot Railroad Museum is an Amtrak station stop, and part of the building serves as a waiting room for passengers. That makes it one of the rare railroad museums where you can watch a real passenger train arrive at the same depot you are touring.

When was the Mendota Union Depot built?

The museum building is what remains of Mendota's grand railroad station, built in 1888. Most of the station was torn down in the early 1940s. When the Mendota Museum & Historical Society acquired the surviving section it was an empty shell, and volunteers restored the ticket office and waiting room.

Who runs the Union Depot Railroad Museum?

The Mendota Museum & Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Horace Hume in May 1993, runs the museum along with the Hume-Carnegie Museum and the Breaking the Prairie Museum. Volunteers did much of the depot's restoration, and a board, staff and station manager keep it going.

Can I watch Mendota trains live online?

Yes. The museum points visitors to the Steel Highway website and YouTube channel, where you can search for Mendota and watch a live stream of the town's railroad crossing. It is a fun way to see trains from home or check activity before a visit.

Is the Union Depot Railroad Museum good for toddlers?

Yes, for most toddlers. Children 6 and under get in free, the HO layout has moving trains with sound effects, and there is a real steam engine with a bell to ring. Ask staff about the cab steps if your little one is very small, and speeder rides depend on conditions.

Can I book a group tour at the Union Depot Railroad Museum?

Yes. The museum offers tours by appointment outside its regular weekend hours. Call the Mendota Museum & Historical Society at (815) 539-3373 to arrange a special tour. The society's office is open Tuesday through Thursday, 9 am to 3 pm, at 909 Washington Street.

Can I have a birthday party at the Union Depot Railroad Museum?

The Mendota Museum & Historical Society offers parties and rentals, listed on its website at mendotamuseums.org. For details on using the depot or another museum for a birthday, call (815) 539-3373 or email mmhsmuseum@yahoo.com to ask about availability and pricing.

Does the Union Depot Railroad Museum have a library?

Yes. The museum keeps an extensive railroad history library alongside its display rooms of railroad artifacts. It is a useful resource for anyone researching the Illinois Central, CB&Q or Milwaukee Road in the Mendota area. Call ahead to ask about research visits.

How do I become a member of the Mendota Museum & Historical Society?

As of October 2026, annual memberships are $2 for students, $20 for individuals, $25 for families, $50 for nonprofits and $100 for businesses, with lifetime levels from $250. Download the membership form at mendotamuseums.org and mail checks to MMHS, PO Box 433, Mendota, IL 61342-0433.

Can I donate to the Union Depot Railroad Museum?

Yes. The Mendota Museum & Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and gratefully accepts donations for upkeep, preservation and displays. It also has an endowment fund. Contact the society at (815) 539-3373 or mmhsmuseum@yahoo.com to give or to ask about volunteering.

What train museums are near Mendota, Illinois?

The Amboy Depot Museum is about 16 miles from Mendota, and Rochelle Railroad Park is about 26 miles away. The Rock Island Railroad Museum in Chillicothe is about 48 miles off, and the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin about 52 miles.

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Kelsey Cecil