Rails Around Train Guy Show

08/28/2026

What a cool event! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

08/23/2026

This week’s excerpt of my next book, Rails Around Northern Illinois, is from Chapter Six, which covers the Milwaukee Road’s D&I mainline across Illinois from the Mississippi River at Savanna to Davis Junction and Chicago, including a detour on the Ladd line: “With a crew change complete, Milwaukee Road SD40-2 #182 eases away from the platform at the Savanna depot on April 17, 1985. The Soo Line purchased the Milwaukee Road two months earlier on February 19, but it would stay a separate entity until January 1, 1986. (Mike Abalos photo, KG watermark does not appear in the book.)

Rails Around Northern Illinois will be released in October 2026, featuring over 1000 all-color images in 360 pages, covering every major railroad in Illinois north of present-day I-80. From now until release date, the advance purchase price is $64.95 plus $10 USPS shipping. After release, the price is 69.95 plus shipping. Order your autographed copy today!

https://michaelckelly.net/?page_id=8774

08/18/2026

A worthy cause!

Railroads Helping Railroads: One Day for Whitewater

Last week, our friends at the Whitewater Valley Railroad were hit by catastrophic flooding. When something like this happens, the railroad preservation community has an opportunity to come together and help one of our own.

The Monticello Railway Museum and the Monticello Railway Museum Foundation in Monticello, Illinois are launching the Railroads Helping Railroads: One Day for Whitewater Challenge. We are committing one day of our ticket revenue to support the Whitewater Valley Railroad and their recovery efforts and we're challenging other railroad museums, tourist railroads and preservation organizations across the country to join us.

The idea is simple: pick one operating day and donate that day's ticket revenue to the Whitewater Valley Railroad's recovery efforts. Whether your organization carries 50 passengers or 500, every ticket can help make a difference.

Historic railroading survives because people step up when they're needed. We may preserve different equipment, operate in different communities and tell different stories, but we're all part of the same preservation family.

The Monticello Railway Museum and the Monticello Railway Museum Foundation are in. Who's next? Choose a day, join the challenge and help us show what the railroad preservation community can accomplish when we come together. Let's see how far down the tracks we can take this.

If you would like to make an individual donation to help the Whitewater Valley Railroad with their flood recovery efforts, you can donate here:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/whitewater-valley-railroad-flood-relief

08/10/2026

My next book, Rails Around Northern Illinois, will feature a lot of action in and around Chicago, with views such as this which aren’t always as recognizable today. On October 7, 1977, Rock Island’s Peoria Rocket departs LaSalle with just two coaches. The Rock Island would discontinue the train the following year, with the last run on December 31, 1978. This view is impossible today, with the tracks surrounded by development including apartments and a Target, giving the Metra right of way the appearance of running through an alley. (Richard Koenig)

The book will be released October 2026 and is available here: https://michaelckelly.net/?page_id=8774

07/26/2026

Stay 🥶 my friends!

From Chapter Five: The CGW cross the Fox River in St Charles on a six-span, five-pier plate-girder bridge north of the downtown area. Eastbound train #192 is captured crossing the bridge in January 1968 behind six F-units. The Great Western Trail now occupies the span. (Terry Norton)

There are more fantastic shots like this of the Chicago Great Western in Chapters Five and Seven of Rails Around Northern Illinois! The book is due out first week of October, 2026. You can order your copy now at the pre-release price of $64.95 (plus USPS). Order today!

https://michaelckelly.net/?page_id=8774

07/25/2026

Day 2! Come on by!

07/24/2026

Come by and say hi!

07/20/2026

Union Pacific 4014 passing through Kirkwood on its way back home to Wyoming