IRM Strahorn Library

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United States
Marengo, IL
IRM Strahorn Library

Open to the public on Wednesday's 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Please check back prior to your visit for any weather-related announcements or holiday closures.

06/06/2026

NEW YORK, NEW HAVEN & HARTFORD RAILROAD'S LOCOMOTIVE NUMBER 3341 New Haven's Mountain Type Locomotive (4-8-2) Number 3341 lays over at Framingham, Massachusetts on June 11, 1949.

Photo By Lawson K. Hill

Courtesy: Mary Jayne Rowe

William Henry Jr Postcard Collection - Illinois Railway Museum Strahorn Library.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of the United States.

The Strahorn Library is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois. It is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).

All materials are available for non-commercial purposes, and according to the “fair use” provision of the U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

06/05/2026

Boston and Maine #1020

Richard L. Weiss Collection.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of the United States.

The Strahorn Library is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois. It is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).

All materials are available for non-commercial purposes, and according to the “fair use” provision of the U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

06/04/2026

Galesburg & Great Eastern #3 2-8-2. 5/8/1952

Richard L. Weiss Collection.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of the United States.

The Strahorn Library is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois. It is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).

All materials are available for non-commercial purposes, and according to the “fair use” provision of the U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

06/03/2026

Soo Line #458 2-8-0 circa 1950

Richard L. Weiss Collection.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of the United States.

The Strahorn Library is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois. It is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).

All materials are available for non-commercial purposes, and according to the “fair use” provision of the U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

06/02/2026

Central Vermont's Texas Type Locomotive (2-10-4) Number 707 pounds Southbound at Randolph, Vermont in August of 1953. These massive Locomotives operated between St. Albans and White River Junction. Steam Operation lasted into 1956 on the Central Vermont Railway.

Photo By David Bartlett

Courtesy: Mary Jayne Rowe

William Henry Jr Postcard Collection - Illinois Railway Museum Strahorn Library.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of the United States.

The Strahorn Library is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois. It is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).

All materials are available for non-commercial purposes, and according to the “fair use” provision of the U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

06/01/2026

#10 The 1955 Topps "Rails and Sails" Trading Card Collection features a comprehensive visual and textual history of railroad transportation. Produced by Topps Chewing Gum, Inc., this series highlights significant locomotives, specialized freight and passenger cars, and streetcars from various eras and international locations. Each card includes a color illustration on the obverse and technical specifications, historical context, and railroad trivia on the reverse.

Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. (T.C.G.) Founded in 1938 in Brooklyn, New York, Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. became a dominant force in the American trading card industry. While best known for revolutionizing baseball cards in the early 1950s, the company simultaneously produced numerous educational and non-sports card series. The 1955 "Rails and Sails" set, bearing the T.C.G. copyright, is a prime example of their mid-century strategy to appeal to transportation enthusiasts and youth through engaging trivia, technical statistics, and vibrant illustrations.

Wally Weart Topps "Rails & Sails" Trading Card Collection at the Illinois Railway Museum Strahorn Library.

The Strahorn Library is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois. It is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).

All materials are available for non-commercial purposes, and according to the “fair use” provision of the U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

05/31/2026

St. Clair Tunnel Company #152 at Sarnia, Ontario 7/20/1955

Richard L. Weiss Collection.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of the United States.

The Strahorn Library is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois. It is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).

All materials are available for non-commercial purposes, and according to the “fair use” provision of the U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

05/30/2026

A Union Pacific business car is shown attached to an Amtrak train somewhere in the greater Chicago area. The picture, from May 1994, is part of the Kroeger collection at the Illinois Railway Museum’s Strahorn Library.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of North America. It is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois, is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).\

All materials are provided only for non-commercial purposes according to the “fair use” provision of U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

[Source: Kroeger 024-142, Strahorn Library, Illinois Railway Museum.]

05/29/2026

Union Pacific 9476 is a C40-8W. She is shown here at West Chicago in June 1997 in a photograph that is part of the Kroeger collection at the Illinois Railway Museum’s Strahorn Library.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of North America. It is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois, is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).\

All materials are provided only for non-commercial purposes according to the “fair use” provision of U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

[Source: Kroeger 024-064, Strahorn Library, Illinois Railway Museum.]

05/27/2026

Union Pacific 8088 is an SD90. We aren’t sure of either the location or the date of this photo from the Kroeger collection at the Illinois Railway Museum’s Strahorn Library but it is almost certainly somewhere in the greater Chicago area.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of North America. It is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois, is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail ([email protected]), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).\

All materials are provided only for non-commercial purposes according to the “fair use” provision of U.S. Copyright Law which permits use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

[Source: Kroger 024-047, Strahorn Library, Illinois Railway Museum.]

Address

118 E Washington Street
Marengo, IL
60152

Opening Hours

10am - 2:30pm

Telephone

+18155681060

Website

https://www.librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary

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