Shay 5 wyes at IRM before pulling the caboose train.

Shay 5 reverses the caboose train past Spaulding Tower.

Shay #5 and Frisco 1630 steam up side by side at the IRM yesterday. The 26th of May, 2019, marked the first day of public service for the Shay, as well as the first day of the IRM operating a two-... (more)

Shay #5 makes its debut public run past the Olson Road semaphores at the IRM.

Shay #5 rests during Labor Day weekend night ops at IRM.

J. Neils Lumber Company 5, the Illinois Railway Museum's Shay, is almost ready for service for the first time since 1999 following an extensive rebuild effort. On July 15th it was spotted in front... (more)

J. Neils Lumber Shay No. 5 being worked on by volunteers inside the IRM steam shop.

J. Neils Lumber Shay No. 5 is in the final stages of restoration inside the IRM steam shop. Once a staple of the operating fleet, the Shay hasn't been under steam in nearly two decades.

Late afternoon light fills the Illinois Railway Museum steam shop where J. Neils Lumber #5 is the current focus of rebuilding efforts. Flues have recently been reinstalled, to be followed later t... (more)

Dreamers: In 2012, a steam locomotive restoration takes a lot of time, money and talent to get done. Far too often restoration efforts flounder due to a lack of one of these things. But the... (more)