Maybe it’s their gleaming metal skeletons or the ghostly clouds of steam that accompany them, but something about trains is just spooky. That’s likely part of the reason why they’re the stuff of so many urban legends and ghost stories. It’s also why no fall spent with family in Illinois is complete without a Halloween train ride.
For a good time fit to frighten families of all ages, The Fox River Trolley Museum has your haunted train needs covered. The Fox River Trolley Museum is located at 365 S La Fox St, South Elgin, IL 60177.
*Please note that while this is an annual event, it has been canceled for 2020 due to the pandemic. It should return in 2021.
Fox River Trolley Museum / Facebook The Fox River Trolley Museum’s seasonal spooky train ride, the Ghost Story Train, takes visitors from the depot in South Elgin to the Black Hawk Station Fox River Trolley in the Jon J. Duerr forest preserve.
David Wilson / Flickr
David Wilson / Flickr This Halloween train ride is steeped in history. You’ll find this in the eerie Illinois tales told on the train ride itself, as well as in the setting, ripped from another time. Even if ghosts aren’t your bag, the antique trolleys at the museum are a fascinating slice of the past.
Fox River Trolley Museum / Facebook You and your family will be regaled with unsettling stories, and you’ll do so while touring a truly beautiful stretch of Illinois along the Fox River.
vxla / Flickr
Joseph Gage / Flickr Not only do you and your family get to take the spookier track through a scenic area, but you’ll get decamp to the woods of the Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve for an enchanting and uncanny evening spent around the campfire.
Unfortunately for those who love spooky steam engines, the number of haunted train rides in Illinois has significantly declined over the last decade.
Fox River Trolley Museum / Facebook
The Fox River Trolley Museum’s seasonal spooky train ride, the Ghost Story Train, takes visitors from the depot in South Elgin to the Black Hawk Station Fox River Trolley in the Jon J. Duerr forest preserve.
David Wilson / Flickr
This Halloween train ride is steeped in history. You’ll find this in the eerie Illinois tales told on the train ride itself, as well as in the setting, ripped from another time. Even if ghosts aren’t your bag, the antique trolleys at the museum are a fascinating slice of the past.
You and your family will be regaled with unsettling stories, and you’ll do so while touring a truly beautiful stretch of Illinois along the Fox River.
vxla / Flickr
Joseph Gage / Flickr
Not only do you and your family get to take the spookier track through a scenic area, but you’ll get decamp to the woods of the Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve for an enchanting and uncanny evening spent around the campfire.
Though its haunted train ride is canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fox River Trolley Museum is one of the few remaining places in Illinois that still hosts Halloween train rides at all. Lovers of specters, be sure to show your support; the Fox River Trolley Museum is still open as a museum and would love to host you.
Do you know of hidden gems for ghostly train tours we may have overlooked? What’s your favorite evil engine in Illinois? We love hearing your spooky stories and seeing your photos. Share your thoughts in the comments!
Address: 365 S La Fox St, South Elgin, IL 60177
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