The Blackhawk Chapter has an extensive track record of involvement in numerous railroad preservation or railroad-themed community projects throughout Chicagoland and Northern Indiana.

Are you restoring a piece of railroad equipment? Did your ancestors work for the railroad? Want to know more about that railroad running through your town? The Blackhawk Chapter can connect you with the people and resources that will answer your questions.

Click on the links below and see how the Blackhawk Chapter and its members are preserving our area's railroad history:

Working with Local Museums | Documenting Local Railroads | Community Involvement
Working with Writers and the Press | Preserving Railroad Facilities and Equipment

The Blackhawk Chapter was the primary contributor to the Will County Historical Society's exhibit called
“Trains, Trains, Trains” which ran from November 6 to 24, 2007 at their museum in downtown Lockport, Illinois.

This popular exhibit featured displays of model trains, operating layouts, historic railroad photos, and timetables provided by Blackhawk Chapter members, as well as a collection of dining car china and important railroad items from the Will County Historical Society's archives.

Blackhawk Chapter volunteers are currently helping the Will County Historical Society catalog its vast archives of railroad papers and photographs, including many unique and priceless items from the 19th century.

The Blackhawk Chapter participated in the Chicago History Museum's “Railroad Weekend” in October of 2006.

Documenting Local Railroads

The Blackhawk Chapter's exclusive production of
Images of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern, Volumes 1 & 2, two CD-ROMs featuring photographs and drawings from the Blackhawk Chapter archives documenting the railroad that goes “Around, not thru, Chicago.”

The Blackhawk Chapter has also preserved a set of 16mm films of the EJ&E's complete right-of-way, filmed in the early 1970s.

The Blackhawk Chapter produced a reprint of an 1854 book about the organization of the Joliet & Northern Indiana, which later became the Michigan Central's “Joliet cutoff.” This material has been unavailable for over 150 years and provides a rare inside look at America's early railroad era.

The Blackhawk Chapter has also provided historical information to the website for the Old Plank Road Trail, a hiking and biking trail on the right-of-way of this line.

The Blackhawk Chapter's next documentation project will be a look at the Chicago & Western Indiana , most famous for being the owner and operator of Chicago's Dearborn Station. This CD-ROM is expected to be released in early 2008.

The Blackhawk Chapter sponsors an area high school student at the NRHS's popular RailCamp for teens.

The Blackhawk Chapter is one of the few NRHS chapters that provides full scholarships to this popular and influential program.

The Blackhawk Chapter has been involved in numerous depot restoration projects throughout Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. For a closer look at these projects, go to our Preserving Our Depots page.

Blackhawk Chapter members volunteer on
Canadian National/Illinois Central's annual
Santa Train. A holiday tradition for over 30 years, the Santa Train helps bring the Christmas spirit to the communities of Ford, Iroquois and Kankakee counties in rural Illinois.

The Blackhawk Chapter provided archival photographs and historical information to author Gene Glendinning for his monumental book on the complete history of The Chicago & Alton Railroad.

Blackhawk Chapter members have written articles on local railroad subjects for a variety of railfan publications.

For example: Bill Molony's article on the origins of the Rock Island's Blue Island-to-Gresham “Suburban Line” for a 2006 issue of “The Rocket,” the official magazine of the Rock Island Technical Society, documenting the history of this unique passenger-only line.

In addition to the above activities, many individual Blackhawk Chapter members are involved in volunteering at railroad museums, supporting railroad advocacy groups, promotion of the railfan hobby, model railroading and educating the public of the railroads' historical significance and role in today's world.