MUSEUM OF GRAND PRAIRIE

MAHOMET, IL

Wild in Wildlife Unique, rare, or otherwise odd leaders can be found on any train on any railroad, really, but there are few times when something special appears on the last of the roadrailers. NS256 is one of only two surviving roadrailer trains, and it is almost always headed by NS AC44C6M rebuilds, however this time we got something a bit special. The BNSF Fakebonnet 751 took the charge of the eastbound roadrailer, which was a real treat. With the longevity of these two roadrailer trains heavily in question these days, getting a fun leader like this made for a nice change of pace. The faded red and purple henbit in a field near Sidney are a nice change of the usual black and white of the NS-led Triple Crowns. A fine treat for sure.
Wild in Wildlife Credit: Leo Blackwelder

The Museum of Grand Prairie in Mahomet, Illinois is dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the history, culture, and natural resources of Central Illinois. The museum, which opened in 1984, is housed in a former school building that was constructed in 1904.

The museum offers a variety of permanent and changing exhibits which tell the story of the area, from its Native American origins to its settlement by Europeans in the early 19th century and subsequent development over the years. Permanent exhibits include a replica of a one-room schoolhouse, a recreated prairie landscape, and a scaled model of the original town of Mahomet. Changing exhibits often focus on specific aspects of the local history and culture, such as farming, transportation, and industry.

The museum also houses an extensive research library, which contains documents and publications related to Central Illinois history. The library is open to the public for research and reference purposes. The museum also offers a variety of educational programs, including field trips, lectures, and workshops.

In addition to its educational and research resources, the Museum of Grand Prairie also serves as a cultural center, hosting community events such as music concerts, art exhibitions, and theatrical performances. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and admission is free.

MUSEUM OF GRAND PRAIRIE is a Uncategorized or General Museum in MAHOMET IL. US MID #8401700107

The museum is classed as GMU (Uncategorized or General Museums). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin).

Wild in Wildlife Unique, rare, or otherwise odd leaders can be found on any train on any railroad, really, but there are few times when something special appears on the last of the roadrailers. NS256 is one of only two surviving roadrailer trains, and it is almost always headed by NS AC44C6M rebuilds, however this time we got something a bit special. The BNSF Fakebonnet 751 took the charge of the eastbound roadrailer, which was a real treat. With the longevity of these two roadrailer trains heavily in question these days, getting a fun leader like this made for a nice change of pace. The faded red and purple henbit in a field near Sidney are a nice change of the usual black and white of the NS-led Triple Crowns. A fine treat for sure.
Twilight of the District The sun sets on another NS D36 and former Wabash H5 searchlights just north of Bement, IL. NS3395 and NS7000 command todays Bloomington-Decatur local with its myriad of freight, from plain old junk scrap iron to brand new Rivian trucks. Catching 3395 on the head here was one of the last times I've seen a mostly unmolested EMD lead. SD60Es have completely taken over the entire district at present, making it hard to muster up interest to go and shoot. Things change on the regular of course, but it feels a bit bleak looking at the district anymore. The antennae, lost elevators, loss of the 6173, and just generally bad timing for these trains to get moving does quite a number on ones desire to go out and view it. I know I'm late to the party, most places got this treatment and even worse - at least we have the old searchlights - but its no fun to watch a real gem of a rail line become cloudy and scuffed. It's truly just the way it goes with modern day railroading. I wonder what the future holds here.
Meet n' Greet The ever elusive NS roadrailers, the 255 and 256, always have to meet somewhere on their treks between Detroit and Kansas City. It's fairly common for them to meet somewhere between Decatur and Lafayette, though it's always hard to predict where. Sometimes, however, you get a little luck. NS 256, eastbound to Detroit, was put into the hole at Unity-Siding siding. A westbound manifest passed by shortly after, and then we were treated to the westbound 255 passing as well. To our surprise, the 255 began to slow way down and then came to a halt at Unity on the main. What a treat. Naturally, as the 255 slowed, we had to snatch some glamour shots of the two sets of Triple Crown trailers side by side. The location and timing was just perfect, and boy did we take that to our full advantage. Here, 255 is still moving, but very slowly to be sure. It would stop just a few more trailer lengths later. Not a photo opportunity you get to have often! Lots more out of this set to come later.
Tucked Away The Humko Job has been going daily for many, many years, though isn't one that's often photographed. Typically a pair of Geeps, it can always be found serving Kraft and neighbouring warehouse Monday to Friday, though when it heads back to serve Plastipak and/or Prairie Materials is less rigid. As a result, not many snap shots of Humko outside of the yard, diamond, or by Kraft. Hidden between the eastbound and westbound bridges of the beginning of I-72, this small wooden trestle carries the Humko across it when it does come back to access Plastipak/Prairie. It's a location that is by no means difficult to get to, but not convenient, so it is oft-forgotten by railfans seeking photos of the usual pair of Geeps. It's a spot I've been meaning to shoot for ages, but just never had the chance. This time, however, I did have a chance as the train was taking some extra time to grab their caboose before heading back to Kraft after having set out limestone loads at Prairie Materials. A bit of a jog down the path later and I was there. The path does go right under the bridge, and there isn't much clearance! I'm not super tall, about average height, and my the top of my head only just clears it. I imagine a few people have probably hit their head on it by now! GTW5846 & GTW4906 pull the R902 "Humko Job" today, though they have since been split up.
The Little Things NS 50G hauls its Gibson City grain loads south past the old Wabash H5 dwarf at Lodge, IL. These dwarf signals were installed originally as just the single H5 head on the ground, but later on were retrofitted with the HC-33 lamp atop it. This allowed the signal to display a lunar, making some very interesting indications you can still see today - though not commonly. Today, it's dark as nothing is on the siding, but it's a wonderful piece of Wabash history on this old line.
Resurgence NS 256, the Detroit-bound roadrailer, surprised us with a nice fakebonnet-styled treat not long ago. We were also treated to CN dispatch taking over the Tolono diamond for a few trains, forcing the 256 to stop on the west side of said diamond. Enough time for me to head east and find a spot for a photo, and enough time for a buddy to come down and join me for it. At CP Unity on the Lafayette District, BNSF751 leads our ever-elusive roadrailer through empty fields and the shattered remains of codeline. The henbit that cover some of the fields make for an interesting contrast with the very out of place fakebonnet unit to say the least!
Lost Connection CN A407 is still very consistently handled by the former IC SD70s, and that was no exception when I happened upon them in Tolono. I was on the search for roadrailers that day, in actual fact, but I couldn't resist another opportunity to snatch some more Illinois Central power. IC1038 and IC1036 have the honours today. Our sightline here is from the now cut CN-NS connector at Tolono. NS still stuffs cars on these tracks sometimes, but no longer can either company transfer cars or power using this connection. It's been like this for a while now, but it's always a shame to see infrastructure get torn up. Even though traffic doesn't necessitate the connector now, maybe one day in the future it will. Who knows.
End in Sight Just north of Bement, the final and southernmost searchlight on the Bloomington District can be found right beside a crossing. Based on some older track charts, this signal used to be located about a quarter mile to the south and had previously been two masts, one on each side of the track. These, installed back in 1959, were moved and apparently combined into the single-mast intermediate we know here today as the Bement Intermediate during the signal updates in the early 2000s, around 2003-04 for signals south of Mills including this. All of the intermediates remaining on this line saw similar changes around the same period. Snapping a shot of this signal can be a tough one for southbounds thanks to how close it is to the crossing. But, careful timing and a little crop can work wonders to make sure no remnants of the crossing signals remains in-frame. NS D36, led by 3395 and 6936, comes flying down the last miles of the Bloomington District. They'll rejoin the Lafayette District in Bement itself and head on to Decatur, where they will be done for the day.
Real or Fake? In the span of one week, two fakebonnets lead the elusive roadrailers through central Illinois. I was on the other side of the world when the first one happened, but the day after landing back in America after a very nice week abroad with the wife and some great live music, I got the heads up we had a very special 256 headed our way. Suffice to say, even though I was severely jetlagged still, I was interested. Just west of Sadorus, NS256 comes flying by, led by BNSF751. Though a little grimy and a bit faded, this fakebonnet still looks pretty sharp - not as sharp as a real warbonnet, but still pretty slick. I've also never shot either a fake nor warbonnet so this was a nice first - and to get it on roadrailers? A very handy thing. While I was overseas, the rumour of the imminent end of roadrailers once again sprouted, though this one suggested they would end literally days later, on Easter. Turns out it was a traffic lull for the holiday. Now others say it'll be the end in a few weeks from now, or a few months, or... Who the hell knows. Fakebonnet leader is still cool though!
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Contact MUSEUM OF GRAND PRAIRIE

MUSEUM OF GRAND PRAIRIE
600 N LOMBARD
MAHOMET
IL
61853

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MUSEUM OF GRAND PRAIRIE Information

MID # 8401700107
Name MUSEUM OF GRAND PRAIRIE
Alternate Name
Classification Uncategorized or General Museums, , Midwest
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
NTEECC
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)
INCOME 0
REVENUE 0
LAT/LONG 40.204703, -88.394665
CODES FIPS State Code: 17
FIPS County Code: 019
US Census Tract: 010601
US Census Block: 1033