City of Joliet issued the following announcement on July 18.
On September 15 and 16, 2018 a time machine will arrive in downtown Chicago. The Joliet Rocket, the only mainline, steam-powered railroad excursion in the Midwest, will operate four trips between Joliet and LaSalle Street Station.
Operated in a partnership with Metra, the first-class Joliet Rocket trips will be powered by an authentic 1940s steam locomotive and recreate the Golden Era of railroad travel. The train will pass through New Lenox, Tinley Park, Oak Forest, Midlothian and Blue Island, retracing the route of the Rock Island Railroad’s premiere “Rocket trains” from the 1930s.
Accommodations aboard The Joliet Rocket include vintage passenger cars from 1930s, 40s and 50s, including first class and dome cars unique to the period. Tickets are on sale now at https://fortwaynerailroad.org and by phone at 1-888-718-4253. Group rates and corporate discounts are available and tickets start at $139.00. As part of each four-hour trip, the train will depart downtown Joliet, Illinois and arrive at a special reception at LaSalle Street Station where passengers will enjoy specially prepared food by North Island Catering, craft cocktails provided by the Violet Hour, photo opportunities, World War II reenactors and live musical entertainment by the Gatsby Gang Jazz Band and Farmland Jazz Band.
The trains will be operated by world-renown steam locomotive No. 765, which has been used in excursion and public exhibition service since being restored and operated by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society in 1979. Constructed in 1944 for the Nickel Plate Railroad, the 765 is one of a handful of operating mainline steam locomotives in the United States. Through the Society’s annual events and operations, the 765 offers immersive, educational experiences to thousands each year.
The inaugural 2017 Joliet Rocket trips hosted over 2,500 people, including passengers from over 30 states, and had an economic impact of over half a million dollars.
Original source can be found here.
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