Railroad Days: An Electric Centennial at Pullman National Historic Park

Railroad Days: An Electric Centennial

Celebrating 100 Years of Electrified Rail & Innovation in Chicago

Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 2026

High Speed Rail Alliance is participating in this year’s Railroad Days at Pullman National Historic Park. Test your train knowledge by playing our trivia game at the STEAM activity fair!

Chicago’s biggest rail-themed event features historic Pullman railcars and a whole weekend of fun to explore.

Step aboard history—and experience the future—at Railroad Days, a family-friendly celebration of trains, technology, and transformation at Pullman National Historical Park.

When the switch was flipped in 1926, Chicago’s who’s who of civic and business leaders celebrated with one of the largest multi-day events in the city’s history. The electrification put Daniel Burnham’s lakefront vision into action, cleaned Chicago’s air, moved commuters faster and more safely than ever, and transformed South Shore service for riders coming in from Northwest Indiana. The Pullman-built cars that powered this new system didn’t just change how people got around — they sparked explosive real estate development across the South Side and southern suburbs, turning prairies into thriving communities.

One hundred years later, presented by Alstom and in cooperation with Metra and the Illinois Railway Museum, these historic cars are coming home. Step aboard the iconic cars and walk through a century of stories.

Explore the deeper Pullman history, venture beyond the tracks on walking tours, and dive into a STEAM fair celebrating a century of electric innovation. Join Chicago broadcasting legend Geoffrey Baer as he talks with former Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo about Chicago’s evolution as the mighty railroad capital of North America (Sunday only). There’s live music sponsored by Goodman Theatre, rides on CPKC’s Puffer Belly Express, face painting, and plenty more to discover.

✅ FREE Activities — No Ticket Needed:

• STEAM fair — a city-wide celebration of a century of electric innovation
• Modern rail & transit exhibits
• Interactive model train exhibits
• Hands-on demos with engineers, historians, artists, and makers
• CPKC ‘s Puffer Belly — ride a model steam locomotive (ADA accessible)
• Historian Ken Schoon on the Pullman story (Greenstone Church, 1 p.m.)
• Broadcasting legend Geoffrey Baer & former Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo discuss the new WTTW show, “Riding the Rails” (Sunday, Greenstone Church, 3 p.m.)
• Live music sponsored in part by Goodman Theatre
• Factory grounds tour — discover what this extraordinary building once made, led by State of Illinois employees
• Arts & maker fair at the Block House Gallery — a free partner event

🎟️ Ticketed Experiences:

🚃 Historic Railcar Tour — Step inside the only surviving 1926 Illinois Central electric commuter cars. Timed entry; specific to your ticketed day and time.

🚶 Three Guided Walking Tours (~20 min. each, valid both days):

• Pullman Neighborhood — America’s most ambitious company town, block by block
• Roaring Pullman — Bootleg stories from from Pullman in the 1920s and ’30s
• Pullman Strike — The 1894 labor uprising that changed American workers’ rights forever