The event will be the 3rd annual RPO catch at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union (McHenry Co.) Il. The IRM is the largest railway museum in the country with over 400 pieces of rolling stock of every type from horse cars, interurbans, diesels to steam locomotives and all types of passenger and freight cars. The campus consists of over 80 acres and a 5 mile long demonstration railroad on the right-of-way of the former Elgin and Belvidere interurban. They run parallel to the Union Pacific which was the original Galena & Chicago Union. The G&CU was the first line built west from Chicago and became part of the Chicago and North Western, the "Pioneer Railway" of Chicago. You may find out more at: www.irm.org

In 2007, IRM installed a mail crane in order to demonstrate RPO orerations. We will be using CB&Q RPO# 1923, a 74' car built in 1914 by American Car and Foundry. This event is growing and will have a special cancel and cachets, just like a stamp show! The covers will be picked up on the fly and cancelled in the RPO. We have been promised at least one catch , which we are really looking forward to.

MPOS will have a table and will exhibit RPO artifacts including postmarks, a practice case, maps, schemes, mail bags and badges. We will have 6 or 8 exhibit frames with covers of local interest. We will have publications available and hope to recruit some members.

Admission to the museum is $12.00 for adults and $8.00 for children. Admission includes unlimited train rides on diesel, interurban, and street car trains. Much of the collection is indoors with two miles of track indoors! Rain or shine you can easily spend all day at IRM.

Of course, we need some help at the table from MPOS members new and old!

See an article with color photos of the 2007 enactment of this event.

Illinois RR Cover #1
Illinois RR Cover #2
Illinois RR Cover #3
Illinois RR Cover #4