Welcome to the Official Website of the...
Illinois Live Steamers!
40 Years of Friends and
Family
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Illinois Live Steamers!
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Frequently Asked Questions 1.
When was the ILS founded? The
ILS was founded in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago back in 1967 at our present
location in Homer Township. The
club property and adjoining properties were once an apple orchard.
Hence the ILS station name, Orchard Park Station. 2.
How much land does the club have and who owns it? The
club has a total of 7.3 acres consisting of 2 lots, 165 feet wide each.
Not all of the land is usable though, due to the excessive ground
elevation drop at the North end of the property.
The club owns all of this land. 3.
What kind of equipment unloading and moving facilities does the
club have? The club has an
automotive type garage hydraulic hoist that can lift locomotives that weigh as
much as 1500 pounds. The hoist also
doubles as a turntable. The
locomotive steaming bay and service area has a two-level transfer table to
access locomotives stored in the engine house.
The service area has another turntable as well. 4.
Does the club provide equipment storage space for its members? Yes. Members with
locomotives and rolling stock are allowed to store equipment on the club
property as long as storage space is available. 5.
How are locomotives powered?
Locomotives are powered by various means.
Steam locomotives at the ILS are typically fired with coal or propane.
Oil is another fuel used to fire some steam locomotives.
Diesel and electric locomotive models may be gas/hydraulic powered,
gas/hydrostatic powered, battery powered, gas/electric (like real locomotives
today) or some other methods of power transmission (some quite ingenious). 6.
How much track is on the ILS property?
The 4.75" gauge and the 7.5" gauge tracks have approximately
5000-6000 feet of track each. The
elevated 3.5" gauge track to the South is about
600 feet in length. 7.
What is the difference between gauge and scale?
"Gauge" refers to the distance between the rails.
The ILS has three different gauge railroads on the club property.
"Scale" refers to the relative size of the model equipment with
respect to full size trains. "1
inch scale" equipment implies a 1 inch measure on the model equals 12
inches on full sized train equipment. It
is possible that a hobbyist could build a 2.5" scale locomotive to operate
on 7.5" gauge track. This
represents narrow gauge modeling. There
are several examples of this type of modeling at the ILS. 8.
What types of track improvements have been made at the ILS
recently? a)
3.5" Track - the 3.5" track is currently being completely
renovated and upgraded with aluminum rail. b) 4.75" Track - the 4.75" track recently expanded its' station
service tracks and added an Ice House track complete with Ice House and
platform. New heavy duty grade
crossings were recently installed to provide track support when machinery must
cross the 4.75" tracks. Due to its' light weight, this track uses miniature
concrete ties to help hold the track in the ballast. c)
7.5" Track - 7.5" track additions have included a new scissors crossover
located between the station platform and the unloading hoist yard.
Trains can be unloaded and head right to the mainline without going
through the station. The Ice House
Yard was recently replaced and an additional hoist access track installed.
Upgraded grade crossings were installed for heavy equipment access to
various parts of the railroad. 9.
Does the ILS have any type of train operating sessions?
Yes. Once a month from June
through November (weather and participation pending) on the 7.5" railroad,
single track/bi-directional train operations are scheduled using two-way radio
communications so that a dispatcher directs all train movements on the 7.5"
track. At times, there have been as
many as 7 trains on the railroad, plus a yard engine used for train switching. 10.
How many members does the ILS have? The
club roster currently contains almost 120 full dues paying
Regular/Probationary/Emeritus members and 6 Junior members.
There are also approx. 40 Affiliate members on the roster that live more
than 60 miles from the club property. 11.
How much are the club dues and is the club accepting new members?
The ILS is always looking for new members to take part in the hobby and
the club. Membership dues are
currently $14 per month ($168 per year) for Regular members.
New "Probationary" members pay a one-time $50 initiation fee.
New Probationary members do not have to pay their first year dues
commitment all at one time. Various payment alternatives can be arranged (see membership
info package). Junior and Affiliate
member dues are $14 per calendar year. |
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