Little Toot Railroad

Little Toot Railroad TICKETS: $5.00 one trip
$7.50 two trip special (most popular)

07/26/2026

The railroad is closed for the remainder of the day due to the heat index reaching over 110 degrees.

The interior workings of the signal system.....this was just an empty box when I started.
07/22/2026

The interior workings of the signal system.....this was just an empty box when I started.

07/22/2026

When you own a railroad you have to wear alot of hats. You need to be a mechanic, a carpenter, welder, machinist, pipe fitter, and electrician. This is just one of the things we have been working on.The crossing signals are now functioning on a new solar powered system just like the full sized railroads are.

07/21/2026

The railroad is up and running!!!
Come see us this weekend!

The hours are:
SATURDAYS from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
SUNDAYS from noon until 4 p.m.

Thanks Everyone!

Sorry folks, the railroad will not be opening this weekend as we planned. Unfortunately we have some railroad crossings ...
06/05/2026

Sorry folks, the railroad will not be opening this weekend as we planned. Unfortunately we have some railroad crossings we need to repair before we can get our permit to operate.

I have been working on track and blowing leaves all day. In the process I accidentally evicted this guy. Note to self......
05/30/2026

I have been working on track and blowing leaves all day. In the process I accidentally evicted this guy. Note to self......install a turtle crossing.

So many people really enjoyed the story of Cactus Rose last week! I sent off the black & white photos for colorization a...
05/30/2026

So many people really enjoyed the story of Cactus Rose last week! I sent off the black & white photos for colorization and here are some that I got back in color. Several attempts were made and the two that I believe are closest are the one with the little boy where Rosie is green and red, but I believe the red was actually yellow based on some traces of yellow paint around the headlight. But, the one in black and white that has different colors of marks is what I believe to be closest. Dark green with yellow nose and sides, accented by red stripes , with "Cactus Rose" lettered on the nose in what I would call a peach color. I am still waiting on that colorization to come back to me. Anyway, fun stuff!

05/30/2026

The bad news....the railroad will again not be open this weekend.. The good news? We should be issued our permit to operate this week and Sat June 5th the railroad will open and remain open for the rest of the season. Woo hoo!

The story of "Cactus Rose" . Way back in 1939 a gentleman in Pueblo Colorado decided to build a train. During WW2 he got...
05/25/2026

The story of "Cactus Rose" . Way back in 1939 a gentleman in Pueblo Colorado decided to build a train. During WW2 he got the project rolling. Being wartime, many things were in short supply including the all important primary material needed....steel. He managed to cobble it together using fenders from a Dodge truck, a 90 hp 6 cylinder flathead engine from a Studebaker truck,
Rear end drives from a Ford tandem truck from the 30s and whatever components he could scavenge. Once he got it built he sold it to an amusement park very well know in Denver, called Elitch Gardens. The park would eventually become Six Flags Denver. Around 2007 the train was saved from the scrapper
and offered for sale. I bought "Rosie" with the intent of restoring her to operational condition.
She is appealing because she is a monstrous locomotive and could probably pull every car we own. Now after almost 20 years, I pulled her out of storage and have made the first steps to getting her back pulling trains. Essentially the frame, body, and running gear will be saved. She will receive a more modern engine and drivetrain...along with a working air brake system. "Rosie" is one of 3 diesel engines built by Bill Daney. One was consumed in a fire, Rosie resides with us, and the third engine is owned by the City of Pueblo Colorado and it still operates in the city park. I have traveled to Pueblo, riden behind it and had the chance to look at it's mechanics compared to Rosie's. Enjoy the pics of Rosie
when she was in service at Elitch's in 1946, her current state, and a single pic of her sister at work in the Pueblo park to give an impression of what is in store for "Rosie".

05/25/2026

Hope everyone is happy in a good weekend. Us? Well we have been mowing, killing weeds, fixing things, shop cleaning. Never a lack of things to do.

Address

255 Lake Road
Flora, IL
62839

Opening Hours

Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

+16186628040

Website

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