Model Train News- Railroad hotel may become museum

FORREST -- Railroad enthusiasts take note: People in Forrest plan to restore the closed Forrest Railroad Hotel as a museum and turn an old Norfolk-Western depot and railroad turntable into a park.

Members of The Forrest Historical Society have been meeting with designers and reviewing plans that they hope will emphasize the community's rich railroad history. The best ideas will be compiled and presented to the community in a meeting sometime next month, but the meeting hasn't been set yet.

In addition to restoring the hotel to how it looked in the 1920s and '30s, historical society members hope to refurbish the depot, a caboose and a railroad turntable.

"The turntable will be the biggest draw," said historical society member Karen Mueller. "It's one of only two turntables in Illinois. It is a real piece of history. The ultimate dream is to get it running so people could see how it turned the train around."

The idea of honoring Forrest's railroad heritage goes back many years.

Forrest used to be a layover spot and a major hub for freight being shipped from Decatur, St. Louis and Chicago, Sanders said. The north-south Norfolk-Western Railway line through Forrest ceased operations in the 1990s.

Bill Miller, a retired Norfolk-Western engineer and train memorabilia collector, purchased the hotel and operated it for many years as a museum, said Forrest Mayor Richard Sanders. It was a regular attraction for grade school field trips.

He had an extensive collection of model trains and railroad memorabilia, including a small steam train that he would drive with the students. Most of his collection was lost in a flood in 1984, but he gave the remaining items and the hotel to the village when he died 10 years ago.

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