Rochelle Railroad Park
124 N. 9th St., Rochelle, IL 61068
Parks
Anywhere from 80 to 120 trains pass through Rochelle in a 24 hour period. This has made Rochelle a “hot spot” for train watching, drawing visitors from every state in the nation and world wide.
The Rochelle Railroad Park was created because of the number of visitors who stop to view the 100+ trains that pass through the diamond each day. Rochelle acquired the land east of the diamond in 1995 and constructed a park just for train watching. The park, which was dedicated August 30, 1998, includes a handicapped accessible observation pavilion with various vantage sites for the best visitor viewing and photography.
The park also includes a gift shop, a 7 ton Whitcomb engine and 50 ton Whitcomb engine which were built in Rochelle. There are also handicapped accessible restrooms and a replica of the original 1854 Steel Strap Rail. Visitors can see locomotives from many different railroad companies pass through Rochelle on the Union Pacific and BNSF lines.
