New rail fan park calls Park Forest home

A new park is calling the neighboring community of Park Forest home. The park is not made up of swings and slides, but rather is a
place for train enthusiasts. The park is a rail fan park, the product of Canadian National's purchase of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad that travels east and west through Park Forest.
In 2009, Canadian National bought the E & J and created a highway cloverleaf interchange. The cloverleaf allows trains to pass through the Chicago land area in approximately four hours as compared to the previous travel time of two to three days. The E & J acquired four acres of land from Park Forest for the project and donated two acres of the undeveloped land back in order to establish the rail fan park, which celebrated the grand opening in July of this year.
The park neighbors the south suburb's well-traveled Old Plank Trial and has become a popular spot for those cycling their way through the area. With CN's assistance, the Village of Park Forest Parks Department was able to build a viewing platform for the park that rests 35 feet above the park and constructed the 500 foot long ramp that enables enthusiasts to access the viewing and informational platform.
The platform hides many secret treasures to the unsuspecting fan. Once atop the park, guests have the opportunity to view the informational signs that allow the viewer to recreate the history of the tracks.
The plant and flora life surrounding the park was carefully selected by Park Forest Recreation and Parks director Rob Gunther to reflect the foliage that would have surrounded the area years ago, in a recreation of past train travelers and fans eye views. In just a few months of the rail fan park opening, viewers can view around 15 trains a day passing through the interchange and is projected to reach approximately 32 by next year. The park is located at the cross section of Homan and North Avenue and any questions can be directed to the Village of Park Forest's Recreation and Parks Department at 708-748-2005.