Page 18 Museum of Route 66 Lincoln Daily News June/July 2026 see what I did.” She followed him downstairs and to her amazement, he had cut a hole in the wall between the two sections of the basement, and the train was now rolling into that finished section as a part of its routine route. “I said what did you do! You cut a hole in our wall! And he said, ‘it’s not a hole, it’s a tunnel’.” Darlene said from there, the train just continued to grow until it skirted the parameter of the entire basement. In answer to the original question, John Ruh said he felt it was time for the train to have a new home, and besides that, giving the Route 66 train to Lincoln did not mean he was out of the model train business. He said there are other trains in the basement, including a model of the Chicago EL (Elevated Train) that travels close to the ceiling in the basement. He said that he was happy to find someone who wanted the train and would do right by it, giving it a home where the public could still enjoy it. On Friday a lot of the talk in the informal meeting focused on how the city planned to incorporate the train into the museum. McCoy explained that the museum will be a melting of Abraham Lincoln and Route 66, with the greater focus being on Route 66. Ruh said he felt that was appropriate, and reviewed the history of Route 66 and drew a straight line back to Abraham Lincoln. As many Linolnites know, the city of Lincoln was christened by Abraham Lincoln before he ran for president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln was well known in Lincoln and Logan County as a circuit attorney and also the surveyor who outlined the borders of the county and named it Logan after a good friend and fellow politician from southern Illinois. The town of Lincoln was strategically located because of the rail system that was being designed to traverse from Chicago to St. Louis. The new town would be a stop for the train, and A. Lincoln christened the town just feet away from what would be the first train depot for Lincoln the town. When the layout for Route 66 was proposed, the segment that went from Chicago to St. Louis followed the rail, bringing Route 66 to Lincoln in Logan County. Lincoln and Logan County is one of the only places in the state that can draw such a straight line connecting Abraham Lincoln and Route 66. That line gives this community a unique opportunity to attract tourists seeking not only the history of Route 66 but also those who strive to learn more of the life of the nation’s 16th president. "This is an exciting major step for the City of Lincoln and our strategic plan to capitalize on the massive tourism industry,” said McCoy. “This building will become the magnet where we'll give tourists a unique experience. But more importantly, we'll be able to directly showcase our local businesses, hotels, restaurants, and the Community -- and capture those outside tourism dollars." "It was wonderful to have John and Darlene Ruh here today. John's Route 66 model train exhibit will be a focal point of this new attraction. We are thrilled he chose Lincoln as the future home of his one-of-a-kind Route 66 exhibit." [Nila Smith]
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