Driving north along I-55 in Illinois, I saw a sign saying “Worlds Largest Covered Wagon” exit 123. What was that? Never heard of it or seen that sign before on my numerous drives back home to Michigan from St. Louis. I quickly googled it and made the impromptu decision to track it down. I love stopping at unique and weird roadside attractions when I’m on a road trip, and this seemed like a perfect one to visit.

History

The covered wagon, Railsplitter, was the brainstorm of David Bentley, who in 2001 was recovering from surgery and thought this would be a great project to occupy his time. Hand-built of steel and oak the wagon stands 25 ft tall and is 40 ft long and 12 ft wide. It was displayed in front of his home until 2007 where it was moved to be on Route 66 in Lincoln. It now is parked on Route 66 at 1750 Fifth St. in the front of the Best Western Lincoln Inn.

Guinness World Records

Yep, the Railsplitter has been awarded the Guinness Worlds Record of Worlds Largest Covered Wagon. The wagon weighs a whopping 10,000 lbs. And the driver is none other than Abraham Lincoln reading a Law book. Good Ole Abe is made of fiberglass and weighs in at 350 pounds and is 12 feet tall. When I visited the cover wasn’t on but, since it is just beginning the summer season, I’m sure it will be out soon.

More Route 66 Attractions in Illinois

There are tons of other attractions to see when you are cruising through Illinois around Lincoln and Logan County. Some of them are the Lincoln Heritage Museum, Bunyon Statue, Route 66 Arcade Museum, Pig Hip Marker, and the Route 66 Log Chapel to name a few. This area of Illinois is ripe with history of Abraham Lincoln’s early footsteps and numerous Route 66 attractions that you definitely will want to spend some time exploring. Come on and take a ride on Route 66.

If you are looking for some more information on roadside attractions or Route 66, check these items out. I make a small commission on these purchases at no cost to you that funds my travels. Thank you for keeping me able to see the world and share it with you!

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Further Reading

If you would like to see more Weird Roadside Attractions or are planning a road trip, check out these posts:

• The Quintessential Summer Road Trip Packing List
• Beautiful Covered Bridges of Bedford County
• Paul Bunyan – Weird Roadside Attraction
• Field of Corn – Weird Roadside Attraction
• Dinosaur Farm – Weird Roadside Attraction
• World’s Largest Ketchup Bottle – Weird Roadside Attraction