At the time, it was a revolutionary product for farmers with small acreage or gardeners with big plots.

It was the David Bradley Walk Behind Tractor, sold from 1946 through 1968. Thousands were manufactured at the Bradley plant in Kankakee County. That town was originally founded as North Kankakee, but was renamed Bradley as part of the lure to bring the factory here.

The Walk Behind Tractor was smaller and more cost-effective than the regular model. You held onto both ends of a handlebar as the tractor propelled itself and chugged along. You could buy one for $294.95 out of a Sears Catalogue.

The tractor was also a type of do-all, handy gadget. You could purchase 27 different attachments and use it to blow snow or saw wood.

Production of the particular item ended in 1968. Bradley Roper ended Kankakee County manufacturing altogether in 1983. Today, you can still find the tractor and parts for it on eBay. Much of the plant burned in 1986, but a section of it remains as a business incubator.

The tractor and the Bradley heritage are celebrated in the 17th historic car offered by the Kankakee Model Railroad Club. Proceeds help keep the Kankakee Railroad Museum open. Located in the northern end of the Kankakee train station, the museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The train car is available on two road numbers, 917575, which was the model number of the tractor, and 9122025, signifying Sept. 12, 2025 (meaning this year’s car). You can buy it as a kit for $30 if you are adept with glue and a small screwdriver, or buy it already assembled for $35. The models are made by Accurail, an Illinois firm located in Elburn. Assembly is by a local club member.

The tractor came in several color schemes over the years. The car commemorates the most popular paint combination, which was bright green with red.

Terms are cash or check. No charges. If you are having it shipped, add $10 for shipping and handling. Send to: Kankakee Railroad Museum, 197 S. East Ave., Kankakee, Illinois, 60901. Most sales are local, but some are sold across the country through an announcement in Model Railroader magazine.

The cars will run on your HO layout. Some people just buy them as a piece of local history. Cars have commemorated area businesses. Once the allotment of 200 is sold, the piece is retired.

Most of the cars over the years have “sold out.” Gone, except for collectors, are, for example, the cars for Radeke Brewery, Bear Brand socks, Shaeffer Pianos and others.

Still available are the orange A.O. Smith boxcar from 2024; the white Florence Stove boxcar from 2023 and the red Lehigh Stone gondola from 2022. There are six cars left of the grey Daily Journal boxcar.

Next year’s car has already been selected. In 2026, a gondola will celebrate Kankakee Tile and Brick, which was located near today’s Kankakee Junior High.

Staffed by volunteers from the club, the museum features operating model train layouts and Kankakee County and train history.

There is an O-scale layout. O scale is the size made popular by Lionel trains. O layouts often circled around Christmas trees. There is an Illinois Central train in the eye-pleasing chocolate brown livery at the museum. It passes a miniature Kankakee school bus.

HO (Half O scale) is the size of the produced cars and the scale used by most model enthusiasts today. The Kankakee Fire Station on Entrance Avenue is a cardstock kit on the HO layout at the museum, along with the now Wilmington Rocket Man, the Gemini Giant of Route 66 fame. N scale, smaller than HO, also has a layout, which includes a replica of the Shapiro Developmental Center clock tower.

Tours of the museum are $2 for adults. Children 12 and under are free, but must be accompanied by an adult. The museum gets a few more visitors during the Christmas season. There is no charge to go in and buy the car.

The museum also includes visits inside a 1947 Santa Fe Pullman car and a 1967 Union Pacific caboose outdoors. A separate building, also included, holds a restored Kankakee trolley.

The main museum is packed with historic railroad memorabilia. There is a collection of railroad china, plates, cups and saucers once used aboard dining cars. Exhibits include the schedule board from the Big Four station, which stood on Kankakee’s North Side, the uniform from a City of Miami train stewardess and a map of the Illinois Central system.