Freight Car Roster
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has a number of freight cars of varying types in its collection. Many of these cars had long careers on their respective railroads hauling freight for decades before finally finding their way into our collection. Freight cars represent the "Building of America".
Wabash Box Car No. 49114
This box car was assigned to the Studebaker plant in South Bend, Indiana and was used to haul new automobiles. Wabash boxcar no. 49114 was built in the 1920s and is a single-sheathed, wood-sided car with a steel underframe. The box car was delivered to our museum on July 30, 1993.
Nickel Plate Road Box Car No. 15797
Built in 1937 by General American Car and has carried the number 15797 its entire career. This box car was built to the Association of American Railroads standard design. Norfolk Southern donated the car to the City of Orland Park, Illinois. Bill Vogel donated the car to our museum in May of 1994.
Norfolk & Western Box Car No. 515202
Built by Ralston Car Company in February 1937 as Norfolk & Western no. 54880. The car was converted to maintenanace-of-way service in 1972. N&W 54880 was donated to our museum by Norfolk Southern in September of 1989.
Norfolk & Western Hopper Car No. 40639
Built in June of 1959 by the Norfolk & Western as no. 40639. This Class H10 3-bay hopper has a 70-ton capacity and is typical of hopper cars used in the 1950s. The car was later renumbered N&W 546864. The hopper was donated to our museum by Norfolk Southern in February of 1994.
Nickel Plate Road Gondola No. 45622
This open-top gondola was constructed as a Wheeling & Lake Erie 45500-series car in 1946. The gondola became the property of the Nickel Plate Road with the same number series after the leasing of the W&LE by the NKP. After the NKP merger with the Norfolk & Western, the gondola became property of N&W and was rebuilt in May of 1965. This car was donated to our museum by Norfolk Southern in February of 1994.
Nickel Plate Road Flat Car No. 1946
Built as Wheeling & Lake Erie no. 1946 by Standard Steel Car in 1926. This car was coverted to haul piggyback trailers in 1956 or '57. The flat car was donated to our museum by Norfolk Southern and arrived on April 4, 1998. The museum converted the car into an open-air sightseeing car for use on our tourist trains.
WCHX Tank Car No. 1114
WCHX tank car no. 1114 was built by the American Car and Foundry in July of 1919. This tank car was originally Palace Poultry Tank Car (PTCX) no. 1103. Then it was WCHX and was later sold to Animal Byproducts of New Carlisle, Indiana. The tank car was donated to our museum by ABP in July 1993.
CSS&SB Flat Car No. 18010
Built in 1968 for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad as their no. 13833. The flat car later went to the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad and became CSS no. 18010. The flat car is 60 feet long and is rated for 100 tons. It was donated by the South Shore in the summer of 2008.
Chicago & North Western Box Car No. 284
Chicago & North Western box car no. 284 was built by Pullman Standard in Michigan City, Indiana, on October 27, 1953. It served the C&NW until it was retired and sold to Lawrence Foods of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, in 1983. Lawrence Foods donated the box car to our museum in April of 2010.
MDT Refrigerator Car No. 14070
Built in August of 1958 as NRC no. 20063, this refrigerated car was donated to our museum by Merchants Despatch Transportation and arrived on April 8, 1995.
MDT Refrigerator Car No. 13385
Built by the Pacific Car & Foundry in October of 1956, this refrigerator car (or reefer) was used to haul perishable food items. The car was cooled by ice that was placed through hatches on top of the car. The reefer was donated to our museum by MDT and arrived on April 1, 1995.
Trailer Train Flat Car No. 475037
This flat car was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the Altoona, Pennsylvania, shops in 1951. It was originally part of the PRR's 475300 series and is unique because it has a cast steel frame. Trailer Train purchased 86 of these cars from the PRR. TTX donated the car to the museum in June of 1989.
Trailer Train Flat Car No. 479727
Built in March of 1960 by Pullman Standard, this flat car was used in piggyback service - hauling truck trailers around the country. It is a class F85b flat car. Trailer Train donated the car to the museum in June 1989.
Norfolk & Western Box Car No. 556001
This box car was built by General American Car in 1937 as Nickel Plate Road no. 15979. This box car was built to a standard AAR design. After the NKP merger with Norfolk & Western, the car was renumbered to N&W 556001 and coverted to maintenance-of-way service. The car was donated to our museum by Norfolk Southern in August of 1989.
Penn Central Box Car No. 153177
Penn Central box car no. 153177 is a 50-foot car built in July of 1935. It was orginally built as Pennsylvania Railroad no. 607627. The car was donated to our museum by Conrail in March of 1994.
Nickel Plate Road Flat Car No. 2733
Built by Bethlehem at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1936. NKP flat car no. 2733 has Andrews trucks that were removed from the 99350 to 99449 series of hopper cars. Norfolk Southern donated the car to our museum and it arrived on April 3, 1998.
NKP Camp Car no. X58538
Nickel Plate Road kitchen car no. X58538 was orginally built as Wheeling & Lake Erie box car no. 25310 in 1925 by Standard Steel Car. The W&LE was leased by the NKP in December of 1949 and the car became NKP no. 25310. It was converted to a camp car status in June 1963 and later became Norfolk & Western no. 558538. This car was donated to the museum by Norfolk Southern in August of 1989. The car currently serves as a kitchen car for the museum staff.
Pennsylvania Railroad Box Car No. 573029
Pennsylvania Railroad box car no. 573029 was donated to our museum by the Thornhope Elevator in Thornhope, Indiana, in 1989. This car has no trucks or couplers and is used for storage.
Western Indiana Gravel Company Side Dump Cars
These three cars were donated by Vulcan Materials of West Lafayette, Indiana. One of the cars is a four wheel type and two cars are of the eight wheel type. All have wood bodies with steel frames. They arrived at the museum in March of 1993.
