Passenger Car Project

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has made great strides in the past few years as we grow our operations towards the future. Newer motive power (both museum owned and leased), expanded events and schedules, and now, more passenger equipment such as Monon Business Car no. 2, all offer exciting new opportunities and experiences for both our guests and volunteers alike. To continue to expand and better serve our guests, the museum has recognized the need to continue to grow our fleet of passenger equipment to handle our growing events and number of guests.

Power Car Opportunity

The museum has recently been given the opportunity to purchase a former Union Pacific baggage car that has been outfitted as a power car. This car most recently operated in dinner train service south of Lansing, Michigan, through 2019 and contains a large diesel-powered generator and associated hardware to operate multiple other passenger cars with head end power (HEP) capabilities. This would allow all cars to be powered from a central location on the train as opposed to running a generator on each car. The addition of a power car to the museum's fleet sets the stage for much easier growth in the future. All the museum’s current passenger equipment (Long Island No. 2937 and Monon No. 2) are self-contained with their own generators. Monon Business car no. 2 is setup to receive HEP as well.

Initial Fundraising Campaign

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is excited to announce a fundraising campaign that will help us begin to expand our fleet with the purchase and movement of the above mentioned power car, as well as adding HEP capabilities to our Long Island Coach 2937.

An initial goal of $50,000 has been set. Some segments within the total fundraiser goal however, are needed relatively quickly to purchase the power car move it to the museum in North Judson. The breakdown of the fundraiser and critical timeline for these goals is outlined below.

• $20,000 - Purchase the power car by June 1, 2024.
• $10,000 - Transportation of the power car by September 1, 2024.
• $10,000 - Parts and supplies to return the car to operating condition.
• $10,000 - Parts and supplies to add HEP to Long Island Coach 2937.

How You Can Help

The museum is actively soliciting donations and seeking sponsorship opportunities to help fund this project. To make a donation online, please fill out the form below and use your credit card.

Mail Your Contribution

If you prefer, you can also mail your donation to the museum. Please write "Passenger Car Project" in the memo and mail it to:

Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum
PO Box 75
North Judson, IN 46366

More to Come

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum sees the initial stages of this project as a stepping stone towards a much larger goal: to build a complete train comprised entirely of passenger equipment.