Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum
Railroad museum in North Judson, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
41.220228°N 86.773303°W The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum (reporting mark HVRM) is a railroad museum located in North Judson, Indiana.[1] It owns a variety of historic railroad equipment and operates seasonal excursions from North Judson to LaCrosse, Indiana.
| |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | North Judson, Indiana |
| Reporting mark | HVRM |
| Locale | Indiana |
| Dates of operation | 1988–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Other | |
| Website | https://www.hoosiervalley.org/ |
Overview
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum was founded in 1988, as the Miami County Steam Locomotive Association, Inc. In 1961, the organization was gifted C&O 2-8-4 Kanawha, by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.[2] No. 2789 was placed on static display in West Side Park in Peru, Indiana, where it would reside for the next 2 decades. In 1985, the organization reformed and decided to restore 2789 to operating condition. In 1989, the locomotive was moved to North Judson and restoration work began. However, the Miami County Steam Locomotive Association abandoned plans to restore it operating condition and changed its name to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in 1992.
The first railroad in town was the Chicago and Cincinnati Railroad Company constructed from Logansport to Valparaiso, Indiana, from 1858 through 1861. In 1865 it merged with the Chicago & Great Eastern Railway Company. Later, the line was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The town had been called Brantwood, then changed to North Judson. The second railroad in town was the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Railroad, the 3I route. It ran from Streator, Illinois, to North Judson. Begun in 1881 it reached South Bend, Indiana, in 1894. Later it was known as the New York Central Railroad. The third line through town was the Chicago and Atlantic Railroad, built in 1881 through 1883. It was absorbed by the Erie Railroad. In 1902 the Cincinnati, Richmond and Muncie Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad was built. It later merged with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.[3] At one time, a significant portion of the working population in North Judson was employed by one of the railroad companies in town. The town once hosted four major rail lines including the Chesapeake & Ohio, Erie, New York Central and Pennsylvania. North Judson had as many as 125 trains each day.
Museum
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is located at a former Erie Railroad facility. The museum is open Saturdays all year with train rides also available from May to October. The collection has a variety of historic freight rolling stock, including Chesapeake and Ohio Railway #2789, a 2-8-4 Kanawha type steam locomotive.
Equipment
Locomotives
| Number | Image | Type | Model | Built | Builder | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steam | 0-4-4T | 1908 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Operational | Built for the Bock Lumber Company. Sold to B.J. Pollard of Detroit, Michigan in 1965, moved to Maryland in the 1970s or 80s. Sold to private owner and relocated to Illinois. Restored to operating condition by Kloke Locomotive Works and moved to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in 2021.[4] | |
| 2789 | Steam | 2-8-4 | 1947 | American Locomotive Company | Stored | Built for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Donated by C&O to Peru, Indiana and placed on display in West side Park in 1961. Acquired by HVRM in 1988, and moved to North Judson in 1989. To be restored to operating condition, but plans fell through. | |
| 11 | Diesel | 95 Tonner | 1952 | General Electric | Operational | Built for the Interlake Iron Corporation. Sold by Interlake Iron Corporation to Acme Steel. Donated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Acme Steel in 1995. | |
| DS-50 |  |
Diesel | SW-1 | 1940 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Undergoing restoration | Built for the Monon Railroad. Purchased by private owner in 1989 and moved to ITM in 1989. Used for ITM's Caboose Trains from the 2000s to 2018, cab destroyed on route to Logansport, Indiana.[5] Moved to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in 2021, currently undergoing restoration to operating condition. |
| 52 |  |
Diesel | EMD BL2 | 1949 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Operational | Built for the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. Sold to Iowa Pacific Holdings in the 2010s, Resold to Saratoga and North Creek Railway in 2011. Operated by SNC from 2011 to 2018. Sold to private owner in 2021, moved to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum. Restored by HVRM from 2021 to 2023. |
| 56 | .jpg) |
Diesel | EMD BL2 | 1949 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Stored | Built for the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. Sold to Iowa Pacific Holdings in the 2010s, Resold to Saratoga and North Creek Railway in 2011. Operated by SNC from 2011 to 2018. Sold to private owner in 2021, moved to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum. Awaiting restoration. |
| 310 | Diesel | S-1 | 1947 | American Locomotive Company | Operational | Built for the Erie Railroad, to Erie-Lackawanna Railroad in 1960. Donated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Silcott Railway Equipment Company in 1997. | |
| 467 | Diesel | S-1 | 1950 | American Locomotive Company | Stored | Built for the Long Island Railroad. | |
| 509 |  |
Diesel | 44-Tonner | 1941 | Whitcomb Locomotive Works | Display | Built for Day and Zimmerman and numbered 4-44. Donated to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by the Port Of Indiana in 1988. |
| 814 | Diesel | EMD SD9 | 1959 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Operational | Built for Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway and numbered 162. Rebuilt by the DM&IR in 1990, renumbered 314. Sold by DM&IR to Elgin, Joliet & Eastern in 1993, renumbered 814. Sold by EJ&E to Indiana Boxcar Corporation, resold to Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad. Sold by Chesapeake and Indiana to private owner. Leased to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in 2021 or 2022. | |
| 818 |  |
Diesel | EMD SD9 | 1959 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Operational | Built for Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway and numbered 172. Rebuilt by the DM&IR in 1990, renumbered 318. Sold by DM&IR to Elgin, Joliet & Eastern in 1993, renumbered 818. Sold by EJ&E to Indiana Boxcar Corporation, resold to Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad. Donated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad in 2021. |
| 5332 | Diesel | 65-Tonner | 1942 | H.K. Porter | Display | Built for the U.S. Army. Sold by U.S. Army to the University of Notre Dame, used at Notre Dame's coal fired power plant. Donated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by University of Notre Dame in 2013. |
Passenger Cars
| Number | Image | Type | Built | Builder | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |  |
Coach | 1926 | Pullman Standard | Stored | Built for the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad, Stored by HVRM for the South Shoreline Museum Project. |
| 31 | Coach | 1929 | Pullman Standard | Stored | Built for the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad, Stored by HVRM for the South Shoreline Museum Project. | |
| 344 | Baggage car | 1929 | Pullman Standard | Display | Built for the Nickel Plate Road, Sold To Norfolk and Western Railway in 1964. Converted for Maintenance of way service by N&W in 1969 and renumbered 526706. Donated to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Norfolk Southern in September 1989. | |
| 2937 |  |
Coach | 1955 | American Car & Foundry | Operational | Built for the Long Island Railroad. Acquired by the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in the 2000s and underwent extensive restoration from 2008 to 2011. |
| 4328 | Coach | 1917 | Pullman Standard | Stored | Built for the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad. Used by ITM for the 1984 Indiana State Fair Train; Stored by ITM from 1985 to 2018. Sold to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by ITM in 2018. | |
| 2 | Business Car | 1924 | Pullman Standard | Operational | Initially used by the Great Northern Railway on The Oriental Limited train. Purchased by Monon from Pullman in 1953, named "Lynne". Sold by Monon to private owner in 1971, moved to Michigan City, Indiana. Donated by private owner to Monon Railroad Historical Technical Society in 2011, moved from Michigan City to Indiana Railway Museum (IRM). Stored at IRM from 2011 to 2023, Donated by Monon Railroad Historical Technical Society to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in 2023. |
Freight Cars
| Number | Image | Type | Built | Builder | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49114 | Boxcar | 1920s | Pullman Standard | Display | Built for the Wabash Railroad, Acquired by Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in the 1990s. | |
| 15979 | Boxcar | 1937 | GATX | Display | Built for the Nickel Plate Road, Sold to Norfolk and Western in 1964. Converted for Maintenance of way service in the 1960s and renumbered 556001. Donated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Norfolk Southern in August 1989. | |
| 15797 | Boxcar | 1937 | GATX | Display | Built for the Nickel Plate Road, Sold To Norfolk and Western Railway in 1964. Donated to the City of Orland Park, Illinois by Norfolk Southern. Acquired by private owner, donated by private owner to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in May 1994. | |
| 1220 | Boxcar | 1941 | Pullman Standard | Stored | Built for the Monon Railroad. Donated to the Indiana Transportation Museum by Alcoa Aluminum Co. of West Lafayette, Indiana, in December 1986. Moved to Logansport in 2019. Stored by ITM from 1986 to 2021. Sold to private owner and moved to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum on August 7, 2021. | |
| 54890 | Boxcar | 1937 | Ralston Car Company | Display | Built for the Norfolk and Western Railway. Converted by N&W to Maintenance of way service in 1972. Donated to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Norfolk Southern in September 1989. | |
| 153177 | Boxcar | 1935 | Pennsylvania Railroad | Display | Built for the Pennsylvania Railroad and originally numbered 607627. Sold to Penn Central in 1968, renumbered 153177. Donated to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Conrail in March 1994. | |
| 573029 | Boxcar | 1935 | Pennsylvania Railroad | Stored | Built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Sold to Penn Central in 1968. Donated to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Thornhope Elevator in 1989. | |
| 284 | Boxcar | 1953 | Pullman Standard | Display | Built for the Chicago & North Western. Sold by C&NW to Lawrence Foods in 1983. Donated to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Lawrence Foods in April 2010. |
