Indiana Transportation Museum facts for kids
Nickel Plate Road GP-7L diesel locomotive #426 pulling the Indiana State Fair Train.
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Logansport, Indiana |
| Reporting mark | ITMZ (Temporary equipment transfers/loans) |
| Locale | Northern Indiana |
| Dates of operation | 1960–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 38 mi (61 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | http://itm.org |
The Indiana Transportation Museum (often called ITM) is a railroad museum that used to be in Noblesville, Indiana. It owns many old railroad cars and locomotives, and some of them can still run! Today, the museum is located in Logansport, Indiana.
Contents
About the Museum
The Indiana Transportation Museum is run by volunteers. It is a not-for-profit group that works to save and show off Indiana's railroad history. They share old train equipment and information with the public. They also used to run trains to show how people traveled across the country long ago.
In 2018, the museum had to move from its home in Noblesville. The city asked them to leave Forest Park. So, ITM moved all its trains and equipment to a new place in Logansport, Indiana.
Train Rides and History
When the museum was in Noblesville, it offered fun train rides. These rides were on 38 miles of old railroad tracks. These tracks were first built for the Indianapolis and Peru Railroad. Later, they were owned by a group called the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority (HHPA).
The museum's trains would travel from Noblesville to Tipton, Indiana in the north. They also went south to Indianapolis. The tracks used to go even further south, but that part was taken apart.
The railroad line used to connect to other big train lines. In Tipton, it connected to the Norfolk Southern railroad. In Indianapolis, it connected to the CSX railroad. However, these connections were removed over time. This meant the museum's tracks became separate from the main U.S. rail system.
Saving Old Trains
The museum has many cool pieces of railroad history. They especially focus on trains and equipment from the Nickel Plate Railroad. Most people who rode the museum's trains traveled in special cars called Budd cars. These cars were built in 1937 and were used on other railroads before the museum bought them. Many of these cars have been fixed up, and others are waiting to be restored.
When the museum was in Noblesville, it had a special private train car from 1898. This car belonged to Henry Morrison Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway.
The museum also had a big steam locomotive called Nickel Plate 587. This engine was taken out of service in 2003 to be fixed. Work has been going on to restore it. In 2018, the locomotive was moved to Ravenna, Kentucky for storage. In 2021, a private person bought the engine.
Fun Train Events
While it was in Noblesville, the Indiana Transportation Museum ran many different train trips. These included holiday trains and rides in freight cabooses.
- The Morse Lake Dinner Train was a special train ride that went from Noblesville to restaurants in Cicero, Indiana.
- The Fair Train was the museum's biggest event each year. It took as many as 16,000 people to the Indiana State Fair every day! The train made 10 round trips daily during August. This trip is currently on hold.
- The Polar Bear Express ran in November and December. It was a train ride where kids could visit with Santa Claus.
- The Harvest Train ran every weekend in October. Students from Hamilton Heights High School helped with this event. They grew and sold pumpkins next to the train tracks.
- The Blue Arrow ran on many Saturdays in the spring, summer, and fall. It went from Noblesville to Tipton. People often called it the Pizza Train because the stop in Tipton was right next to a pizza place.
- The museum also had special trips for festivals in towns like Tipton, Atlanta, and Arcadia. You could even rent a train for private parties!
School Programs
The museum offered special tours for schools. These tours included a look around the museum grounds and a fun train ride.
Locomotives and Cars
The museum has collected many different types of locomotives (the engines that pull the trains) and other rail cars. Here are some examples:
- Nickel Plate Road 2-8-2 #587: This is a big steam locomotive built in 1918. It is currently being restored by a private owner.
- Nickel Plate Road GP7L #426: This is a diesel locomotive built in 1953. It was used by ITM and is now with the Nickel Plate Express.
- Indiana Transportation Museum GP9 #200: Another diesel locomotive built in 1954. It is currently stored by the city of Noblesville.
- Nickel Plate Road F7A #83A: This diesel locomotive was built in 1950. It was used by ITM and is now with the Nickel Plate Express.
- Monon SW-1 #DS-50: A smaller diesel engine built in 1942. It is waiting to be restored.
- Nickel Plate Road VO-1000 #99: A diesel engine built in 1945. It is on display in Noblesville.
- Milwaukee Road SW-1 #867: This diesel engine was built in 1939 and was later taken apart.
- 13 Stainless-Steel Budd Coaches: These are the passenger cars that many people rode in during the museum's excursions.
- Florida East Coast Private Car #90 "Henry Flagler": This was a fancy private train car that belonged to a famous railroad builder. It has been sold to another museum.
- Nickel Plate Road Business Car #1: This was a special car used by railroad officials.
- Nickel Plate Road Cupola Caboose #770: A caboose is the car at the very end of a freight train, where the crew used to ride.
See also
- List of United States railroads
- List of Indiana railroads
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
- List of railway museums
