NORTH JUDSON, Ind. — The Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society has donated Monon business car No. 2, also known as the Lynne, and Monon wide-vision caboose No. 81532 to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, the two organizations have announced.
Plans call for operating the business car in excursion service as an upscale experience, with a portion of the ticket sales supporting the society.
“The museum is excited to see these historic cars come to North Judson since they have such a solid tie to Indiana’s railroad history,” Museum President Todd Flanigan said in a press release. “We’re grateful that we have been given this opportunity and are ready to take our excursion operations to the next level.”
Jim Craig, president of the historical-technical society, said the donation ensures the equipment “will be maintained and used on an active railroad. … You will be able to, once again, actually ride in the caboose or the business car!”
Both pieces of equipment are currently at the French Lick Scenic Railway in French Lick, Ind. Kyle Flanagan, secretary of the museum board of directors, told News Wire, “For the most part, they are ready to go. We’ve talked to Norfolk Southern, have our shipping quotes, we’re almost ready to pull the trigger. It’s just a matter of getting down there and applying some temporary reporting marks.’’
The museum has established a fund to pay for the move and any future restoration efforts. Donations can be made at this page on the museum website or via check.
The business car was built by Pullman for Great Northern’s flagship train, the Oriental Limited. Stored in 1949, it was purchased by the Monon from Pullman Corp. in 1953 and named by railroad president Warren Brown for his 2-year-old granddaughter Lynne Marie Chambers. The name Lynne was removed in 1958 and it became car No. 2, used primarily by the law department. Just prior to the Monon’s merger with the Louisville & Nashville, the car was sold to businessman Leonard Brown of Michigan City, Ind.; Brown’s family donated the car to the historical-technical society in November 2011.
The caboose was built in 1956 at the Monon shops in Lafayette, Ind., and was one of eight such wide-vision cabooses built. It later worked for the Louisville & Nashville and Seaboard System before being donated by the Seaboard to the historical-technical society in 1985.
They will join three other pieces of Monon equipment in the museum collection at North Judson: EMD SW-1 DS-50, boxcar no. 1220, and transfer caboose no. 81551.
The museum also has two BL2 locomotives. While the Monon owned such locomotives, those privately owned units are not Monon-painted and there are currently no plans to repaint them. One of those units, No. 52, is nearing a return to operating condition [see “Hoosier Valey Railroad Museum BL2 nears operation,” Trains News Wire, July 18, 2023].
— Steve Smedley contributed to this report.
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is located at 507 Mulberry Street in North Judson, Indiana -a former Erie Railroad facility-. 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. The non-profit 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.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
A generous donation from Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
I am happy to make a donation towards the move, but I have to be honest: That caboose is, well, um, rather “unique” looking. I suppose I shouldn’t judge, maybe it has a nice personality.
Yes, the caboose has a rather “unique” look for an extended ‘Wide-vision’ caboose, one might almost dare say “funky” perhaps?
Still, as it is an original “home-built” caboose, it’s nice that it is being preserved in a museum. Hope I can get to North Judson some day to see it (and the Monon business car #2)
This museum seems to be on a roll.