The Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company is excited to announce that interurban No. 429 has received a $4,999 Heritage Support Grant from the Indiana Historical Society. The grant project will provide for new boarding steps, baggage room ladders and the iconic “cowcatcher” or pilot on the front, which resembles a snowplow and prevents objects from being caught underneath the train.
A century ago, Indiana's high-speed interurban electric trains empowered Hoosiers to pursue an education, expand economic opportunity, visit loved ones, quickly ship perishable goods - and, electrify rural communities. For the first time since 1940, more than 83 years later, interurban no. 429 lives again as the only original Indiana interurban operational within the state. This accomplishment is thanks in no small part to two Heritage Support Grants provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc., more than 3,500 volunteer hours and nearly $100,000 in total contributions.
Interurban No. 429 has received a $40,000 Heritage Support Grant provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc. The grant project will allow the car to move and stop under its own power for the first time since 1940, marking a significant achievement on the journey to establishing the state’s only electric heritage railroad. The organization is raising $6,000 for a 15 percent match in new fundraising as part of the grant, amplifying donor impact by more than six-fold.
Electrify 429, a campaign to revive one of Indiana’s last electric interurban cars, has received a $4,255 grant from the National Railway Historical Society’s Heritage Grant program. The award is made with support from the NRHS Indianapolis Chapter, and is one of 21 national grants awarded from the NRHS convention in Los Angeles, California. The organization is actively fundraising a $1,000 match to coincide with $1,100 in funds already raised for the grant project.
2021 was another year of growth and progress for the nonprofit Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company, as the organization not only moved Union Traction Co. interurban no. 429 closer to revival, but also expanded capacity and resources. We hope you find our progress inspiring and consider a tax-deductible donation or membership to support this project, which will facilitate educational, community placemaking and economic development opportunities for Hoosiers.
2021 marks another year of significant progress, being one of the most productive working seasons for our organization to date. We’d like to extend our sincerest “thank you” to our volunteers, donors and the community for continued support, as we further our mission of preserving and telling the story of Indiana’s rich electric railroad history. We believe that our story of community, industrial innovation and connecting people with places is relevant now more than ever. Despite the disruptions and hardships brought by the global COVID-19 pandemic, with your continued support, we have been able to steadily and safely make progress on many organization-wide and project-level goals - setting our organization up for sustained success in 2022.
The nonprofit Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company has received the donation of a rare, wooden 1898-built locomotive designed by General Electric for use at Singer’s South Bend cabinetry factory. The locomotive is one of the first electric locomotives built by GE at its Schenectady, New York plant. At one time, it was the oldest-known operating electric locomotive in preservation. The locomotive was donated to the organization in July 2021 by the family of the late David W. Peat - an Indianapolis native, electrical engineer and historian.
HHTC’s tremendous volunteers have worked on average three to four days per week, collaborating in small groups with COVID-19 precautions. Careful planning and project management has enabled the near completion of Phase One, cosmetic restoration of the car’s interior smoking section, along with the beginning of Phase Two, mechanical and electrical restoration of the car to operating condition.
