$40,000 grant awarded for Indiana interurban car to operate for first time in more than 80 years
Heritage Support Grant provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc. to make Indiana interurban car operable for the first time since 1940
Union Traction interurban no. 427, then part of the Indiana Railroad, passes through the small town of Amo, Ind. west of Indianapolis in 1938. The car would run for the last time just two years after this photo was taken, while the last interurban, with the exception of the South Shore, would operate in 1941. When interurban no. 429 moves under its own power in 2023, it will be the first to do so in more than 80 years.
July 26, 2022 - INDIANAPOLIS, IND. - The Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company is excited to announce interurban No. 429 has received a $40,000 Heritage Support Grant from the Indiana Historical Society. 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.
“HHTC is grateful to once again partner with the Indiana Historical Society. This grant is especially exciting since it will enable an original interurban car to operate within Indiana - something most people today have neither experienced nor seen,” comments Jakob Stage, chief mechanical officer of HHTC.
Union Traction interurban no. 427, identical to Union Traction no. 429, pauses at the traction terminal in Indianapolis. The traction terminal was the largest of its kind and featured nine tracks with a nine-story office building, situated conveniently between Monument Circle and the Indiana Statehouse. Krambles-Peterson Archive.
Electrify 429, a capital campaign for the operational restoration of Union Traction Company of Indiana interurban No. 429 - an intercity electric railway car - aims to have the historic car operational by its centennial celebration in 2025. The grant will be applied towards key mechanical components for propulsion, braking and suspension, culminating in test movements of the car under its own power by mid-year-2023 and placing the Electrify 429 project at 60 percent completion.
The grant project will conclude phase two of a four-phase-restoration-plan, which has been underway for three years at a private facility near Indianapolis. Phase Two is the longest, most-expensive and most-technical phase of the project, as it calls for the complete mechanical and electrical overhaul of the car using period equipment and practices. Thanks to a prior grant, HHTC overhauled 1920s-era-car-components that were re-configured to match No. 429’s original equipment as closely as possible. These components were completed in 2021 and mounted underneath the car. All components are operational and will facilitate the eventual movement and stopping of the car.
Volunteers rebuild and re-wire interurban no. 429’s group switch, which controls the direction and acceleration of the car. The group switch is now complete and mounted underneath the car. Citizens Street Railways mule car no. 69 (built in 1868 - left) and interurban no. 429 (right) can be seen in the background.
Cameron Nichols, president of HHTC comments, “This new project requires heavy, resource-intensive work to components that operate along the railroad track, such as motors, wheels, suspension and brakes, in addition to structural, piping and electrical work. This monumental project would not be possible without the support of our partners at the Indiana Historical Society and the generosity of Lilly Endowment, Inc.”
To support the overhaul of interurban No. 429’s on-track components, HHTC has partnered with Mitch Montgomery, a 20-year railroad preservation veteran and mechanical professional. Montgomery’s expertise will expedite the completion of wheel, motor and suspension work.
Volunteers work late into the night rebuilding a 1920s-era air compressor for interurban no. 429’s brakes and mechanical components, thanks to prior grant funding. The air compressor will be a critical component of no. 429’s first steps in more than 80 years. The air compressor is complete, operational, and currently mounted underneath the car.
Union Traction Company No. 429 “Noblesville” was built in 1925 as a modern, heavy-duty car to transport Hoosiers to and from Indianapolis – connecting major towns and cities through the world’s premier electric railway network. Because of the interurban, many gained a cost-effective, rapid mode of transportation to reach schools and businesses, forever changing the landscape and development of Indiana.
No. 429 will serve the organization and greater Indiana community as part of the state’s only electric heritage railway. This community development project will provide authentic, immersive experiences aboard the state’s last electric railway cars for education, placemaking and economic development. As the project moves closer to reality, Nichols added, “This grant award is the most significant in the organization’s history and will bring the nonprofit’s mission and vision ever closer to reality for Hoosiers to learn from and enjoy.”
Heritage Support Grants are provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc.
About the Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company - The Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company is an Indiana nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 2018 to save the last remaining railroad cars representing Indiana’s rich electric railway heritage. The organization exists to spark imagination in people across all walks of life regarding the art, science, culture, technology and economic empowerment of Indiana’s world-renowned electric railway industry from the 20th century. The company is developing the state’s only electric heritage railway to immerse Hoosiers in authentic transportation experiences as a community asset for education, placemaking and economic development. More information regarding preservation efforts, news and development can be found at hoosiertrolley.org.
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