FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact
Cameron Nichols
Vice President
Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company
Heritage Support Grant awarded for mechanical restoration of rare Indiana interurban car
Heritage Support Grant provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc. accelerates restoration of century-old electric railway car
With proper safety precautions, work continues to bring 95-year-old interurban car, Union Traction Co. No. 429 “Noblesville”, back to life.
July 1, 2020 - INDIANAPOLIS, IND. - The Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company is excited to announce that Electrify 429 has received an $8,000 grant from the Indiana Historical Society’s Heritage Support Grant Program; in addition to a $1,200 match from a private trust and generous donors. Heritage Support Grants are provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc.
“HHTC is thankful for the generosity and support of both the Indiana Historical Society and Lilly Endowment, Inc.’s programming to preserve legendary Hoosier history such as the story of the electric railway network,” comments Austin Mace, president of HHTC.
Electrify 429 is a capital campaign for the operational restoration of one of Indiana’s last interurbans – an intercity electric railway car. This grant will be applied towards key mechanical components as the beginning of phase two of a four-phase restoration plan, which is already underway at a private facility near Indianapolis.
Phase One of Electrify 429, the restoration of the car’s smoking section interior, is progressing steadily thanks to a previously-awarded grant from the Tom E. Dailey Foundation.
Phase Two will be 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. HHTC acquired several 1920s Chicago Elevated car components that will be re-configured and repurposed to match 429’s original equipment as closely as possible. The three components the grant covers include the air compressor (industrial air pump for brakes and appliances), line switch (equivalent of a surge protector) and group switch (electrical equivalent of a transmission).
Chief Mechanical Officer Jakob Stage adds, “The interurban No. 429 restoration team is extremely excited for this grant. These components are arguably the most critical for making the car operable, and the undertaking to restore them simply wouldn't be possible without a grant like this.”
Preparation for Phase Two of Electrify 429, made possible by the Heritage Support Grant, is already underway.
In recent weeks, HHTC’s volunteer program has resumed with social distancing, routine sanitation and personal protective equipment protocols in order to maintain a safe experience while moving the mission forward. Work continues steadily to restore the car’s smoking section, a small interior compartment, to its 1925 appearance thanks to another generous grant awarded earlier this year from the Tom E. Dailey Foundation.
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 had a cost-effective, rapid mode of transportation to reach schools and businesses, and thus, the landscape and development of Indiana was changed forever.
HHTC is lucky to have obtained a number of rare electric railway car components that match the period of the interurbans in the collection, including No. 429.
No. 429 will serve the organization and greater Hoosier 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 to facilitate education, entertainment and economic opportunity for a wide array of audiences.
About the Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company - The Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company was founded in 2018 to save the last remaining cars of Indiana’s electric railways. 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 plans to develop an operating electric heritage railway to immerse Hoosiers in authentic transportation experiences as an educational, economic development tool. More information regarding preservation efforts, news and development can be found at hoosiertrolley.org.
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