The Indiana Transportation Museum ( initialized ITM,

reporting mark A reporting mark is a code used to identify owners or lessees of rolling stock and other equipment used on certain rail transport networks. The code typically reflects the name or identifying number of the owner, lessee, or operator of the equip ...

ITMZ) is a

railroad museum A railway museum is a museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation, including: locomotives (steam, diesel, and electric), railway cars, trams, and railway signalling equipment. They may also operate historic e ...

that was formerly located in the Forest Park neighborhood of

Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, a part of the north Indianapolis suburbs along the White River. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the state's 14th largest city/town ...

, United States. It owns a variety of preserved railroad equipment, some of which still operate today. ITM is currently Located in

Logansport, Indiana Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,366 at the 2020 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northwest of Kokomo. H ...

Overview

The Indiana Transportation Museum is an all-volunteer not-for-profit museum dedicated to preserving and showcasing railroads of Indiana, and sharing the equipment and information with the public, as well as operating trains to show how people traveled across the country in the past. In 2018, the museum was evicted from its home in Forest Park by the city of Noblesville. ITM moved all retained equipment to a site in

Heritage railroad

While located in Noblesville, the Indiana Transportation Museum operated excursion trains on of a former

Nickel Plate Road The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York, Pennsylv ...

line, originally built for the Indianapolis and Peru Railroad and, when evicted, owned by the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority (HHPA), which is made up of the Indiana cities of

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Fishers, and Noblesville. Excursion service on the line had been suspended due to a dispute with the HHPA. The museum submitted a proposal to HHPA requesting authorization to resume service. The museum operated out of Forest Park in Noblesville and traveled to the northern terminus of the line in

Tipton, Indiana Tipton is a city in and the county seat of Tipton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,106 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was named after John Tipton, a politician. Histor ...

, and to the southern terminus at approximately 39th Street in Indianapolis. The rail line originally extended further south but had been abandoned. The rail line originally connected to the

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...

railroad in Tipton and to the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

railroad in Indianapolis via the Belt Line. The railroad line had also been operated as a freight railroad by the

Indiana Rail Road The Indiana Rail Road is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of . This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road's Indi ...

, hauling coal to the power generating plant in

Cicero, Indiana Cicero is a town in Jackson Township, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, north of Indianapolis. The population was 4,812 at the 2010 census. Cicero is notable for welcoming teenaged AIDS activist Ryan White to its community in 1987. Whit ...

, until the plant's conversion to natural gas in 2003. The connection in Tipton was cut by Norfolk Southern in 1997 and the bridge connecting the line to CSX was removed by the

Indiana Department of Transportation The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Indiana charged with maintaining and regulating transportation and transportation related infrastructure such as state owned airports, state highways a ...

during the rebuilding of

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

in Indianapolis. In spring 2010, CSX railroad removed the diamonds connecting the southern portion to the Belt Railroad, thus isolating the line from the U.S. rail system.

Preservation

The museum is home to many pieces of railroading history, with primary emphasis on locomotives and equipment relating to the

Nickel Plate Railroad The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York, Pennsylvan ...

. Most passengers are carried in the museum's restored Budd cars that date back to 1937 and were originally in service on the

Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

and the New Jersey Transit Authority before being sold to the museum as scrap in the early 1980s. Several cars have been restored and others await funds for restoration. While the museum was in Noblesville, it had in its collection the 1898 private railcar of Henry Morrison Flagler's

Florida East Coast Railroad The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a pr ...

(FEC) #90. At the beginning of 2003, the museum's operating steam locomotive, Nickel Plate 587, was taken out of service for a federally mandated boiler rebuild. Since then, work has been ongoing for the restoration of this locomotive. In 2008, ownership of the engine was permanently transferred from the

Parks Department to the ITM. In 2018, the locomotive was held in storage in Ravenna, Kentucky by the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation. On March 5, 2021, the ownership of No. 587 was transferred from the Indiana Transportation Museum to a private individual.

Events

While in Noblesville, the Indiana Transportation Museum operated different excursions, ranging from holiday trains to shuttles in freight cabooses. * The ''Morse Lake Dinner Train'' was a dinner train which operated from Noblesville to a variety of restaurants in Cicero, Indiana, near Morse Lake. * The ''Fair Train'' was the museum's biggest yearly event with ITM passenger trains transporting as many as 16,000 thousand people to the Indiana State Fair every day of the fair with 10 round trips each day of the fair during August. As of 2017, this excursion has been put on hold indefinitely. * The ''Polar Bear Express'' was held in the months of November and December. It included a train ride and a visit from

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

. * The ''Harvest Train'' was held every weekend in October and was supported by the Hamilton Heights High School FFA, who grow and sell pumpkins alongside the rail line. * The ''Blue Arrow'' was run multiple Saturdays throughout the late spring, summer, and fall from Noblesville to Tipton. It gained its name because the stop in Tipton was at end of the track and adjacent to the Pizza Shack, where riders could eat. Riders also had the option of being shuttled to the nearby Pizza King or Jim Dandy Restaurant for their buffets, or on select dates, a meal at the Tipton Elks Club. * Special events included various festivals in Tipton and the towns of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

and Arcadia; private charters were also available.

School programs

The museum offered custom school tours, which included a tour of the museum grounds and an excursion train ride.

Motive power

2-8-2 #587; built by

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades ...

in September 1918 as Lake Erie & Western 2-8-2 #5541; under restoration since 2003; moved to Kentucky for restoration in 2018 and sold to a private owner. * Nickel Plate Road GP7L #426; built by

Electro-Motive Diesel Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. The company is owned by Caterpillar through its s ...

in July 1953; operational since 2004; sold to NPE. * Indiana Transportation Museum GP9 #200; built by Electro-Motive Diesel in April 1954 as

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

GP9 #200; operational from 2000 to 2018; retained by the city of Noblesville in storage. * Nickel Plate Road F7A #83A; built by Electro-Motive Diesel as

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced ...

F7A #110C in December 1950; operational since 1983; sold to NPE. * Monon SW-1 #DS-50; built by Electro-Motive Diesel in February 1942; cab destroyed on route to Logansport, Indiana; moved to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum; restoration pending. * Nickel Plate Road VO-1000 #99; built by Baldwin Locomotive Works as Crane Naval Depot VO-1000 #9 in April 1945; formerly on static display; sale to the city of Kokomo failed; retained by city of Noblesville and remains on display. * Nickel Plate Road 44-Tonner #91; built by GE Transportation as Boyne City Railroad 44-Tonner #70 in September 1950; formerly on static display; sale to the city of Kokomo failed; sold to anonymous party via Ozark Mountain RailCar. * Monon FP7 #96C; built by Electro Motive Diesel as Milwaukee Road FP7 #96C in January 1951; retained by city of Noblesville and remains in storage. * Milwaukee Road F7A #83C; built by Electro-Motive Diesel as Milwaukee Road F7A #72C in July 1950; under restoration from 2007 to 2018; retained by city of Noblesville in storage. * Milwaukee Road F7B #68B; built by Electro-Motive Diesel in July 1950; in storage since 1983; retained by city of Noblesville in storage. * Indianapolis Power and Light 0-4-0 Fireless #1; built by H.K. Porter in 1950; sold to the

Hesston Steam Museum Hesston Steam Museum is an outdoor museum operated by the Laporte County Historical Steam Society in Hesston, Indiana. The museum occupies 155 acres and is the home of four different gauge railroads along with numerous other pieces of steam pow ...

in 2018; the tank/pressure vessel was scrapped. *

SW-1 #867; built by Electro-Motive Diesel in 1939; repainted to original

#1613 by Thomas Harleman in 2015; scrapped on July 4, 2018. Milwaukee Road SW-1 -1613 after Restoration

Rolling Stock

* 13 Stainless-Steel Budd Coaches * Florida East Coast Private Car #90 "

Henry Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...

"; sold to the Monon Connection Museum. * Nickel Plate Road Business Car #1; sold to Felix Powell, on loan to NPE. * Louisville & Nashville Diner #2728; sold to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. * Monon Cupola Extended-vision Caboose #81528; privately owned, used by Nickel Plate Express for various events. * Nickel Plate Road Cupola Caboose #770 * Nickel Plate Road Bay window * Caboose #405

References

Notes

External links

*
Indiana Transportation Museum website

The Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society
{{authority control Museums established in 1960 Railroad museums in Indiana Heritage railroads in Indiana Museums in Hamilton County, Indiana Indiana railroads