Seven cars that were originally built for the New York Central have been acquired by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) from the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. These cars were built in 1941 for the Empire State Express, a passenger train running out of New York City and known for being led by stainless steel streamlined “Hudson” steam locomotives. The set includes 6 coaches and a Railway Post Office (RPO). The cars were deemed surplus by museum and were able to be purchased by the society with the help from some grants from the David A. Donoho Trust and the Central Indiana Foundation.
Each car is estimated to take $160,000 to update to modern standards. The work involved includes mechanical, electrical, seating, restrooms, and more. The cars are road-worthy, having last been used in 2019 for excursion service, and are expected to be moved sometime in September 2023. A website has been launched to accept donations: www.greatsteelfleet.org/donate
These cars join other historic passenger cars in the society’s collection as they work to build up a consist that can travel behind their Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 #765.
Photo from https://www.greatsteelfleet.org
Learn more
Great Steel Fleet website
Railfan & Railroad article
Trains Newswire article
FWRHS Facebook announcement
RYPN discussion