News release from the Indiana Historical Society:
IHS’s Indiana Bicentennial Train Will Visit New Haven
(September 17, 2013) Indianapolis — After a five-year hiatus, history is once again hitting the rails as the Indiana Historical Society (IHS), in a unique collaboration with The Indiana Rail Road Company and Norfolk Southern Corporation, launches a four-year run of the Indiana Bicentennial Train. One of the train’s first stops will be Oct. 3-5 at the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, located at 15808 Edgerton Rd. in New Haven.
The Indiana Bicentennial Train consists of three 65-foot renovated Amtrak freight cars and features a free traveling exhibition, The Next Indiana (designed by the IHS exhibitions team). Originally known as the Indiana History Train, it has welcomed nearly 58,000 visitors at 24 stops in communities across Indiana from 2004 to 2008. Other 2013 stops include Kokomo (Sept. 26-28), Valparaiso (Oct. 10-12) and Delphi (Oct. 17-19).
In addition to the exhibition, temporary “depots” are set up at each venue to provide an enjoyable, comprehensive experience. Visitors can participate in hands-on activities, vote on their favorite Hoosier innovation, catch a 1916 interpreter presentation, engage in a community creativity space and purchase items from a pop-up History Market.
The Bicentennial Train and its accompanying activities are all free and open to the public, operating 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, and every visitor will receive a complimentary pass to visit IHS’s Indiana Experience at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.
Visitors to the New Haven stop will also be able to experience restored steam locomotive no. 765, a unique and important part of Indiana’s railroad history owned and operated by the all-volunteer Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. Built in 1944, the 400-ton locomotive became an Indiana Historic Landmark in 1996 and regularly pulls passenger excursion trains throughout the country, hosting travelers from all 50 states and around the world.
Group reservations are available by calling (317) 232-1882 (space is limited). Local volunteers are also still needed to assist with the Indiana Bicentennial Train’s visit to New Haven, with three shifts available each day (9 a.m. to 12 p.m., noon to 3 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.). For more information on the Bicentennial Train and other IHS programs, or to volunteer, visit https://indianahistory.org/.
The 2013 Indiana Bicentennial Train is presented by the Indiana Historical Society and sponsored by The Indiana Rail Road Company and Norfolk Southern Corporation, in partnership with the Indiana Bicentennial Commission and Indiana Humanities. The New Haven stop is sponsored by the City of New Haven, Indiana Michigan Power, NIPSCO and Steel Dynamics. Local partners include ARCH, Inc., Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, New Haven Chamber of Commerce and Visit Fort Wayne. Additional transportation assistance for the Bicentennial Train to New Haven is provided by Central Railroad Company of Indianapolis and Winamac Southern Railway.
About The Indiana Railroad Company
The Indiana Rail Road Company is a privately-held, 500-mile railroad based in Indianapolis. The company hauls the equivalent of more than 800,000 truckloads of consumer, industrial and energy products each year, serving central and southwestern Indiana and eastern Illinois, with service to the North American rail gateways of Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville. The company, founded in 1986, is also active in the community, operating the popular Santa Train, serving as a major sponsor of the Indiana Historical Society and “Jingle Rails” at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, and providing education and public safety-related community grants. For more information, visit the Indiana Rail Road online at www.inrd.com or on Twitter and Facebook.About the Indiana Historical Society
Since 1830, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana’s Storytellerâ„¢, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating the state’s history. A nonprofit membership organization, the IHS also publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; provides youth, adult, and family programming; provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups; and maintains the nation’s premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest.
Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society website
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