Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum
41°13′13″N 86°46′24″W / 41.220228°N 86.773303°W The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum (HVRM) is a railroad museum located in North Judson, Indiana.[1] It owns a variety of historic railroad equipment and operates seasonal excursions from North Judson to LaCrosse, Indiana.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | North Judson, Indiana |
| Reporting mark | HVRM |
| Locale | Indiana |
| Dates of operation | 1988–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Other | |
| Website | https://www.hoosiervalley.org/ |
Overview
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum was founded in 1988, as the Miami County Steam Locomotive Association, Inc. In 1961, the organization was gifted C&O 2-8-4 Kanawha, by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.[2] No. 2789 was placed on static display in West Side Park in Peru, Indiana, where it would reside for the next 2 decades.
The first railroad in town was the Chicago and Cincinnati Railroad Company constructed from Logansport to Valparaiso, Indiana, from 1858 through 1861. In 1865 it merged with the Chicago & Great Eastern Railway Company. Later, the line was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The town had been called Brantwood, then changed to North Judson. The second railroad in town was the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Railroad, the 3I route. It ran from Streator, Illinois, to North Judson. Begun in 1881 it reached South Bend, Indiana, in 1894. Later it was known as the New York Central Railroad. The third line through town was the Chicago and Atlantic Railroad, built in 1881 through 1883. It was absorbed by the Erie Railroad. In 1902 the Cincinnati, Richmond and Muncie Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad was built. It later merged with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.[3] At one time, a significant portion of the working population in North Judson was employed by one of the railroad companies in town. The town once hosted four major rail lines including the Chesapeake & Ohio, Erie, New York Central and Pennsylvania. North Judson had as many as 125 trains each day.
Museum
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is located at a former Erie Railroad facility. The museum is open Saturdays all year with train rides also available from May to October. The collection has a variety of historic freight rolling stock, including Chesapeake and Ohio Railway #2789, a 2-8-4 Kanawha type steam locomotive.
Equipment
Locomotives
| Number | Image | Type | Model | Built | Builder | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steam | 0-4-4T | 1908 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Operational | Built for the Bock Lumber Company. Sold to B.J. Pollard of Detroit, Michigan in 1965, moved to Maryland in the 1970s or 80s. Sold to private owner and relocated to Illinois. Restored to operating condition by Kloke Locomotive Works and moved to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in 2021.[4] | |
| 2789 | Steam | 2-8-4 | 1947 | American Locomotive Company | Stored | Built for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. | |
| 11 | Diesel | 95 Tonner | 1952 | General Electric | Operational | Built for the Interlake Iron Corporation. Sold by Interlake Iron Corporation to Acme Steel. Donated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Acme Steel in 1995. | |
| DS-50 | Diesel | SW-1 | 1940 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Undergoing restoration | Built for the Monon Railroad. Purchased by private owner in 1989 and moved to ITM in 1989. Used for ITM's Caboose Trains from the 2000s to 2018, cab destroyed on route to Logansport, Indiana.[5] Moved to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in 2021, currently undergoing restoration to operating condition. | |
| 52 | Diesel | EMD BL2 | 1949 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Operational | Built for the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. Sold to Iowa Pacific Holdings in the 2010s, Resold to Saratoga and North Creek Railway in 2011. Operated by SNC from 2011 to 2018. Sold to private owner in 2021, moved to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum. Restored by HVRM from 2021 to 2023. | |
| 56 | Diesel | EMD BL2 | 1949 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Stored | Built for the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. Sold to Iowa Pacific Holdings in the 2010s, Resold to Saratoga and North Creek Railway in 2011. Operated by SNC from 2011 to 2018. Sold to private owner in 2021, moved to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum. Awaiting restoration. | |
| 310 | Diesel | S-1 | 1947 | American Locomotive Company | Operational | Built for the Erie Railroad, to Erie-Lackawanna Railroad in 1960. Donated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Silcott Railway Equipment Company in 1997. | |
| 467 | Diesel | S-1 | 1950 | American Locomotive Company | Stored | Built for the Long Island Railroad. | |
| 509 | Diesel | 44-Tonner | 1941 | Whitcomb Locomotive Works | Display | Built for Day and Zimmerman and numbered 4-44. Donated to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by the Port Of Indiana in 1988. | |
| 814 | Diesel | EMD SD9 | 1959 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Operational | Built for Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway and numbered 162. Rebuilt by the DM&IR in 1990, renumbered 314. Sold by DM&IR to Elgin, Joliet & Eastern in 1993, renumbered 814. Sold by EJ&E to Indiana Boxcar Corporation, resold to Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad. Sold by Chesapeake and Indiana to private owner. Leased to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in 2021 or 2022. | |
| 818 | Diesel | EMD SD9 | 1959 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Operational | Built for Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway and numbered 172. Rebuilt by the DM&IR in 1990, renumbered 318. Sold by DM&IR to Elgin, Joliet & Eastern in 1993, renumbered 818. Sold by EJ&E to Indiana Boxcar Corporation, resold to Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad. Donated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad in 2021. | |
| 5332 | Diesel | 65-Tonner | 1942 | H.K. Porter | Display | Built for the U.S. Army. Sold by U.S. Army to the University of Notre Dame, used at Notre Dame's coal fired power plant. Donated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum by University of Notre Dame in 2013. |
References
- ^ "Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum". Town of North Judson. September 26, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Robinson, Diane (April 24, 1988). "Peru Steam Train In Monterey". Vol. 144, no. 97. Pharos-Tribune. p. 11.
- ^ Hoosiervalley Railroad, History page (http://www.hoosiervalley.org/history/)
- ^ "Bock Lumber Company No. 1 Coming to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum". Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum. August 20, 2021. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ Heusel, Kim (December 19, 2018). "Trucker with Monon 50 on board says pilot car took a wrong turn". Kalmbach Media. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
External links