FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has purchased Pullman car Kitchi Gammi Club from the car’s owners and operators for more than three decades.
The heavyweight car built by Pullman in 1923 and long assigned to Nickel Plate Road service, is already in use at the Indiana Rail Experience, the excursion operation of the historical society and shortline Indiana Northeastern Railroad. It was previously owned by the Virginia Rail Investment Group, which restored the car and operated it the last 36 years.
“We’re honored to inherit not only this special historic gem but also to celebrate the work and passion that the car’s owners, Chuck Jensen and Chuck Akers, invested in preserving this unique piece of passenger rail history,” Kelly Lynch, executive director of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, said in a press release. “The Kitchi Gammi Club is right at home traveling behind the kinds of locomotives that once carried it throughout the railroad’s system. We’re especially thankful for our gracious donors and members who were able to quickly support this acquisition.”
Said Jensen, “Virginia Rail Investment is excited to transfer ownership to the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society so that the car’s legacy can be carried forward.”
The car is the only Amtrak-certified open-section heavyweight car [for more on its history, see “Former Nickel Plate Pullman to join Indiana Rail Experience,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 14, 2024]. The historical society will operate the car as part of the 2025 season of the Indiana Rail Experience; the 2025 schedule will be announced soon at the Experience website. The organization also plans to begin fundraising to restore the car to its original Pullman appearance, including authentic décor and furnishing; donations for that project can be made here.
