CHATTTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has received a $50,000 grant from Norfolk Southern to support restoration of the museum’s Pullman sleeping car Maitland.
The funding comes from the NS Thriving Communities Grant Program, supporting organizations working to further safety, sustainability, workforce development, and community resilience.
“The Maitland was donated to TVRM by Norfolk Southern predecessor Southern Railway,” Penolope Soule Gault, TVRM’s senior director, marketing, communiciations, and guest experience, said in a press release. “Its restoration to operation will allow the public to experience riding in what was once the primary method of long-distance transportation in the country.”
The car, a 12-section, one-drawing room sleeper which entered Pullman service in 1925, is currently undergoing restoration at the the museum’s Soule shops in East Chattanooga after years of outdoor storage. The project includes extensive work on the carbody, windows, electrical systems, and furnishings. The effort previously received a $20,000 grant from the John Emery Rail Heritage Trust [see “Eighteen projects to receive …,” Trains.com, April 9, 2025].
More on the museum is available at its website.
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