Welcome to Loyal, Indiana
Living History Village
1900-1925

Railroad Track, Caboose and Boxcar

The railroad track was donated from the bankrupt Erie Lackawanna Railroad
between Akron and Rochester and from the Penn Central Railroad in Kewanna.
Members of the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum laid this 160 feet of track in 1995.
They moved the 1971 Norfolk & Western caboose here after it was donated by
Norfolk & Southern Corporation. A caboose was always attached to the back of the
train so the men could keep a watch over the long line of moving cars and see if
there was a "hot box" or fire in the wheel packing. The caboose was like a home
away from home and had a hot plate to cook meals, a furnace, a restroom, and a
kitchen sink. Today cabooses are no longer used on trains. The 1955 boxcar was
commonly called an "ice reefer" as it had compartments for ice at both ends and a
wheel went down to the rail to power fans inside. It was used by Merchants
Dispatch Transport and was on an abandoned track at the old Pennsylvannia
Railroad yard south of Indianapolis. McGill and Schlater transported the boxcar by
taking off the train wheels, putting on truck tires and pulling it down the highway.
The boxcar will be used as a museum with display cases inside. Wooden stairs
and a landing will be built to make it accessible to school children. This will free up
space in the old Rochester depot so that the freight room can be restored with a
new floor. In the freight room the 4-H Model Railroad Club will make a railroad
display showing the five railroads that existed in Fulton County.













Railcar and Parrot's Garage

A railcar was used by track repairmen to ride out and check the track and then fix
it. If there was a weak place in the track, it could de-rail the train and cause the
lose of life and property. This motorized rail car was built in the 1940s. It was
restored by Clair Coahran, Macy, and friends. The garage was donated by Bill
Willard's sister, Shirley, whom he always called "Parrot".
Fulton County Historical Society Museums
Fulton County Historical Society
Located in North Central Indiana
Loyal, Indiana
Living History Village
1920-1925