The Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company is excited to announce that Electrify 429 has received a $3,000 grant from Tom E. Dailey Foundation. Electrify 429 is a capital campaign for the operational restoration of one of Indiana’s last interurbans – an intercity electric railway car. This grant will be applied towards the cosmetic restoration of the car’s smoking section as phase one of a four-phase restoration plan, which is already underway at a private facility near Indianapolis.
From president Austin Mace and the Board of Directors. 2019 was a banner year for the Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company, with a number of projects starting throughout the organization and taking shape. As year-end approaches, please consider a tax-deductible donation to our Electrify 429 campaign or general fund.
Historic rail from Indianapolis’ well-known streetcar system has been awarded to the nonprofit Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company through a collaborative effort amongst Midtown Indy, the Arts Council of Indianapolis and IndyGo. The rail from College Avenue once carried the company’s Indianapolis Railways streetcar No. 153, which is the last one known in existence.
Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company and Headwaters Junction, Inc. announced today their intent to operate one of the Company’s historic interurbans, No. 429, as a part of Headwaters Junction’s growing fleet of attractions. The 429 once frequented Fort Wayne in the 1920s and 30s, shuttling passengers throughout the state in the era before the highway system.
It’s hard to believe that already one year has gone by since the founding of our organization. As a quick introduction, my name is Austin Mace and I am the current president of the Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company (HHTC). I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight what we’ve accomplished in the past 365 days, where we’re going next and how we got here in the first place.
As of 4:29 p.m. on 4/29/2019, a group of young preservationists are pleased to announce the Electrify 429 capital campaign. Electrify 429 is a project of the Hoosier Heartland Trolley Co. to restore Indiana Union Traction Company No. 429 to operation – one of the last remaining interurbans from Indiana’s world-famous electric railroad system of the early 20th century.
At this point-in-time, our team rolled up our sleeves and entered the scene in crisis mode as part of a serious effort to acquire as many of the remaining electric railway cars as possible. Although beaten and battered, these cars were the last glimpses into an industry that built Indiana into what it is today - a cultural phenomenon that employed thousands, moved millions, and opened Indiana up to economic possibilities never before seen nor contemplated.
The Hoosier Heartland Trolley Company was awarded a $3,500 grant to relocate and stabilize the last-remaining Indianapolis streetcar, Indianapolis Railways No. 153, on Saturday, October 27, 2018. This rare grant request fostered a unique collaboration between the Marion County Historic Preservation Fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation and Indiana Landmarks.
