The Order Board Volume 14 Number 1 Summer 2012

A Publication of The Haley Tower® Historical & Technical Society

We Do Windows The upper level of Haley Tower got a welcome lift just before the 2012 season opened ... new windows! The old plexi- glass windows had faded and become cloudy after years of exposure, making visibility out of the tower difficult. Each window frame was individually removed, and sent to Professional Glass Company Inc, of Clinton, IN for refurbishing and replacement of the panes. The results were breathtaking. Not only does the interior of the tower look classier, the view outside is crystal clear. A final touch was adding a new screen on the north side of the tower to help with air flow.

Fan Club

A most unusual and interest- ing move went past the museum on opening day, May 5th. An eastbound CSX made up entirely of wind turbine blades rolled past the grounds. Fortunately, docent Anthony Korzeniewski was quick on the draw and captured the sight. Those of us who've seen wind turbines before know they're huge, but until you see one dwarf a structure like Haley, you don't really appreciate just HOW big they are. The Haley Tower Historical & Technical Society A non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of railroad history in the greater Welcome Center Wabash Valley. A new addition to the museum grounds was installed before opening this PO Box 10291 season. The "Welcome Center" is intended to be an "arrival point" for visitors Terre Haute, IN 47801 and guests, where flyers, information, and sign in books can all be handled www.haleytower.org from a central location. The cabinet doors open fully to each side, where document pockets will be placed to hold items such as maps of the museum, William C. Foster membership forms, merchandise flyers, and more. It is also hoped that the President baggage cart can be used for rotating displays of materials such as cargo boxes, milk cans, and other items of interest that can be displayed out in the James Rhodes open. The Welcome Center is definitely a work in progress, so feedback and Vice-President/Treasurer suggestions on how to improve it are welcome.

Scott Withrow Secretary Re-mark-able Rob Doyle As work continues on the PRR cabin car, Director the latest accomplishments were the residing of the car ends. While John Fuller experimenting and test-fitting the siding on Director the corners, the riddle of installing the Chad Davis pockets for the marker lanterns was Director addressed. It was only a temporary test, but it was quite gratifying to see markers Mike Day hanging on the car once again. For the first Director summer since the car was brought to the museum, it is now officially open to the general public, and has already become a big hit this season. “The Order Board” Vol. 14 No. 1

Published by Sustaining Memberships Now Available the Haley Tower The board of directors is pleased to announce the addition of a "Sustaining Historical & Technical Society. © 2012 Membership" to the list of ways members can support the society. An annual sustaining membership is $50 per year, with the additional funds going into the “Haley Tower” is a museum's general fund for regular bills such as electricity and security. In registered trademark of the HTH&TS recognition, sustaining members will be listed in each issue of the Order Board. Troop Sleeper Car Coming The society has reached an agreement with the North Alabama Railroad Museum in Huntsville Alabama to acquire a World War II Pullman troop sleeper car from their collec- tion.

Pullman-Standard built 2400 troop sleeper cars for the Defense Plant Corporation (US govern- ment) between 1943 and 1946 and ran them as part of the Pullman sleeper pool. Each car held 29 enlisted personnel and a . Troops slept in bunks stacked three high.

In 1947 the War Assets Administration offered 2290 troop sleeper cars for sale as war surplus. 45 of the first 1200 built, with trap doors and step wells in the middle, were purchased by the C&EI railroad.

While some troop cars were heavily modified by the railroads that bought them for use as freight express or baggage cars, plating over windows and doors to essentially make them a , C&EI left them pretty much unchanged, plating over a few Society President Bill Foster inspected the car on-site and windows on each side where the bathrooms were found it to be structurally sound. and putting them in service as maintenance of way bunk cars. So, younger folks will know them as maintenance of way camp cars. The car we are acquiring was eventually sold to the L&N railroad as part of the C&EI break up. It is the only C&EI like it known to exist.

Several troop sleeper cars survive in museums around the country in various conditions and uses. But due to the modifications made by the One of the troop cars In MofW service on the C&EI. Photo courtesy railroads not all look like troop sleepers. This car's of JD Santucci "original" body, it's center trap doors and step wells and the fact it is relatively solid make it a good resto- ration candidate and it's size (roughly 50 feet) makes it a good candidate for moving and fitting in our current fenced museum space. While not what most people associate with Pullman sleeper cars, their unique place in American and railroad history make them something that should definitely be preserved.

Budget to acquire and relocate the car is around $10,000. We have part of this funding in place in our fund from the previous projects we looked at. So we are about 25% toward the cost to get it here. We are actively soliciting donations toward this project. If you would like to contribute to this project please send your donations with a note they are for the troop car. We hope to have the car here by the end of 2012 or early part of 2013. The Haley Tower Historical & Technical Society is an accredited non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of railroad history in the greater Wabash Valley. Memberships are available for $35.00 annually. For full membership information, write to us at PO Box 10291 Terre Haute, IN 47801, or visit our web site at www.haleytower.org. Meetings and work days are held on the second Saturday of each month. All members are encouraged to attend and participate.

The Wabash Valley Railroaders Museum is an ongoing tribute to the men and women of the railroad industry ... past, present, and future. Located at 1316 Plum Street, Terre Haute, Indiana, the WVRM is open on weekends from May to October, 11am to 4pm. Other times, and special arrangements for groups are available

by appointment. To schedule a visit or for more information please call us at (812) 238-9958.

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