Calling All Indiana Interurban Fans

IRM needs your help! We have the remarkable opportunity to acquire a pair of Peckham MCB trucks of the correct type for our Terre Haute Indianapolis & Eastern interurban cars, 50 and 58, both combines built in 1904 by Laconia for the Indianapolis & Northwestern.

The are 6'6" wheelbase trucks from long-scrapped Brooklyn elevated cars, so they differ slightly from what cars 50 and 58 originally had in that they have mounts for third rail beams. But those will be relatively easy to remove. These are also trailer trucks, but they're the same wheelbase as the original trucks from the THI&E cars, so fitting motors shouldn't be a problem.

This is where you come in! We need to raise about $6,000 to cover the costs of purchasing and moving these trucks. Acquiring these trucks is entirely dependent on raising the money. You can write a check to IRM with "RTHI&E" on the memo line, or you can click this link and donate to the Electric Car Department's Equipment Restoration fund. If you do that, just email us and let us know the amount and its intended purpose so we know how to allocate it. Thank you!

As an aside, we are hoping to acquire a pair of Ohio Brass MCB couplers, shown here, which are the type we use on our North Shore cars. These will serve as spares for our North Shore fleet, but may someday be candidates to go on a car like Lake Shore Electric 150 that needs radial MCB couplers. Our hope is to bring these couplers and the Peckham trucks back at the same time. Any support for this project is greatly appreciated.