ITM is an unconventional museum By Susan Hoskins Miller
nlike most museums where you visit a building and walk through looking at exhibits, the Indiana Transportation Museum’s main “building” has always been the Nickel Plate railroad track. Exhibits are the historic trains that visitors ride, like the Indiana State Fair Train and the Polar Bear Express. The Museum seeks to give its visitors the experience of public transportation in the 20th century, linking central Indiana destinations and cultural experiences. An added benefit for Hamilton County is the museum’s role as a tourist attraction. In a 2015 survey, museum visitors reported directly spending more than $678,000 with local businesses. 6 in 10 visitors live outside Hamilton County and 1 in 5 live outside the metro area or out of state. Much of the museum’s work that isn’t readily visible is the historic preservation work volunteers do on the locomo-
tives and rail cars in its collection. The work is done inside the buildings in Forest Park. Visitors can watch when the museum is open.
32,000 Visitors The museum’s collection includes diesel and electric engines, trolleys, streetcars, interurban cars, passenger cars and freight cars, all of which were in use during the 1930’s to 1950’s. Arguably the most famous item in the museum’s collection is the Nickel Plate steam locomotive number 587 that is on the National Historic Register. The engine was built in 1918 by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. A detailed history of the 587, including a year-by-year account of the progress of its latest milliondollar restoration, can be found on its website at this address: http://itm.org/museum/restoration/nickel-plate-road-587. Another storied car lives in one of the museum’s buildings—The Florida East
Coast Car #90, nicknamed The Flagler Car. On loan from the Hulman Family Foundation, it is exhibited on special occasions so visitors can enjoy its craftsmanship. The car was originally the private railroad car of Henry Flagler, a Florida developer, and was built in 1898. Tony Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, gave the car to his wife as a gift in 1969. The majority of the museum’s income is earned through the sale of train tickets, supplemented with grants and donations. It receives no operating support from taxpayers.
Flagler Car interior