The John H. Emery Rail Heritage Trust is pleased to announce the following grants for this year. John Emery was a long-time Chicago resident who was an avid rail enthusiast who loved to ride trains around the world, and wanted to help preserve rail equipment and infrastructure that will allow future generations to share his experiences during what he considered the “Golden Age” of railway travel, from 1920 to 1960. Grants applications are considered for projects that help preserve the classic passenger train experience, especially those that restore historic equipment and artifacts to working order.

Twenty-nine applications were received requesting almost $875,000.00. After extensive research and serious consideration by advisors of the Trust, nineteen grants were awarded totaling $250,000. The Emery Rail Heritage Trust is the largest trust in the United States that makes 100% of its awards solely for railroad restoration purposes. For 2023, grants were approved for the following organizations/projects:

1. Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad Association: $15,000.00 to help refurbish their Chicago & NorthWestern passenger car.
2. Danbury Railway Museum: $12,000.00 to aid in rebuilding the engines of their former New Haven Budd Rail Diesel Car 32.
3. East Troy Railroad Museum: $10,000.00 for work on their Chicago, South Shore & South Bend car 107.
4. Friends of the SP 4449: $10,000.00 of their Southern Pacific coach 2395.
5. Illinois Railway Museum: $10,000.00 for electrical and air brake work on their Milwaukee Road coach 649.

ABOVE: Danbury Railway Museum’s former New Haven Budd Rail Diesel Car 32, at Danbury, Conn., September 2022. —Otto M. Vondrak photo

6. Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation: $1,000.00 to help start work on their C&NW steam locomotive 175.
7. Mid-Continent Railway Museum: $10,000.00 for continued work on the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic sleeping car Duluth.
8. Nashville Steam Preservation Society: $15,000.00 to help refurbish the crossheads, guides, and one wrist pin on Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis 4-8-4 steam locomotive 576.
9. National Railway Museum: $8,500.00 to update their ex-Reading car Josephine.
10. Pacific Locomotive Association: $31,000.00 for purchasing staybolts for use on the SP steam engine 1744.

ABOVE: Spokane, Portland & Seattle 4-8-4 700 at Union Station in Portland, Oregon. —Justin Franz photo

11. Pacific Railroad Preservation Association: $10,500.00 for replacement of three blowdowns for the Spokane, Portland & Seattle 4-8-4 steam locomotive 700.
12. Railroaders Memorial Museum: $11,000.00 for work on the Pennsylvania Railroad observation car Mountain View, once used on the Broadway Limited.
13. Railroad Heritage of Midwest America: $25,000.00 for a head-end power (HEP) generator to power their former Union Pacific excursion coaches at Silvis, Ill.
14. Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum: $11,500.00 for structural repairs to their Erie Railroad Stillwell coach 2103.
15. Southern Michigan Railroad Society: $10,000.00 for work on their heavyweight Pullman Emerald Vale.

ABOVE: Erie Railroad Stillwell coach 2103 currently under restoration at Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Rush, N.Y. —Otto M. Vondrak photo

16. Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration: $15,000.00 toward their Sumpter Valley Railway 2-8-2 steam locomotive 19.
17. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum: $20,000,00 for work on their Grand Trunk Western dining car No. 899, the Silver Lake.
18. United Railroad Historical Society: $14,500.00 toward replacing the generator on their former New York Central Hickory Creek observation car.
19. Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society and Museum: $10,000.00 for truck repair on the ex-Clinchfield Railroad office car No. 100.

ABOVE: Former New York Central observation car Hickory Creek, seen on the rear of a Hudson River Rail excursion operated on the tail end of an Amtrak train. Owned and operated by the United Railway Historical Society of New Jersey, the car once brought up the rear of the 20th Century Limited. —Courtesy URHS

Congratulations to all the groups who received a grant and best wishes for continuted success as they work hard to preserve our nation’s classic era of passenger railroad heritage! Applications for the next round of grants will be due no later than February 1, 2024.

—via press release