By Railfan & Railroad Staff
A one-of-a-kind 1923 Pullman railroad passenger car, will travel on a multi-day journey between New York City, Chicago, and Grand Rapids, Mich., to join the Indiana Rail Experience for special occasions this October and December. The Kitchi Gammi Club was once a regular on Nickel Plate Road trains and will be rolling behind NKP 2-8-4 765 this fall.
“Pullman cars were renowned for plush interiors, lounges, sleeping compartments, and onboard services. Kitchi Gammi Club represents one of the best examples from this era of early 20th-century rail travel. We’re elated to add it to our fall color and Christmas trains this year,” said Kelly Lynch, executive director of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, primary sponsor of the Indiana Rail Experience.
Named the Kitchi Gammi Club, the prestigious passenger car once operated in first-class passenger train service. It routinely traveled as a part of its named passenger trains until 1953, when it was converted into an official company business car until it was later deemed surplus after serving in wreck train service. Between 1988 and 2019, the car was meticulously overhauled and restored under private ownership and operated by Virginia Rail Investment Corporation and its owners Chuck Akers and Chuck Jensen. It has seen continuous service ever since, most recently traveling to Miami for the National Railway Historical Society convention. Accompanying the Kitchi Gammi Club will be the Pullman car Pacific Island, a 1950s-era sleeper-lounge car operated by Adios Rail.
Kitchi Gammi Club’s arrival is timed to coincide with the annual convention of the Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society in October.
“You haven’t been able to climb aboard a Nickel Plate Pullman and ride behind a Nickel Plate steam or diesel locomotive in Northeast Indiana regularly since the 1950s,” Lynch said.
Plans call for Kitchi Gammi Club to depart on Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited from New York Penn Station on September 6 and arrive in Chicago on September 7, with a brief stop planned en route in Waterloo, Ind.,. The car will then move onto Grand Rapids, Mich., on September 8 and be shipped to Northeast Indiana via freight trains.
For more information and to buy tickets visit indianarails.org.
Since its founding in 2022, the Indiana Rail Experience on the Indiana Northeastern Railroad has welcomed thousands of passengers from at least 32 states and two countries. It was even named the “Best New Experience” by the Indiana State Tourism Association.
