Before the internet existed, vehicles, interstates, trains and trolleys were kingpins of connections. Indiana once boasted the nation's largest interurban electric railway, linking rural communities to downtown Indianapolis. Now, volunteers comprising The Hoosier Heartland Trolley Co. restore these historic trolleys to interactive museumlike treasures.
Noblesville-based Hoosier Heartland Trolley Co. is a registered 501(c)(3)nonprofit, with Cameron Nichols presiding. He says, "We exist to spark imagination in people of all ages to experience the art, science, culture, technology and economic empowerment of Indiana’s world-renowned electric railway industry from the 20th century."
During September, the group was awarded a $100,000 Heritage Support Grant from Indiana Historical Society officials to complete the operational and cosmetic restoration of Union Traction Interurban No. 429 as part of the Electrify 429 campaign. The Impact Grant will bring the 1925-built electric railway car to 95% completion, readying the century-old electric train for passenger service as Indiana's only original, operable interurban still within the state.
Carmel resident and the group's vice president, Austin Mace, says this railcar once ran through Carmel between 1925 and 1940, traveling north to Noblesville and Kokomo.
Austin adds, "The best part of being involved with this effort is shining light on a rich, often untold, part of Indiana’s history that most people are unfamiliar with. It's also a tangible, visceral way to experience history, as our ambition is eventually to enable people to ride this history."
The grant is funding critical interior and structural work, including windows, seats, flooring, lighting, roof restoration and exterior paint, transforming the already-operational car into an immersive exhibit where Hoosiers can experience this historic form of transportation for the first time in more than 80 years. The organization is raising a 15% match of $15,000 to amplify donor impact and complete the project by fall 2026.
"This transformative grant brings us to reintroducing Hoosiers to the electric railway system that once defined our state's development," says Jakob Stage, Hoosier Heartland's treasurer and chief mechanical officer. "When passengers step aboard No. 429, they'll experience the same elegance and innovation that moved nine million Hoosiers annually at the system's peak in the early 1900s."
Union Traction Company No. 429 was built in 1925 by the St. Louis Car Company as one of Indiana's premier interurbans, until the electric railway system vanished in 1941. The railcar survived decades as a gravel pit office and in storage before being saved by preservationists.
In addition to Cameron, Austin and Jakob, the group's board of directors are: Lavonne Stage, secretary and collections manager; Matthew Kertes, member-at-large; Michelle Yerkeson, volunteer services manager/safety coordinator; Aaron Hutchinson, community outreach coordinator; and Matthew Kertes, company store manager.
To support this initiative, look online for scheduled dinners, evening outings, educational sessions and special events at HoosierTrolley.org or register for their email list. Cameron says their current restoration site is temporary while they develop a permanent museum site and electric heritage railroad on which to operate the interurban collection, host community educational programs and exhibits.
Although these volunteers don't yet offer regular tours, they host open houses announced on social media and through their email list.
Seeking interesting holiday gifts for train- and trolley-loving enthusiasts? This group offers an online store with branded coffee, ceramic campfire mugs, Happy Trolleydays ornament, themed shirts, 'Back Home Again In Indiana' wooden ornament, hooded sweatshirts and wooden trolley train whistles.