Distinguished passenger car reunited with home railroad history
NORTHEAST INDIANA – The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has purchased the prestigious Pullman passenger car Kitchi Gammi Club from Virginia Rail Investment Group, which restored and operated the historic car for over 36 years under private ownership. This one-of-a-kind Pullman, which is also certified to travel on Amtrak passenger trains, expands the organization’s tourist train experiences and complements its existing collection of operating Nickel Plate equipment and its growing fleet of passenger cars.
“We’re honored to inherit not only this special historic gem but also to celebrate the work and passion that the car’s owners, Chuck Jensen and Chuck Akers, invested in preserving this unique piece of passenger rail history,” stated Kelly Lynch, Executive Director of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. “The Kitchi Gammi Club is right at home traveling behind the kinds of locomotives that once carried it throughout the railroad’s system. We’re especially thankful for our gracious donors and members who were able to quickly support this acquisition.”
“Virginia Rail Investment is excited to transfer ownership to the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society so that the car’s legacy can be carried forward,” stated Chuck Jensen of Virginia Rail Investment.
Tickets to ride aboard the Kitchi Gammi Club will be available as part of the 2025 season of the Indiana Rail Experience and a schedule will be forthcoming at indianarails.org. As the only Amtrak-certified heavyweight open-section car operating in the United States, the Kitchi Gammi Club will maintain its Amtrak certification for the immediate future. Inquiries on Amtrak charters can be directed to contact@fwrhs.org.
Plans call for the organization to begin fundraising to return the car to its original Pullman appearance and to outfit the interior with authentic Pullman decor and furnishings. Donations for the Kitchi Gammi Club can be made at fortwaynerailroad.org/donate.
DONATE TO PRESERVE KITCHI GAMMI
Constructed in 1923, the elegant Pullman car was nearly scrapped after finishing its career in wreck train service, during which its ornate interior was almost entirely stripped. Between 1988 and 2019, Chuck Jensen and Chuck Akers meticulously overhauled and restored the car. In addition to operating in Amtrak service, the Kitchi Gammi Club regularly participated in National Railway Historical Society conventions and was routinely used as part of the Norfolk & Western steam program, eventually racking up tens of thousands of miles.
The acquisition of a Nickel Plate Road and Pullman passenger car represents a long-held curatorial interest for the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and its late founding member Glenn Brendel.
The Kitchi Gammi Club is the fourth operating car to join the organization’s fleet since 2024, following the renovation of two former Barnum & Bailey passenger cars, which have been converted into first-class open-window coaches, and one New York Central passenger car from the original 1941 Empire State Express fleet. The organization also owns an unrestored 1950s-era dome-observation car Riding Mountain Park.
Car acquisitions and restorations are largely powered by grants, donations, ticket sales, and volunteers. For more information on how to support these efforts, visit greatsteelfleet.org.
The acquisition of the Kitchi Gammi Club was made possible in part by the Journal Gazette Foundation, Olive B. Cole Foundation, Mac & Pat Parker Foundation, Howard P. Arnold Foundation, the ME Raker Foundation, and the Morel Family Foundation.
ABOUT
For over 50 years, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has created unique and memorable experiences celebrating the Golden Age of Railroading—a transformative era of American transportation, innovation, and connectivity spanning the 1930s to the 1950s. The organization has extensively operated the historic steam locomotive Nickel Plate Road No. 765 in public exhibitions and passenger train excursions, with events regularly attracting visitors from all 50 states and several countries.
In 2023, its rail tourism program, the Indiana Rail Experience, was named Indiana’s Best New Experience by Visit Indiana. Since 2022, its events have generated an economic impact of over $3 million on Northeast Indiana.
The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society’s operations are made possible entirely by volunteers and funded through ticket sales, memberships, donations, grants, and sponsorships. For more information, visit fortwaynerailroad.org.
