Once the mobile headquarters of the Van Sweringen brothers’ vast railroad empire, Nickel Plate Road Business Car No. 1 now begins a new chapter.

Built by Pullman in 1929, this remarkably intact executive car survives as a rare link to the people, ideas, and innovations that shaped American railroading—including the development of the legendary Berkshire locomotive.

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society is launching a campaign to raise at least $300,000 to restore NKP 1’s historic interior, repair decades of deterioration, modernize its essential systems, and return it to operation as a living piece of railroad history. Over $95,000 has been raised to help move the car to begin its new journey already!

Your donation will help us transform this weary icon of 20th-century railroad innovation into a 21st-century attraction!

You can also donate by mail: 
Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society
Post Office Box 11017, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 46855