Anyone heard of this before?
WWI-era boxcar found
One of 49 in Merci Train gifted by France to US
David M. Zimmer
USA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY
New Jersey’s Merci Train boxcar, currently in storage in the Kansas City, Mo., area, is set to head home to New Jersey this month. Photos Provided by United Railroad Historical Society of NJ
A long-lost gift from France to New Jersey in 1949, once thought to be destroyed, is returning home this month.
New Jersey’s Merci Train boxcar is one of 49 gifted as a gesture of gratitude for American aid during and after World War II. Lost since 1958, the car was identified in 2024 as New Jersey’s and is set to return for restoration and preservation by the United Railroad Historical Society of NJ after spending decades in a warehouse in Kansas City, Missouri.
Kevin Phalon, the society’s executive director, said he was out of his mind with excitement when he heard the news.
‘For rail historians, this is like finding buried treasure,’ Phalon said. ‘We would have never expected to see this car again.’
Built in Lyon, France, between 1893 and 1895, the boxcar was used in World War I to transport troops and supplies. Known as a ‘40 and 8’ car, it could carry 40 soldiers or eight horses in cramped conditions. It became a symbol of wartime sacrifice and was later adopted as the emblem of the 40 & 8 Veterans Organization.
More than 75 years ago, the New Jersey boxcar and its 48 siblings were sent to Pier H in Weehawken, New Jersey, adorned with shields representing regions of France, eagle banners and other placards as part of France’s ‘Merci (or Gratitude) Train.’ Each state at the time, along with the Territory of Hawaii, eventually received one. All were filled with gifts from French citizens.
New Jersey’s car arrived at Trenton’s Clinton Street Station on Feb.5, 1949, and was greeted by a collection of French and state delegates. The following morning, it was received by Gov. Alfred Driscoll under rainy skies at the city’s War Memorial Building, the Trenton Evening Times reported.
The car and some of its artifacts were most notably displayed in public exhibitions at the New Jersey State Museum and the Newark Museum until late March, according to newspaper reports. Afterward, the gifts – including fine china, furniture and a wedding gown – were distributed to individuals, schools and cultural organizations across the state. Others were moved into the museums’ permanent collections. The state museum still holds dolls, commemorative medals, artwork and a dented World War I-era bugle allegedly used to make the call ending the war on Nov.11, 1918. Some retain the original tags identifying their French donors.
New Jersey’s Merci Train boxcar is seen shortly after it arrived in 1949.
Nicholas Ciotola, curator of cultural history at the New Jersey State Museum, said the boxcar’s reemergence resolves one of the state’s great mysteries.
‘More importantly, its restoration and preservation will help ensure that the history of our country’s role as a military and economic leader, protector of Europe and savior of democracy in the tumultuous World War II era will never be lost or forgotten,’ he said.
When the state’s 1949 commemorations had finished, New Jersey’s boxcar was placed under the care of the New Jersey 40 & 8 Society as a monument and educational exhibit. Truck wheels were added, allowing it to be easily moved and used as a parade float, Phalon said. By 1958, its whereabouts became unknown. Researchers believed it had been lost or destroyed after being transferred to a 40 & 8 Voiture in Long Island, but no records confirmed its fate.
Since 1993, however, it had been hiding in plain sight. That year, a similar boxcar was discovered in a Tennessee field by officials with the National WWI Museum and Memorial, who moved it to their home of Kansas City for preservation and possible restoration as a WWI-era 40 and 8. In 2024, Chris Juergens, the museum’s curator, and historian David Knutson reexamined its origins. Knutson said he stumbled upon its origin ‘purely by accident.’
‘I saw pictures of an old boxcar posted on Facebook and was able to determine it was New Jersey’s missing boxcar,’ said Knutson, who has researched the Merci Train for 30 years and developed the authoritative restoration guide for the boxcars. ‘When I realized the Museum and Memorial actually had the car in their possession, I was thrilled. Now, thanks to URHS, it will return to New Jersey and be properly restored for future generations to appreciate.’
Phalon said society members are preparing for its arrival at New Jersey’s Boonton Yard in late April after receiving word that Juergens and other officials at the National WWI Museum and Memorial wanted to find it a home in New Jersey.
‘Once we confirmed the WWI-era boxcar had been part of the historic Merci Train, we knew we had to find a way to get it home,’ Juergens said.
The society is raising $20,000 to stabilize and transport the boxcar to New Jersey by trailer, Phalon said. Additional funds will support an evaluation by a historic architect prior to restoration work. While rotting wood needs replacement, the car’s steel frame remains in good condition due to decades of indoor storage, Phalon said.
Over the next two years, the organization plans to secure grant funding and attempt to have the car listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. The goal, Phalon said, is to restore the exterior to its 1949 appearance while preserving as much original wood as possible. With adequate funding, restoration could be completed by Memorial Day 2027, when the boxcar is expected to debut as a mobile museum highlighting the railroad’s role in both world wars and the Merci Train’s history, he said.
‘This boxcar is more than just a historic railroad artifact. It’s a symbol of international friendship, gratitude and the enduring connections forged through hardship,’ Phalon said. g
