Reports have come in that the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville, IN has started scrapping some of its traction collection. It's not clear on how many cars are being cut up but it seems the museum is starting with some of its Chicago 4000-series 'L' cars that were converted for work service. ITM has (or had) seven 4000s including two that had operated at the museum at one point or another and five that had been rebuilt by the CTA for work service. The one that is thought to have been scrapped within the past week is car S354, built in 1923 as car 4381 and rebuilt for work service in 1965. It came to ITM in 1978 and was fitted with a crude overhead platform, visible in the 2001 photo above, for use as a makeshift line car. Along with the other CTA work cars it's been in very poor shape for years. It's been removed from the PNAERC list, taking the ITM collection from 24 to 23 cars total.
It's possible that additional 4000s, and perhaps more historic cars in the museum's collection, may meet the torch in the coming days or weeks. The museum has been evicted from Forest Park in Noblesville, apparently having only until June 1st to evacuate, and from most accounts there seems to be little interest on the part of museum management in the traction collection. Any updates from folks in Indiana are appreciated.
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