08/30/2026
Today is a special day.
Eight years ago today, on a warm summer day in Philadelphia, something happened that would ultimately change the course of our organization forever.
Two years before we would receive the donation of Norfolk and Western Business Car 300, she was pulled from the warehouse where she had been stored for more than 27 years.
At the time, there was no Norfolk and Western Business Car 300 Preservation Society. There was no nonprofit. There were no volunteers, fundraisers, grants, restoration projects or thousands of people following our journey.
There was simply a plan.
There was a proposal.
And there was an inspection.
The plan was to create a nonprofit organization wholly dedicated to preserving and restoring 300. A 16-page proposal was presented to the owner outlining our vision and our plan for breathing new life into this remarkable piece of Norfolk and Western history.
Then came the inspection.
Walking into 300 for the first time felt like stepping into a time capsule that had been forgotten.
Newspapers and a couple of issues of TV Guide from 1991 were still sitting on the table in the lounge. Mold had taken hold in numerous places. Paint was peeling from the ceiling. Dust and soot covered virtually everything.
She had been forgotten.
But she wasn't beyond saving.
300 was asking for help.
And that call was heard.
Eight years later, we still look back on that day with an incredible sense of awe. What started with an idea, a 16-page proposal and a dream has become so much more than we ever imagined.
300 was saved.
She was restored.
She returned to the rails.
She has carried thousands of passengers on more than 100 trips and has introduced our guests to the car that was assigned to numerous Presidents of the Norfolk and Western.
And along the way, something even bigger happened.
A community was created.
Volunteers showed up.
Supporters opened their wallets.
Partners opened their doors.
Organizations believed in our mission.
And people who had never heard of Business Car 300 before became part of her story.
Anything that has ever been accomplished began with an idea.
But an idea is only the beginning.
It takes people willing to believe in that idea to turn it into reality.
And that's exactly where we find ourselves today.
Because our story didn't end with 300.
It continued with the acquisition and ongoing restoration of the Hollins College, the last surviving fully-intact Norfolk and Western ACF 12 Roomette–4 Bedroom Sleeping Car.
And now, once again, we have an opportunity to save another piece of Norfolk and Western history.
Norfolk and Western Power Car 409.
When we announced our opportunity to purchase the 409, we knew we were asking our supporters to help us take on another tremendous challenge. But we also knew something else:
We've done this before.
Eight years ago, 300 was sitting in a dark warehouse in Philadelphia, waiting for someone to believe that her story wasn't over.
Today, she is preserved.
And now 409 is waiting for someone to believe that her story isn't over either.
That's why our campaign means so much to us.
This isn't simply about purchasing another railroad car.
It's about preserving history that cannot be replaced.
It's about taking something that has survived decades of service and ensuring that future generations can see, touch and experience it.
It's about proving, once again, that an idea backed by a dedicated group of people can accomplish things that once seemed impossible.
Eight years ago, we had an idea.
Today, we have 300.
We have the Hollins College.
And we have an opportunity to add the 409 to that legacy.
But we can't do it without you.
To every volunteer who has picked up a tool, climbed aboard a car, scraped paint, cleaned a floor, repaired a window, raised a dollar or simply showed up:
Thank you.
To every person who has ever donated, whether it was $5 or $5,000:
Thank you.
To every corporate sponsor, grantor, railroad partner, museum and organization that has believed in what we're doing:
Thank you.
And to our more than 5,000 followers who continue to watch, share, encourage and cheer us on:
Thank you.
You did this.
Our volunteers did this.
Our supporters did this.
Our partners did this.
And if we are going to save 409, we're going to do it together, too.
Please enjoy this look back at where our journey began eight years ago today and where that journey has led us.
And if you believe, as we do, that Norfolk and Western Power Car 409 deserves the opportunity to have its story continue, please consider becoming part of the next chapter by donating to our campaign:
https://www.nw300.org/powercar/
