Donate to the NKPHTS

The Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society

How You Can Help the NKPHTS

Willis McCaleb-John Rehor Memorial Fund
Locations Where Preservation/education Work is Ongoing
Other Ways to Help the NKPHTS

The Nickel Plate Historical & Technical Society, Inc. welcomes your donations and suggestions for projects. We have been recognized as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, so all contributions of material and money are tax deductible. Please read further on how you may contribute to preserving the Nickel Plate Road. Thank you for your interest.

Willis McCaleb-John Rehor Memorial Fund

Send donations to:

e-Mail:

Inquiries concerning monetary donations and contributions of NKP historical material:

e-Mail:

Purpose: The NKPHTS seeks to provide a means, over and above what has been done, to preserve Nickel Plate Road related rolling stock, locomotives, buildings, and materials. But, the NKPHTS is not chartered as a museum or library, and has no permanent storage facilities.

To this end, the Fund has been established to provide greater financial support for organizations preserving various Nickel Plate Road artifacts in various forms, from paper to equipment. It is not the intent of this Fund to be the sole provider of funding for the purchase of such artifacts.

The Fund is now accepting donations in any amount from individuals, collections, fund raisers, groups or businesses.

Projects receiving funding assistance from the Willis McCaleb-John Rehor Memorial Fund, to date.

Window replacement for Nickel Plate Road passenger car #105 restored by the Mad River & NKP Railroad Society, Inc., Bellevue, OH
Boiler tube replacement for Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive #587 operated currently by the Indiana Transportation Museum, Noblesville, IN
Repainting of Diesel Locomotive EMD GP-9 #514 (active on NKP-N&W 1958-1985) into original Nickel Plate Road paint scheme by the Steamtown National Historic Site, Scranton, PA Please note this organization is part of the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Dept. of the Interior.
Seed money (first official donation) for the John H. Keller Fund (a endowment, goal $200,000) for maintaining the Lincoln Park Railroad Exhibit, including preserved Lima-built Berkshire Nickel Plate Road #779, Nickel Plate Road business car #5 (originally NYC&St.L #100, 1883), and Nickel Plate Road caboose #1091 (Lafayette Car Works, 1881). Fundraising effort sponsored by American House, Inc., P.O.Box 5283, Lima, OH 45802 (Please note this is NOT a memorial fund; John recently celebrated his 90th Birthday with us.)
Allocation approved toward the purchase, moving, and restoration (to extent feasible) for oldest known Nickel Plate Road wooden ice-refrigerator car body still in existence (in Michigan). Need organization to come forward, conduct feasibility study, and make proposal to the Fund Committee.
Funds donated to the Malinta Community Historical Society to restore the Malinta Nickel Plate Depot and to move and restore a former Nickel Plate maintainer's shanty.

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Locations Where Preservation/education Work is Ongoing - Nickel Plate Road Items Are in the Organization's Possession

Allen County Museum, Lima, OH
Angola, NY, Depot
Cleveland State University Library, Special Collections
Conneaut (OH) Railroad Museum
Cuyahoga Valley (OH) Railway
Edwardsville, IL, Depot
Fort Wayne (IN) Historical Society
Great Lakes Historical Society/Vermilion, OH, Depot
Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, North Judson, IN
Indiana Transportation Museum, Noblesville, IN
Mad River & NKP Railroad Society, Inc., Bellevue, OH
Monticello (IL) Railroad Museum
National Park Service/Steamtown, Scranton, PA
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg, PA
Rochester (NY) & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
Virginia Transportation Museum, Roanoke, VA
Whitewater Valley Railroad, Connersville, IN
Western Ohio Railroad Association (WORA), St. Marys, OH

Please advise us of any other organized, but uncompleted, preservation/education efforts which have been omitted from the above list.

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Other Ways To Help the NKPHTS

In addition to monetary donations there are other ways to help the NKPHTS to preserve the memory of the Nickel Plate Road.

First, encourage other Nickel Plate Road fans to join the NKPHTS. The more members we have the more the society can do to further preserve the Nickel Plate's rich heritage.
Second, contribute articles for publication in our Magazine, or other publication projects. We are not looking for skilled writers, only those eager to help. We have members who are capable of finishing rough copy. We would like to have first hand experiences as well.
Third, the NKPHTS is always looking for photographs, slides, and drawings. The Society has grown bit by bit through its members' contributions. Much Nickel Plate history has been preserved in an informal fashion, and our library provides a central repository for this material. So this alone makes your contributions more valuable.
Fourth, volunteer yourself, your organization, and/or your city for one of our upcoming conventions.

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