PRR Observation Car at Camp Atterbury

[conraildan]

I was doing Marine Reserve training at Camp Atterbury over the weekend and as I was going out the gate on a bus, I noticed an old rusty passenger car.  I believe it was an observation car or one that would have been on the rear of a passenger train.  It PRR and some numbers spray painted on it.  It can be somewhat seen if you were driving by the main gate to the base.

 Anyone know how this got here and if its a Pennsy car? it was just sitting on a lonely piece of track all by itself.

 Also did any railroads pass through Camp Atterbury at any time?

[IndyKing]

Also did any railroads pass through Camp Atterbury at any time?

Yes, there is/was a line from the PRR (then CR, now LIRC), which left the main line just North of Edinburgh and went through what is now the Atterbury State Fish & Wildlife Area, as well as an old WWII PoW camp to the North of the current base.

[Twitty]

Yes, there is/was a line from the PRR (then CR, now LIRC), which left the main line just North of Edinburgh and went through what is now the Atterbury State Fish & Wildlife Area, as well as an old WWII PoW camp to the North of the current base.

Used to be miles and miles of track in Atterbury.

[indrr]

A little googling found that the car was #7504, William Penn. It was Atterbury's personal car that he used during his time as president of the PRR. Formerly owned by Mr. H. Frazier, Ruston, La., then property of Juniata Terminal Co. (1985-2000). Here's a tad more info: http://www.atterburybakalarairmuseum.org/general_atterbury.htm
http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Fan/pass_cars.html

A good photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23711298@N07/4314400181/

More info on the railroads of Camp Atterbury:
http://www.indianamilitary.org/Camp%20Atterbury/Railroads/Railroads.htm

I think there is another car, the "Indian Song", there too. Don't have much info on it other than it was moved there in 1999 after being a part of the Greenwood McDonald's.

[conraildan]

Thanks for all the info, I knew someone could answer my question   interesting to hear the army base was named after a railroad man

[indrr]

Thanks for all the info, I knew someone could answer my question  interesting to hear the army base was named after a railroad man

Atterbury was a Brigadier General in WWI, and was from New Albany. These factors led to him being the namesake of the camp.

He did work up the ranks of the PRR from being a workshop apprentice in Altoona, to master mechanic at Ft Wayne, on up to VP of Operations by the time he left for the War. A real American dream story (well, other than graduating from Yale at 20 anyway).

[torgy1962]

A real American dream story

Reminds me of General John Shalikashvili, who started as a private and ended up as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff!