40 hommes et 8 chevaux- French Boxcars to USA - Trains Magazine

Carl:

        The aspect that you mentioned converting the Michigan car to a parade float, rung a bell in my head--louder than the normal ringing.

         While growing up in Memphis,Tn. I can remember driving past the Police/Fire shops and parking lot on Adam St.    For quite some time, I remember seeing a little train kept there.  It resembled a small 0-40- and was pulling what resembled ( I learned later) a small foreign looking boxcar on 4 wheels.      One of the signs was a square that said; 40men/8 horses, and words in french [40 hommes et 8 chevaux] also was an American Legion Logo. So apparently it was used by the American legion in Memphis as a parade float.

       this is a link to a good photo of a 40x8 French Boxcar of the kind sent in gratitude to America as part of the French 'Merci Train'.

     Reading about this effort from the USA to Europe of the spontaneous gift of 800 boxcars of emergency food, and supplies to Europe  [Those were American Boxcars-roughly twice the size of their French versions (narrow gauge(?).] Also, a monetary value of $40 Million Dollars for goods and money  raised. 

     These emergency supplies were sent also to Italy, and then disbursed to other countries all over Europe.

    The reciprocation was the ' Merci Train'   49 French Boxcars filed with all sorts of gifts of gratitude. One Car to each State, and one split between the District of Columbia and the Territory of Hawaii.

    In each state there was an effort made to preserve some of the gifts for posterity. They were saved in State Museums all over. The 40x8 Boixcars were apparently taken ver to be cared for by a segment of the American Legion an adjunct group who have take the roll of caretakers to the Merci Train's cars {La Societe des Quarante Hommes at Huit Chevaux}.

This link is to the Nevada State Railroad Museum and covers the renovation of the car in their custody.

  Apparently there are only about 39 or 40 of the original 49 boxcars are still in existence.

A really interesting part of American history that seems to be slipping into the shadows of the History we study, and can be very proud of.