From the Archives #36: Merci!

This photo and the accompanying caption were originally posted to our Facebook page (link to external site) on June 14, 2023.

In 1948, the United States sent food, medical supplies, and clothing to France to assist with rebuilding efforts after World War II. The following year, France sent its thanks in the form of the "Train de la Reconnaisance Francaise," also known as the "Merci Train." 49 "forty and eight" boxcars (so named because they held 40 men and 8 horses) loaded with gifts of toys, pottery, books, crafts, and traditional clothing first arrived in Boston, and from there they were sent to their final destinations.

Vermont's car arrived in Montpelier in February 1949. The gifts inside were distributed after a couple of months through public libraries, and the car itself remained on display behind the capitol building until 1953. It was then moved to the Vermont State Police headquarters, where it was used to store equipment, before being acquired in the late 60s by the now-defunct locomotive museum Steamtown, U.S.A in Bellows Falls. In 1984, Steamtown relocated to Pennsylvania, and the car was sent to St. Albans for restoration by the Forty and Eight (a veterans' organization named after the same type of boxcars used in the Merci Train).

In July 1984, the restored car was placed on display outside the Switchyard Shopping Center on Lake St. It remained there until 1995, when it was transferred to the Vermont National Guard Library & Museum, where it can still be seen today.

This ca. 1984-1995 photo shows the Vermont boxcar from the "Merci Train" on display on Lake St.