{{short description|Diplomatic gift of France to the U.S.}} {{Use American English|date=May 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox train | name = Merci Train | image = Friendship car at the National Railroad Musem.jpg | imagesize = 280px | caption = Photograph of boxcar from French "Merci train," a gift from France to the United States in grateful recognition of U.S. aid to France after World War II. }} <!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not change the first paragraph without prior consensus, see Talk:Merci Train. Thank you. -->The French '''Gratitude Train''' ({{langx|fr|'''Train de la Reconnaissance française'''}}), commonly referred to as the '''Merci Train''', were 49 World War I era "forty and eight" boxcars given to the United States by France in response to the 1947 U.S. Friendship Train. It arrived in Weehawken, New Jersey on February 2, 1949.<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not change the first paragraph without prior consensus, see Talk:Merci Train. Thank you. -->
== Background == The idea to send a "thank you" gift to the United States for the $40 million in food and other supplies sent to France and Italy in 1947 came from a French railroad worker and World War II veteran named Andre Picard.<ref name=Picard>{{cite web|url=http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2681 |title=Merci Train}}</ref> Donations for the Merci Train came from over six million citizens of France and Italy in the form of dolls, statues, clothes, ornamental objects, furniture, and even a Legion of Honour medal purported to have belonged to Napoleon.<ref name=Gifts>{{cite web|url=http://www.skylighters.org/encyclopedia/fortyandeight.html |title=WWII Encyclopedia: The Forty and Eight}}</ref>
== History ==<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add images to this section. It would quickly become too unwieldy. Thank you. --> {{Main|Forty-and-eights}} [[File:Photograph of boxcar from French "Merci train," a gift from France to the United States in grateful recognition of... - NARA - 200078.jpg|thumbnail|left|Merci Train presentation ceremony in the Fourteenth Street yards opposite the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, D.C. in 1949.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|title=American Legion To Get Torch for Arlington Today|work=The Sunday Star|number=36|location=Washington, D.C.|date=February 6, 1949|page=E–14}}</ref>]] The boxcars were "forty-and-eights" used during both world wars. The term refers to the cars' carrying capacity, said to be 40 men or eight horses.<ref>{{cite web|title=What is the 40 & 8|url=http://www.fortyandeight.org/what-is-the-408/}}</ref> Built starting in the 1870s as regular freight boxcars, they were originally used in military service by the French army in both World Wars, and then later used by the German occupation in World War II and finally by the Allied liberators.
In 1949, France sent 49 of those boxcars to the United States (one for each state and the Territory of Hawaii<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add District of Columbia or Washington, D.C. as it would be historically inaccurate. The boxcar was shipped "to the District of Columbia to be turned over to [U.S.] government Officials for the Territory of Hawaii ... which contributed three carloads of sugar to the Friendship Train." ("French "Merci Train"". The Decatur Daily. Vol. 37, no. 232. Decatur, Alabama. November 22, 1948. p. 4.) Thank you. -->) laden with various treasures, as a show of gratitude for the liberation of France. This train was called the Merci Train, and was sent in response to trains full (over 700 boxcars) of supplies known as the Friendship Train sent by the American people to France in 1947. Each of the Merci Train boxcars carried five tons of gifts, all of which were donated by private citizens.<ref name=Life>{{cite journal|title=The "Merci" Train|journal=Life Magazine|date=February 28, 1949|volume=26|issue=9|pages=72–74|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=800EAAAAMBAJ&q=french+freighter+magellan+merci+train&pg=PA72|accessdate=8 July 2015}}</ref>
The Train and all 49 cars arrived aboard the ''Magellan'' on February 2, 1949, with over 25,000 onlookers in attendance. On the side of the gift-laden French freighter was painted, "MERCI AMERICA".<ref name=Life/> Immediately the trains were distributed amongst the states. {{clear|left}}
== Boxcars == The Merci Train boxcars were opened and turned into travelling exhibits before each state committee distributed the entire contents. The 43 surviving boxcars are on public display within each state as follows: {| class="wikitable" |- ! Boxcar ! Image ! Location ! City or town ! Notes |- ! Alabama | | U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum<br /><small>{{coord|34.692051|-86.586194|name=Alabama Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Huntsville | The Alabama State Archives has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Alabama/|title=Merci Train – Alabama|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Arizona | 200x200px | McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park<br /><small>{{coord|33.537500|-111.923333|name=Arizona Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Scottsdale | The Arizona Capitol Museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|title=December 20, 2013 – Arizona State Capitol|url=http://www.dickndebbietravels.com/?p=16007|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Arkansas | 200x200px | American Legion Post 41<br /><small>{{coord|34.527528|-90.588361|name=Arkansas Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Helena–West Helena | The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Arkansas/|title=Merci Train – Arkansas|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! California | | American Legion Post 509<br /><small>{{coord|36.782337|-119.772787|name=California Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Fresno | The [https://gencat.sos.ca.gov/webcat/request/Action?ClientSession=406d86bf:19c242ff44a:-7fb7&UniqueID=6000_3355_4&TemplateProcessID=6000_3355&PromptID=&ParamID=&TemplateProcessID=6000_1051_1051&PromptID=&ParamID=&CMD_(DetailRequest)%5B0%5D=&ProcessID=6000_12280(0)&KeyValues=KEY_6477&kw=merci%20train California State Archives] has a collection of records from the French Merci Train Gift Distribution Committee. <ref>French Merci Train, 1949, F3640:2506, Earl Warren Papers, Governor's Office Administrative Files, Division of Banks, California State Archives.[https://gencat.sos.ca.gov/webcat/request/Action?ClientSession=406d86bf:19c242ff44a:-7fb7&UniqueID=6000_3355_4&TemplateProcessID=6000_3355&PromptID=&ParamID=&TemplateProcessID=6000_1051_1051&PromptID=&ParamID=&CMD_(DetailRequest)%5B0%5D=&ProcessID=6000_12280(0)&KeyValues=KEY_6477&kw=merci%20train]</ref> |- ! Colorado | | Unknown | | Car has been lost. The Woodruff Memorial Library has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Colorado/|title=Merci Train – Colorado|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Connecticut | | Destroyed | | The Abbey of Regina Laudis was gifted a French church bell from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Connecticut/|title=Merci Train – Connecticut|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Delaware | 200px | American Legion Post 6<br /><small>{{coord|38.644101|-75.609211|name=Delaware Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Seaford | Owned and maintained by Forty and Eight Voiture 1320 of Sussex County<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=38658|title=Forty & Eight Boxcar|website=The Historical Marker Database|access-date=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Florida | | Holly Hill City Hall<br /><small>{{coord|29.244416|-81.040179|name=Florida Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Holly Hill | The city hall has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Florida/|title=Merci Train – Florida|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Georgia | 200x200px | Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History<br /><small>{{coord|34.024000|-84.614400|name=Georgia Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Kennesaw | The Georgia State Archives has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Georgia/|title=Merci Train – Georgia|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Idaho | | Old Idaho State Penitentiary<br /><small>{{coord|43.602700|-116.162000|name=Idaho Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Boise | The Idaho Historical Society has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Idaho/|title=Merci Train – Idaho|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Illinois | | Unknown | | Possibly abandoned and destroyed at the old 1948-1949 Chicago Railroad Fair site. |- ! Indiana | | Veterans National Memorial Shrine and Museum<br /><small>{{coord|41.093330|-85.246208|name=Indiana Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Fort Wayne | The Fort Wayne History Center has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fwhistorycenter.org/virtual-exhibits/vex5/index.htm|title=Merci Train: Gifts of Gratitude from France|website=Allen County and Fort Wayne Historical Society|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Iowa | | Antique Acres<br /><small>{{coord|42.609824|-92.457628|name=Iowa Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Cedar Falls | The Iowa Historical Society has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Iowa/|title=Merci Train – Iowa|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Kansas | [https://www.haysusa.com/Facilities/Facility/Details/Veterans-Park-60] | Veterans Memorial Park<br /><small>{{coord|38.872050|-99.300760|name=Kansas Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Hays | Owned and maintained by Forty and Eight Voiture 1543 of Ellis County<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visithays.com/240/Kansas-Merci-Boxcar-Veterans-Memorial-Pa|title=Kansas Merci Boxcar & Veterans Memorial Park|website=Hays, Kansas|access-date=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Kentucky | 200x200px | Kentucky Railway Museum<br /><small>{{coord|37.657103|-85.593405|name=Kentucky Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | New Haven | The Kentucky Historical Society has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Kentucky/|title=Merci Train – Kentucky|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Louisiana | 200x200px | Old Louisiana State Capitol<br /><small>{{coord|30.446881|-91.188861|name=Louisiana Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Baton Rouge | |- ! Maine | | Railway Village Museum<br /><small>{{coord|43.902926|-69.621776|name=Maine Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Boothbay | The Maine State Museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Maine/|title=Merci Train – Maine|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Maryland | 200x200px | B&O Railroad Museum<br /><small>{{coord|39.285509|-76.632619|name=Maryland Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Baltimore | The Montgomery County Historical Society has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Maryland/|title=Merci Train – Maryland|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Massachusetts | | Destroyed | | scrapped in the 1960s |- ! Michigan | | American Legion Post 183<br /><small>{{coord|42.667663|-84.606928|name=Michigan Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Lansing | Owned and maintained by Forty and Eight Voiture 946 of Eaton County.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Michigan/|title=Merci Train – Michigan|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Minnesota | | Minnesota Military Museum<br /><small>{{coord|46.081073|-94.347034|name=Minnesota Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Little Falls | Owned and maintained by Forty and Eight Grand Voiture du Minnesota.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Minnesota/|title=Merci Train – Minnesota|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 4, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Mississippi | 200x200px | Old GM&O Depot<br /><small>{{coord|32.298546|-90.179118|name=Mississippi Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Jackson | The Museum of Mississippi History has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Mississippi/|title=Merci Train – Mississippi|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Missouri | | Dakotaland Museum<br /><small>{{coord|38.691700|-93.259033|name=Missouri Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Sedalia | Owned and maintained by Forty and Eight Voiture 333 of Pettis County.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voiture333sedalia.com/|title=Forty and Eight Voiture 333|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Montana | | Montana Military Museum<br /><small>{{coord|46.622532|-112.097600|name=Montana Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Fort Harrison | The Montana Historical Society has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Montana/|title=Merci Train – Montana|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Nebraska | | Destroyed | | partially scrapped in 1951, remainder converted to shed and destroyed in 1961. The Nebraska Historical Society has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.nebraska.gov/collections/french-gratitude-train-collection|title=French Gratitude Train Collection|website=History Nebraska|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Nevada | alt=Nevada Merci Train car|200x200px | Nevada State Railroad Museum Boulder City<br /><small>{{coord|35.970306|-114.856810|name=Nevada Merci Train Boxar|type:landmark}}</small> | Boulder City | The Nevada State Museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Nevada/|title=Merci Train – Nevada|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! New Hampshire | | 126 Reed St.<br /><small>{{coord|42.996633|-71.482133|name=New Hampshire Merci Train Boxar|type:landmark}}</small> | Manchester | Saint Anselm College has a collection of gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/NewHampshire/|title=Merci Train – New Hampshire|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! New Jersey | 200x200px | United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey | Kansas City, MO | Had been missing since 1958, with unverified claims that it had been scrapped, the boxcar was rediscovered in Tennessee by the National World War I Museum and Memorial in 1993, and placed in storage in Kansas City, Missouri. The car was confirmed as the New Jersey boxcar in 2024, and donated to the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey, who plans to restore it at their Boonton yard.<ref>{{Cite web | title=NJ's Merci Train Boxcar — United Railroad Historical Society of NJ | url=https://www.urhs.org/mercitrain | access-date=2025-10-05 | website=www.urhs.org}}</ref> The New Jersey Museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/NewJersey/|title=Merci Train – New Jersey|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! New Mexico | | Expo New Mexico<br /><small>{{coord|35.080554|-106.570564|name=New Mexico Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Albuquerque | The fair grounds has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/NewMexico/|title=Merci Train – New Mexico|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! New York | | Forty and Eight Voiture 92<br /><small>{{coord|43.11138|-75.346719|name=New York Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Whitesboro | The Met has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/NewYork/|title=Merci Train – New York|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! North Carolina | 200x200px | North Carolina Transportation Museum<br /><small>{{coord|35.687539|-80.433338|name=North Carolina Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Spencer | The North Carolina History Museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/NorthCarolina/|title=Merci Train – North Carolina|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! North Dakota | | North Dakota Heritage Center<br /><small>{{coord|46.818435|-100.779894|name=North Dakota Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Bismarck | The State Historical Society of North Dakota has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.nd.gov/fgt/index.html|title=French Gratitude Train Online Exhibit|website=State Historical Society of North Dakota|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Ohio | | Camp Perry<br /><small>{{coord|41.542523|-83.020277|name=Ohio Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Near Port Clinton | The Ohio Historical Society has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Ohio/|title=Merci Train – Ohio|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Oklahoma | | J. D. McCarty Center<br /><small>{{coord|35.231790|-97.409588|name=Oklahoma Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Norman | The Oklahoma History Center has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Ohio/|title=Merci Train – Oklahoma|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Oregon | 200x200px | Simpson Park<br /><small>{{coord|43.415892|-124.224374|name=Oregon Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | North Bend | The Benton County Historical Society has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Oregon/|title=Merci Train – Oregon|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Pennsylvania | 200x200px | Fort Indiantown Gap<br /><small>{{coord|40.432089|-76.569960|name=Pennsylvania Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Near Jonestown | The Blair County and Lycoming County historical societies have collections of gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Pennsylvania/|title=Merci Train – Pennsylvania|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Rhode Island | | Museum of Work and Culture<br /><small>{{coord|41.999296|-71.516107|name=Rhode Island Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Woonsocket | The museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://smallstatebighistory.com/merci-train-visits-woonsocket-french-connection/|title=The Merci Train Visits Woonsocket: A French Connection|website=The Online Review of Rhode Island History|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! South Carolina | | Memorial Park<br /><small>{{coord|34.219331|-80.247577|name=South Carolina Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Bishopville | |- ! South Dakota | | State Fairgrounds<br /><small>{{coord|44.363464|-98.229703|name=South Dakota Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Huron | The Dakotaland Museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite news|last=Van Poll|first=Louise|date=September 1, 2015|title=The Merci Train of Gratitude|url=http://mercitrain.org/SouthDakota/20160107155147042.pdf|work=The Daily Plainsman|location=Huron, South Dakota|number=209|pages=1, 3|access-date=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Tennessee | | American Legion Post 145<br /><small>{{coord|36.585750|-82.181491|name=Tennessee Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Bristol | The Tennessee State Museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Tennessee/|title=Merci Train – Tennessee|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Texas | 200x200px | Texas Military Forces Museum<br /><small>{{coord|30.313761|-97.761278|name=Texas Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Camp Mabry | The Briscoe History Center has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Texas/|title=Merci Train – Texas|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Utah | 200x200px | Utah State Railroad Museum<br /><small>{{coord|41.222013|-111.979280|name=Utah Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Ogden | |- ! Vermont | thumb | Vermont National Guard Library and Museum<br /><small>{{coord|44.500439|-73.157397|name=Vermont Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Colchester | The Vermont Historical Society and the Wood Art Gallery have collections of gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=February 13, 1949|title='Merci Train' Treasure Gift of Grateful French People|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/660300262/|url-access=subscription|work=Vermont Sunday News|edition=Franklin County|location=Burlington, Vermont|number=37|page=3|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 6, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Virginia | | Virginia War Museum<br /><small>{{coord|37.019476|-76.453647|name=Virginia Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Newport News | |- ! Washington | | Sarg Hubbard Riverside Park<br /><small>{{coord|46.601932|-120.474826|name=Washington Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Yakima | The Karshner Museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Washington/|title=Merci Train – Washington|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! West Virginia | 200x200px | Veterans' Park<br /><small>{{coord|37.418257|-81.589946|name=West Virginia Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Welch | Tu-Endie-Wei State Park has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/WestVirginia/|title=Merci Train – West Virginia|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Wisconsin | 200x200px | National Railroad Museum<br /><small>{{coord|44.483306|-88.048000|name=Wisconsin Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Ashwaubenon | The Hoard Historical Museum and the Wisconsin Historical Society have collections of gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hoardmuseum.org/merci-train/|title=Merci Train|website=Hoard Historical Museum|accessdate=May 23, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Wisconsin/|title=Merci Train – Wisconsin|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Wyoming | | American Legion Post 6<br /><small>{{coord|41.138219|-104.793853|name=Wyoming Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | Cheyenne | The Wyoming Museum has a collection of French gifts from the boxcar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercitrain.org/Wyoming/|title=Merci Train – Wyoming|website=Merci Train|accessdate=May 5, 2022}}</ref> |- ! Territory of Hawaii<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add District of Columbia or Washington, D.C. as it would be historically inaccurate. The boxcar was shipped "to the District of Columbia to be turned over to [U.S.] government Officials for the Territory of Hawaii ... which contributed three carloads of sugar to the Friendship Train." ("French "Merci Train"". The Decatur Daily. Vol. 37, no. 232. Decatur, Alabama. November 22, 1948. p. 4.) Thank you. --> | 200x200px | Hawaiian Railway Society<br /><small>{{coord|21.331897|-158.046105|name=Hawaii Merci Train Boxcar|type:landmark}}</small> | {{okina}}Ewa Beach | |}
== References == {{reflist|30em}}
==Further reading== * {{cite web |url=https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/munitions-of-the-mind/2017/11/27/the-merci-train-remembering-the-world-wars-in-52000-objects/|title='The Merci Train: Remembering the World Wars in 52,000 Objects'|last=Broch|first=Ludivine|date=November 27, 2017|website=University of Kent|access-date=May 6, 2022}}
== External links == {{commons category}} <!-- =============================================================================== WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A COLLECTION OF LINKS. Only a limited number of new links should be added to this article. PLEASE DO NOT ADD external links to sites with information already in the article or in its sources.
See Wikipedia:External links and Wikipedia:Spam for further details =============================================================================== --> * [http://www.mercitrain.org/ Merci Train] * [https://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?Search=Series&SeriesID=287 Merci Train] at Historical Marker Database <!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please follow the WP:EL guideline where possible and consider discussing on the talk page-->
{{portal bar|France|Modern history|Politics|Society|Trains|United States}} {{authority control}}
Category:1949 in France Category:1949 in international relations Category:1949 in the United States Category:Aftermath of World War II in the United States Category:Diplomatic gifts Category:French Fourth Republic Category:France–United States relations Category:Gratitude Category:Railcars of France Category:Railcars of the United States Category:Tourist attractions in the United States Category:Wooden buildings and structures in the United States Category:Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum