The Oklahoma boxcar is on display at the entrance of the JD McCarty Center for Children with Disabilities in Norman Oklahoma.
In 1947, American newspaper columnist Drew Pearson was so moved by the conditions in war torn Europe that he called on Americans for donations of food, clothing, medical and other supplies to aid the plights of France and Italy. He proposed a plan for a train to cross America collecting car loads of donated supplies as it went.
The “Friendship Train”, as it was called, left Los Angeles on November 7, 1947 with eight empty boxcars. The response from across America was overwhelming and eleven days later on November 18, 1947 the “Friendship Train” arrived in New York with some 700 Box Cars loaded with donated goods worth $40 million. The supplies were then shipped to the region.
As the aid began to pour in, a French veteran of WW I and railroad worker named Andre’ Picard was so grateful for America’s outpouring of generosity that he formulated a response and joined with the French Veterans Association to reply with a 49 car “Merci Train” of WWI era boxcars, each filled with mementos from the French people and sent to America.
The boxcars arrived in New York Harbor February 3, 1949 and as the “Gratitude Train”, as came to be called in America, crossed the Nation one boxcar with it’s contents was donated to each of the 48 States with one shared by the District of Columbia and the territory of Hawaii.
Today these “Box Cars” stand in their respective States as a testament to these two incredible displays of goodwill and have evolved through the efforts of “La Societe de 40 and 8” and the National Boxcar Association to annually raise funding to support the many charitable programs of the 40/8 in support of our communities across this great Nation.
--Source http://www.fortyandeight.org/box-car/