On the Weehawken docks, the French Gratitude Train was unloaded with voluntary services from local stevedoring companies. The Association of American Railroads oversaw delivery of three trains of the boxcars for delivery to the south, west, and New England.
The North Dakota boxcar arrived in Bismarck at 9:00 a.m. on February 15, 1949. The boxcar was welcomed by members of the veterans group known as the 40 ET 8, and by state and local officials.
The boxcar and its contents were officially given to the State Historical Society by the 40 ET 8 organization. Some of the gifts were given to other organizations; the Crippled Children’s School, in Jamestown, received most of the toys, and the University of North Dakota library accepted many of the books.
As shown in the photograph, the boxcar was decorated with the forty coat-of-arms representing the provinces of France.
Courtesy of American Heritage