Merci boxcars subject of documentary

Henry Heinaman and Jerry Ondracek, both of Sedalia, were surprised Beth Spiegel and Pauline von Moos wanted to see them. Spiegel, of Altadena, Calif., and von Moos, of Los Angeles, are working on a documentary film called “Boxcar Memories: The Journey of the French Gratitude Train.”

“We probably won’t see them all ... The boxcars are only part of the story. Another part of the story is going to be about the gifts and the letters that were put on the gifts,” said Spiegel, who saw her first Merci boxcar in Idaho about 10 years ago. She decided then to do a documentary.

Heinaman has been taking care of Missouri’s Merci boxcar, which is across from the Missouri Department of Conservation complex on the on the Missouri State Fairgrounds, for the past 35 years.

Ondracek rode in a 40 & 8 boxcar during World War II.

Both belong to 40 & 8, Voiture 333.

Newspaper columnist Drew Pearson led a campaign in 1947 to collect supplies to be given to war-torn France. The American Friendship Train collected 700 carloads of clothing, food and other goods on its journey from California to New York for shipment to France. The French showed their gratitude in 1949 by sending 49 railroad boxcars, one for each state, filled with gifts to the United States. The 49th was shared by Washington, D.C., and the territory of Hawaii.

Missouri’s boxcar went to Jefferson City. The Legislature voted to put the boxcar on the front lawn of the Capitol, but it never made it.

Frank Reynolds, state head of the 40 & 8 from Marshall, noticed the boxcar rusting away on a siding. E.L. Eickhoff, of Cole Camp, said Reynolds was instrumental in bringing the car, which probably dates from the 1870s, to Sedalia. In 1950, the Missouri Pacific Railroad, assisted by Voiture 333 members, brought the boxcar to the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Several vases, a French glove, a group of fans, small statues of Joan of Arc, Columbus and Napoleon, a wooden bust of Jesus Christ and a pair of trench art vases from World War I are among the gifts on display at the Pettis County Museum.

Heinaman inspects the boxcar every other day, more often during events on the fairgrounds, to make sure all 44 provincial plaques are in place.
During the Ozark Music Festival, in July 1974, some folks cut a hole in the floor of the car and climbed in.

“They used it for a restroom and sleeping ... so we got the boards, cleaned it up, put the boards back in, disinfected it and then went in there with plyboard,” Heinaman said.

Ondracek served in the Army in World War II.

“I rode from Frankfurt, Germany, to Marseille, France, in 1945,” in a military boxcar, a two-day trip, he said.

Ondracek’s father Rudolph was a Czech patriot in the French Foreign Legion during World War I. Rudolph traveled by boxcar on several occasions.

In World War I, the cars were used to transport eight horses or 40 men, hence the name 40 et 8.

Ondracek’s group stopped at camps along the way, where they ate, had cold showers and slept in tents. They ate breakfast, received two sandwiches and a canteen of water and resumed the trip. They rode with both doors open and used their duffle bags for seats.

Spiegel and von Moos hope to have their documentary done sometime next year. “We are planning to go to France next year and kind of doing a similar kind thing on the other side. That’s why we keep asking about the French. They’re part of the story too,” said Spiegel.

The women arrived in Sedalia on Sunday and are going home today. To follow their journey, visit www.worldofthanks.net.