 What was the significance of the boxcars? It was just a thank you for the aid that was given to France after World War II. And so they sent 49 boxcars, one for each state. Each state has their own boxcar. 43 of them still survive today. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Nebraska, and New Jersey are without theirs. I don't know what happened to theirs, but at some point over time, they lost theirs. I don't know where Alabama's is.