Pullman Standard families will soon be able to buy banners similar to the military banners lining the downtown streets.

Butler Transit Authority board member Jim Diamond at the authority's Tuesday night meeting said a group that feels the legacy of the former railcar factory should receive more emphasis has met twice in the authority's board room.

The group, Diamond said, came up with the idea to sell 2-foot by 3-foot banners that depict scenes from the factory's heyday, before it closed in the early 1980s.

The family's or individual's name would be placed on a tag on the banner, Diamond said.

The two-sided banners would be placed on the utility poles on the transit authority's property on the south end of Pullman Square, where the old Pullman Standard plant once stood. The 18 poles would hold 36 total banners.

Diamond said the county Historical Society helped immensely with the project by allowing the group to select 50 or so images from a huge book of slides depicting the people and activities at Pullman Standard.

The group would also like to see a historical sign commemorating the onetime Butler stalwart like the sign on Hansen Avenue that memorializes the Bantam Car Company and its creation of the Jeep during World War II.

A sort of trophy case inside the authority's large office building would contain memorabilia from Pullman Standard as well, Diamond said.

Diamond said at its peak, Pullman Standard cranked out 50 rail cars per day that totaled 1,500 tons.

Authority board member Joe Hasychak gave a hardy thumbs-up to Diamond's idea.

“I think we should support that right from the beginning,” Hasychak said.

Diamond said the cost to buy a banner has not yet been determined because the group is still negotiating with various banner companies.

The authority voted unanimously to proceed with the project.