Western Railroad Discussion > Way to go UP!

As a railfan and former railroader, I’ve watched the Bush Funeral train with awe. Thank you Union Pacific for all your hard work in making this part of American history. Well done UP, well done!

Posted from iPhone

Q-GP30 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As a railfan and former railroader, I’ve watched
> the Bush Funeral train with awe. Thank you Union
> Pacific for all your hard work in making this part
> of American history. Well done UP, well done!
>
> Posted from iPhone


Agreed!!! Two thumbs way up !!

Lance Fritz on the CNBC interview was very taken with the joy that President Bush had in running that locomotive for
a couple miles many years ago. Never mind the fluff of 4014, this was a serious and totally respectful tribute to a well
respected man, I personally applaud UP for their effort.

Out

I agree with the above! Aside from the everyday stuff, UP showed themselves to be a class act for the train and it's operation today. Well done!

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

I was going to start a thread to commend UP for the Bush funeral train but one is already here.  They did a great job with a beautiful train for a great man.  I was very concerned about the risk of running such a train and was very relieved when it pulled into College Station right on time without incident.  GREAT JOB Union Pacific!!!!

Great job UP.

Thank you UP, job well done and thanks for the live streaming video.   That was a great idea and show wonderful respect for George H W Bush!
Outstanding job for those who were not able to travel trackside.
Thanks again!
Pat
South Austin, TX

UP did a great job with Engine 4141.  

I was really impressed with the attention to details by UP employees. 
1. The business car attendant thoroughly wiping the handrails before the Bush family exited 
2. The men who lowered the ramp on the Council Bluffs wearing white gloves and very gently lowering it
3. The all the UP personnel disappeared-it wasn’t about them being seen
4. The engineer smoothly operating her train with the World watching 
5. The smoothest ROW

Awesome  job - congratulations UP employees!

BB
 

As I have from the beginning of this project I will always give kudos to UP for the efforts theu put out for the special events and especially this funeral train for George H.W. Bush and especially his family to carry him home to Barbara and their daughter at their final resting place.
And Kudos to the US Military for their grand presence to see these past days thru. I see those young servicemen and women standing proudly protecting the body and dignity of the past president during all these events. It was an amazingly coordinated efffort throughout.
And I sincerely thank the Bush family for allowing the public to share in the bereavement with them as they take their families leader to his final rest.
This was an example of what our country is all about. Thank you America for showing your best side to all who took part and viewed this event.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

Thank you UP. Fantastic job.

they really planned it from not even stabling those some of those domes as usual on the west coast, been in the works for years, Pres Bush even planned it.  Too bad the major networks, except cbs, didn't get the missing man formation in the air, a lot of other video of that is available..
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/18 16:12 by dan.

I saw the replay of the missing man formation.  It was quite excellent. 

First off Union Pacific showed a great deal of respect for President Bush. Secondly I watched all day the funeral train with 4141 leading and man it was impressive. The biggest thing is that two Navy veterans were the crew for this train, and that had to be a huge honor for both. 

It was the best send off for a president I have ever seen and of course I was just around 9 years old when we went to Iraq the first time, so I am old enough to remember watching it via satelite feed at my grandparents.  

Thank you Union Pacific, and RIP Mr. President.  

Michael Fair
Royal Oak, MI

In this day and age, when railroads usually make the news for derailments or grade crossing accidents, UP's handling of the Bush funeral train is a wonderful example of how to generate some favorable PR!  Hats off to all who made it happen!

Bob

One more thing that escaped notice (as it was supposed to) was that UP prepared at least one and possibly two sets of protection power for the two trains.   UP 1943 (the Armed Forces Unit) which many speculated would be on the pilot train, actually left the Lloyd yard engine terminal before daybreak, with 3 clean yellow units.   By daybreak, it was running up the Eureka Sub with a single yellow unit (the old SP Main to Navasota) and it had orders to stop short of Navasota Jct  (where the SP, MP and ATSF come together south of Navasota) and hold short of the junction far enough to not be visible from either train (I believe several miles was specified).   Thus if there had been a problem with 4141, they could have substituted 1943 in Navasota and still had a decorated unit on the head end.  I don't know where the other two units went, but possibly UP had them stashed somewhere else for the pilot train.  In any case, 1943 was not needed and returned to Houston as the two trains were combined in Bryan.

Preparation, Preparation Preparation.  

Remember the old Boy Scout Motto:    Be Prepared!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/18 20:26 by elueck.

Did anyone notice how the train stoppped dead on spot with the Council Bluffs cargo doors lining up perfectly with the centerline of the trackside exit platform? Watching the video playback after the fact (I was unable to watch live due to work obligations) the camera was trained on the exit platform as the train crept up, and it really appeared that the cars doors were going to overshoot the centerline by a few feet, perhaps barely within the four feet or so “margin of error” allowed in the footprint of the platform, but like the rest of the trip preceding that moment, they “nailed it”. 

Desmond Praetzel, “4451 Puff”

 

I was watching and waiting to see how the engineer did on the spot.  She did it perfectly.  And you are right, I thought for a second that she was going to overshoot, and then it was stopped.  She might have missed by an inch or two of being on dead center, but you cannot do any better than she, did, especially with millions of people watching all over the world.
 

As I monitor the train going north, there are still people out to see the train as it heads back to Omaha and Council Bluffs.   Again, a great job by UP to switch everything around in Bryan, so that the funeral train with 4141 is on the head end, followed by the cars from the pilot train.