Nostalgia & History > Eisenhower Funeral Train

 Late  March  Early April 1969  B&O  took  Eisenhower  funeral train from Cincinati  west. I believe I have the trainorders thanks to local conductor friend/ neighbor.   Anyone  happen to have the locomotive numbers soo i can confirm?? Thanks.

Photo 1 was the escort train that ran before the funeral train.  
Photos 2 and 3 is the funeral train.  The weather was really crummy.

Just west of Cincy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/15 16:10 by santafedan.

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Thank you/  Storres Jct. Looks like 1457??

I am not sure if there is a "1" in front of the 4.  It is hard to tell.

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1457 would be correct.

The C&O Historical Society should be able to provide the entire consists of these trains.

Carl Shaver
Lombard, IL

B&O E-9 #1457 was the lead locomotive for the train.  The bad news is that that baggage car than carried President Eisenhower is now sitting in the front yard of the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore and like all the rest of the passenger cars it is starting to collect rust.  Give it time and the management of the B&O R.R. Museum will allow it to rust away as they do NOT care about history and their historic collection of both B&O and C&O passenger cars.  They (the management of the museum) need to be replaced with people who care about history, not the people who run it right now.

Somber day to recall, fascinating photos of the train, sincere thanks for posting.

As an aside I remember RFK's funeral train with similiar sadness albeit in stark contrast as it was an ill-planned tragedy in itelf by comparison as one crowd swarming the ROW got plowed down by the eb Admiral, and some folks having climbed a box car for a better view got electrocuted by the overhead.

B&O by most accounts traditionally had the superior operational record with the Secret Service and POTUS specials.    
Pete

I'll be darned.  Didn't know this occurred.  What was the route of the train?

It was a big deal. Took him home to Abilene KS on the U.P.
I think it was B&O/C&O to St Louis, N&W to KC and UP to Abilene KS

Just search on T-O for more info.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/15 22:11 by The_Chief_Way.

Thank you all. I  have the train orders!!

I think they could have done a better job with the black funeral draping and flag.  I wonder who was the last President to have a funeral train?  Kennedy?  I have the Presidents Ride the Train book on my shelf, I'll have to look.  Take those Train orders to an Antiques Roadshow, if they stop in your area.  That would make for an interesting appraisal, especially with these pictures!

mp51w Wrote:
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> I think they could have done a better job with the
> black funeral draping and flag. 

It was an impromptu add-on at Cincinnati requested by Mrs. Eisenhower so that the public would know what car the casket was in.
 

I believe Lincoln was the first deseased President to have his remains borne by rail.