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Reply to "Weekend Photo Fun- Independance Weekend Edition 2020"

@CAPPilot posted:

The American Freedom Train of 1975-76 was a corporate sponsored traveling exhibition of artifacts from the 200 year history of our Nation.  It was 26 cars long, with 10 display cars (one for every 20 years of our history), two showcase cars with windows on the sides showing some of the larger artifacts on the train, and 14 support cars.  The train was pulled by three different steam engines, a Reading T1 in the eastern US, a Southern Pacific GS-4 in the western US, and a Texas and Pacific "Texas" in Texas.  These super power steam engines rarely needed helpers but most roads required them for various reasons, mostly for publicity.

Here is my #4449 with a Western Pacific GP-40 "helper", both MTH.

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28 years early was the seven car 1947-49 Freedom Train, a US government sponsored train that carried many of our country most precious documents.  The documents were in three display cars with a constant Marine guard.  President Truman and his cabinet hoped it would, among other reasons, enable Americans to rediscover just how hard-won their freedoms were, and reflect on the meaning of American citizenship.  Here is my Lionel set.

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A couple of little known facts about the Freedom Train.  1) ALCO provided a brand new PA for the train as part of their advertising budget.  The PA is the only known locomotive to have been in all of the lower 48 states.  2)  The train's management required that lines of people to see the train not be segregated.  Two southern cities refused and the train went right through these cities without stopping.

On Nov 17, 1947, the Freedom train and the Friendship Train, being pulled by a PRR Centipede, met in Harrisburg PA.  While both trains were crisscrossing the country at the same time, this is the only time they met.

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Love you collection. Thanks for sharing.

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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