Re: PC: RFK Funeral Train

["weldon" <weldon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Lincoln actually had to sneak through Baltimore to get into office.  The
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore line (PRR) from New York entered the
city via President Street Station on the east edge of the harbor, then a
street line carried the president to Camden Station on the B&O about 2 miles
away on the west side.  Lincoln wore a disguise and was heavily guarded as
he made the transfer.  Later, the first bloodshed of the Civil War took
place along the same line as Massachussetts regiments tried to make the
transfer across town and was met by an angry mob with southern leanings.
Read the text to our state song, "Maryland, My Maryland" for a play by play.
Baltimore was known in the 19th century as "Mobtown," and was propelled
nationally as such by the battle of President Street.
Incidentally, the station still stands, nicely restored at the corner of
President and Aliceanna Streets.
-----Original Message-----
From: lnrr -AT- juno.com <lnrr@juno.com>
To: penn-central -AT- smellycat.com <penn-central@smellycat.com>
Date: Wednesday, December 08, 1999 8:15 PM
Subject: Re: PC: RFK Funeral Train


>There is a mention of this train in TLC's book "The President Travels by
>Train".
>
>The Kennedy family ran this train to maximize publicity and draw out
>spectators. I recently saw a documentary on television that had film of
>this train, and trespassers covered the railroad. At least one person was
>killed while he was trespassing on the tracks to see the circus and was
>struck by a train on another main. Several other people were severely
>shocked (but none killed) when they were on a box car; they were under
>catenary and one of the trespassers stood up.....
>
>Because of the trespass problem, the railroad ended up shutting down all
>operations well in advance of and behind the Kennedy family publicity
>train.
>
>Mamie Eisenhower was so disgusted by this spectacle that she had Ike's
>funeral train ran like a secret military movement when he died in 1969.
>(Of course, it was almost impossible to keep something like this secret.)
>
>I highly recommend the book by TLC. It is interesting and it contains a
>wealth of information. There is a lot of interesting presidential history
>relating to railroads - Lincoln slipping into DC under cover to take
>office, Coolidge refusing VIP treatment and being gawked at by other
>passengers in his compartment, FDR slipping off of a secret train in WWII
>to visit his mistress, Truman and Eisenhowers campaigns, JFK going to the
>Army/Navy game, Reagan bringing back the Ferdinand Magellan, and much
>more. Except for the first six, every president has had at least one
>train ride while in office, and some travelled extensively by rail.
>
>This book is loaded with railfan information, including quite a few
>consists. (OK, you might know the RFK funeral consist, but do you know
>what was on the pilot train???).
>
>Bryan Turner
>http://homestead.juno.com/lnrr/index.html
>
>North Alabama/Middle Tennessee Railfan List -
>http://decaturjunction.listbot.com
>
>