PBS has a helicopter following the train, which I think is a much better (albeit silent) view of the train.

This special move has been run with a great deal of precision. Having marked the 50th anniversary of the RFK funeral train several months ago, and noting the confusion and tragedy connected with that event, U. S. railroads took that experience under advisement. The 1969 Eisenhower funeral train was deliberately run mostly at night out of DC, on an unpublicized route, at least as far as Cincinnati. This funeral train has been put on with tastefulness and dignity. Although from some of what I have seen from the helicopter video, some of the track side activities are a little cringe-worthy, like bystanders standing inside crossing gates, or in the "kill zone" until the train was on-top of them, and at least a couple of people holding lighted fusees next to the tracks for reasons I have no idea why?

I'm guessing at some point someone will post an in-order complete consist for posterity. I haven't found video that shows the entire train close enough to get every car number or name.

What was the 1943 doing? From what I've heard it brought the train to Texas from Omaha but it was not on the funeral train or the inspection? train ahead of it.

Thomas

Overall I think the UP did a fine job. I wish the loco cam had not picked up the dog being hit though. I love animals and that scene made me cry. I realize trains hit animals frequently. This is a incident that could have been avoided. Only if the owner had taken more care to secure their pets or better yet leave them home.

Robert

It's on it's way back north... with the same consist.

It's scheduled coming back via Fort Worth, Denison, McAlaster, Wagoner on the old MK&T, then to KCMO via Coffeyville on the MoPac... then on to Council Bluffs.

4141 in the lead. 1943 not showing.

Looks to be like they're scheduled to arrive FTW around midnite tonight, then gonna lay over in Ft.Worth til about 7 tomorrow evening.... for what, I don't know. That's what it shows on the schedule right now.

1943 was sent to Navasota from Spring early yesterday morning from Spring, via the Eureka Sub (the old SP main), and told to hold short of Navasota Jct., where the MP, AT&SF and SP lines all come together. They stopped a couple of miles short of the Jct, where they could not be seen by either train as it went by. UP put it and a second unit there for protection power, so that if anything happened to 4141, they would still be able to have a special engine on the point in College Station. Since nothing happened, after the funeral train and the pilot train were consolidated and heading north, 1943 and its yellow mate, went back to Spring, where it was scheduled out on a northbound today.

On a side note, 1943 was reported to have left Spring with 3 yellow mates, but only had one when standing by outside of Navasota. Makes you wonder if UP had a second set of protection power standing by somewhere else as well. Nothing like making sure that NOTHING GOES WRONG that we are not prepared for.

The RFK funeral train had two protect GG-1s following the main train about 10 minutes behind, but there were protect Diesels placed at at least two or three other points along the route as well. The major problems with that special were 1) someone in the mechanical department dropped the ball, either forgetting or ignoring the instruction in the authorizing memo directing a carman with the proper tools to be on the platform at Penn Station with business car 120 to remove a window in the lounge section to pass Bobby's casket through and put the window back, causing nearly a two-hour delay getting that done once the procession arrived trainside; and 2) badly underestimating public interest in the train and the overwhelming crowds that would be at stations and trackside, resulting in the tragic accident at Elizabeth, NJ, when the Northbound Admiral struck and killed several members of the crowd as they surged off the platform as the funeral train passed through the station. Those lessons have clearly been learned and taken to heart by railroads since then.

Wikipedia has a nice writeup on funeral trains; it has already been updated for George H.W. Bush. Only three other presidents and a senator have had a funeral train; this is likely the last funeral any of us will see.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_train

It is shame none of the equipment from the Lincoln Funeral Train survived. I think the Pullman that carried his casket was the last surviving piece of rolling stock; and it's remains burned in a grass fire in a field many years ago.

My sons and I made the 700 mile round trip to be there trackside; it was cold and wet, but was glad we were there to see history in the making.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 80469a534d

While trying to make our way from trackside back to the freeway; I turned to say something to my son and noticed the unmistakable outline of a flywheel; it was a Corliss valve stationary steam engine just sitting out in the open. My son grabbed some shots with my phone; I used the GPS coordinates from the pictures to determine the exact street address. I then used historicalarials.com to check out past arial photographs; it looks like the building that housed it was demolished in the 1970s or 1980s; and it has been sitting out in the open for some time.

A nice cherry on top of day that reminded us of the "steam expeditions" we used to do all the time, along with the history in the making of the funeral itself.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 943f3ff4d2

I saw the 4141 and 1943 at Normal, IL this morning as part of a lashup for a freight train. They are headed southbound to be displayed at St. Louis, Little Rock, and points west.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=5063262
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=5063263

Thomas

Nice story and short video in UP's Inside Track online publication:
https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/4141-crew-12-27-2018.htm