Locomotive #1776: The Alco PA-1 locomotive that pulled the Freedom Train was the property of Alco (General Electric) during the run of the Freedom Train. It was built in August 1947 specifically to pull the Freedom Train: construction number 74696. In March 1949 it was sold to the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad (numbered 292) for use in passenger and freight service. It was scrapped by the railroad, but the bronze plaques it wore on the GM&O denoting its work as the Freedom Train locomotive still exist and are in the collection of the Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum in Jackson, TN. It is the only locomotive ever to operate in every state in the union (48 at the time). This classic locomotive type disappeared from the US in 1978 when the last four units were sold to Mexico. There were none in US Museums; none in storage; none at all. In 2000, two of the four were repatriated. One of those, former Delaware & Hudson #18, is being restored as Nickel Plate Road #190.

It seems the GLEN FEE is the only piece of the Freedom Train that has survived. In the decades since it left the NYC it has passed through several hands: Private Railway Cars, Inc., Bear Creek Scenic Railway, and Railroad Town, USA. It now resides at the Galveston Island Railroad Museum in Galveston, TX.

CENTRAL PLAINS -- The Pullman observation car Central Plains was built Sept-Oct 1926 (plan 3959E, Lot 4971) with three compartments, two drawing rooms, and an observation lounge. While on the Freedom Train the car carried two large renditions of the Great Seal of the US on its sides. Harry Truman gave a speech in Pittsburgh, PA from its rear platform. Visiting luminaries were often entertained in the Central Plains. After the Freedom Train tour ended, the car (still in FT paint) was part of the train that pulled some of the 49 newly arrived French Merci Train boxcars on the first part of their journey to their receiving state capitals. See Earl Bennett's Merci Train web site under "Historic Photos".

Presumably, the car was eventually scrapped. If you have any additional information on the history of this car, please email!.

Burlington Northern Bicentennial Locomotives #1776, 1876, 5745, 5747 and 6907 -- giving credit where it is due: Although many railroads supplied diesel "helpers" to provide back-up power to the AFT's steam locomotives (usually Bicentennial-painted diesels placed directly behind the steam locomotive's tender, although sometimes replacing the steam locomotives to pull the AFT cars in places the big, heavy steam locomotives couldn't go), these locomotives stood out. They are the only diesels to pull the AFT from one city to another because no steam locomotive was available -- #4449 was sidetracked in Omaha for repairs. These locomotives (in different pairs on different occasions) pulled the AFT to Colorado Springs, CO, Cheyenne, WY, and Billings, MT before the 4449 steam locomotive caught up with the train just north of Ogden and pulled it the rest of the way to Salt Lake City. Weeks later, 1876 would accompany the AFT (and the 4449) through the Cascade mountain range.

The flatcars carried ten wagons (a term adopted from the circus world) for tickets, concessions, and storage of things like electrical cables and the portable visitor access ramps needed at every stop. Each had its own number, just like the cars of the AFT. The souvenir wagons and eventually the ticket wagon all had large signs on top that folded down onto their roofs during transport. The wagons got their electrical power from the train, via cables attached to junction boxes under the train cars. Some wagons were repainted (or at least re-lettered) during the trip, so the following descriptions won't apply to every single photo ever taken of them, especially with regard to the notes about the large AFT emblems on the ends of the wagons. Some of those emblems were removed and never replaced, which also sometimes happened with the blue unit numbers. All wagons were produced to AFT Foundation specs by G&G Metals, Venice, FL. The "Flag Plaza" flag poles often seen near the entrance car were prepared by Hortie Van, L.A.

AFT #19: Food Concessions wagon. "SNO CONES" and "DRINKS" along the top of one side; "COTTON CANDY" on the other. "POPCORN" on one end, access door on the other.

AFT Forklift: That's right, an AFT forklift. Apparently a very beloved piece of equipment. Useful for lifting things, getting things out of the mud, pulling wagons in a pinch, a train washing platform, high level photography, a way to get up on top of the train to paint... You name it, the forklift could be used for it. And probably was.

(Clark IT-40, Type G, 1972)

AFT Audio/Visual Van: Not initially part of the train, but added when the need for it became obvious. Sometimes driven from site to site, but it usually rode the flats.

(1975, Chevrolet)

AFT Chevy Blazer: Used by the setup crew to unload the wagons from the flatcars at every stop -- plus a hundred other uses.

(1975, Chevrolet K5 custom Blazer)

AFT Engine Crew Truck: A contribution of the High Iron Company in mid-1976, the utility truck was used by the T-1 locomotive crew.

(GMC Custom Utility, 4WD, 3/4 ton pickup with Reading Job Planned body, 1968)

AFT Showcase Cars #40, 41, AFT Entrance/Control Car #100, AFT Display Cars #101 - 110: All were former 9100 series NY Central/Penn Central baggage cars built by American Car & Foundry in 1946 and converted for use on the AFT in Richmond, CA (display cars) and Venice, FL (showcase cars). All of these cars were sold to the National Museums of Canada for use on their Discovery Train (1978 - 1980). Later they were sold to the Union Pacific Railroad and sat on a siding in Council Bluffs, Iowa for many years. They were eventually moved to UP's Blue Diamond (mine) branch line outside Las Vegas, NV where they sat for several years before being scrapped on site the week of August 15, 1995.

The interior of the AFT was designed by Barry Howard & Associates of Larchmont, NY. The moving walkway was produced by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. of Akron, OH. The sound system was produced by By-Word Corp of Armonk, NY. Exhibit fabricators included GRS&W, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA (who were contracted to outfit Display Cars 101,104, 107 and 109), plus General Exhibits of Chicago, and Design & Production, Inc. of Alexandria, VA.

AFT Display Car #101: "The Beginning": Among the dozens of artifacts carried onboard were Benjamin Franklin's handwritten draft of the Articles of Confederation, George Washington's copy of the Constitution with handwritten notes, Delaware's ratification of the Bill of Rights, Revolutionary War weapons, and a piece of the original "Star Spangled Banner". The exterior panels and shadowboxes depict the decades 1776-1786 and 1786-1796. Originally NYC baggage #9128. Scrapped in 1995.

The Story of "the Preambles", AFT Cars #202, 203, 204, 205: Of all the cars on the American Freedom Train, these four had the most colorful past. These four (originally Reading Company Class CVM all-steel combination passenger-baggage #592 built in 1927, and Reading Company all-steel Class PBm passenger coaches #1327, 1329, and 1332 built in 1922) all started life as Reading Company commuter cars. In 1935-36, the cars had their roofs modified as they were shopped to add air conditioning, trading in their ancient "celestory" roofs for rounded roofs matching passenger cars from the streamline era of the 1940's, 50's, and 60's. Still, there was never anything uncommon about the four. There were at least a couple dozen just like them.

That all changed in June 1966 when the Reading Company sold 592, 1327 and 1329 to Permacel (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) for use on their Permacel Express -- an exhibit train to promote sales of their industrial tape products. Number 592 became P1 and was named "Innovator". 1327 became P2, "Motivator". 1329 became P3, "Educator".1329 also received an open platform on one end, effectively creating an observation car. By this time, all three had at least one large, almost chimney-like roof vent where other Reading cars had very small, low profile vents. In September 1966, the maiden voyage of the Permacel Express saw the cars pulled by the New York Central's 20th Century Limited from New York to Chicago. The Permacel Express would last until December 1967.

On November 21, 1968 the three cars were sold at auction at the Parke-Burnet Galleries in NY to the Lancaster & Chester Railway (The Springmaid Line) of South Carolina, where a fourth car (former Reading #1332) was added to provide space for corporate exhibits and product displays. The new car had, and retains to this day, the small, low-profile roof vents it had with the Reading. This allows it to be distinguished from its near-clone, #1327. It received the name "Stimulator". Together, the four cars (now numbered 11, 12, 13 & 14) become the Springmaid Special which was used as a traveling classroom and meeting place for company employees. Later it was used for public promotion.

In mid-1974, the quartet went to the American Freedom Train Foundation where they served as the Preamble Express, a four-car diesel-powered train that scouted the route of the upcoming American Freedom Train. They were renumbered 1, 2, 3 & 4.

Finally, renumbered yet again, they became the last four cars of the AFT itself. Throughout its journey the staff still affectionately referred to them as "the Preambles". In their capacities on the Preamble Express and the American Freedom Train they have been to all 48 contiguous states. Twice!

But their story didn't end with the American Freedom Train. They were later sold to BC rail in Canada for use on their Royal Hudson (#2860) steam excursion program. Their first big assignment was a trans-Canada trip to celebrate the Bicentennial of Captain James Cook's discovery of Vancouver Island. The trip ran in April and May of 1978. The cars were renamed for Cook's ships -- AFT #202 became "Endeavour", #203 became "Resolution", #204 became "Discovery", and #205 became "Britannia".

After their days with the Canadian steam excursion program, the band was finally broken up. Their individual stories and fates appear below. For those who are counting, that makes six different high-profile programs that this team of four was a part of! Well, except for Reading #1332/AFT 204 which missed out on the Permacel Express.

The Preambles were the nerve-center of the American Freedom Train. This is where the staff worked, the press gathered, local supporters were thanked, and luminaries were entertained. But it was also where the staff and crew -- mostly college aged -- always ate, sometimes slept, and often stared out the window contemplating their country embracing its Bicentennial while still reeling from political scandal and a terrible war.

Much of the information on these four cars comes to us from Mary Jayne & John Z. Rowe, AFT veteran Robert Skillman III, Walter "Butch" Curll, Lee Bishop, John Finnin, Nelson Winterburn, Jim Boyd's in-depth article on BC Rail steam excursions titled BCROYAL in the Sept 1988 edition of Railfan & Railroad magazine, and a fantastic article titled Exhibit Trains and Cars, by George W. Green appearing in the National Railway Bulletin, Volume 69, Number 5, 2004. The Reading numbers are courtesy of Keith Muldowney, who lived in Preamble Express #1 (later AFT #202) during the run of the Preamble Express. As a bit of trivia, Bob Skillman tells us that the security staff used to advise local law enforcement to remember "BOP", for Bar/Office/Press as a way to remember the last three passenger cars. According to Bob, BSP/BOP (Bunk/Sleeper/Pie, Bar/Office/Press) just wasn't catchy enough to remember. Besides, most of the fun took place in the last three anyway.