Rails of Legacy: The Presidential Journey Through American History
The affinity for railways held by “Amtrak Joe” Biden could signal a shift in the fortunes of US train travel, harkening back to a time before Air Force One when presidents commonly traversed the country by rail.
“As you ride along here at night heading home, you look out. You peer into the windows and ponder… What conversations are unfolding at that kitchen table? What occupies people’s minds? What are their genuine concerns?”
Such musings would occupy Senator Joe Biden’s thoughts during his journey home from Washington D.C. to Wilmington, Delaware.
The 46th President of the United States has a relationship with trains reminiscent of a love story. Biden has logged over two million miles on Amtrak alone, often engaging in conversations with fellow passengers – sometimes even treating them to coffee.
His endearing nickname, “Amtrak Joe,” stemmed from his affection for train travel. He authored an article for Amtrak’s magazine titled “Why America Needs Trains,” and in 2011, Wilmington’s station was renamed in his honor.
However, this deep connection with trains emerged from the tragedy. Biden was sworn into the Senate in January 1973 at his son Beau’s hospital bedside, who was injured in a car accident. Just a month earlier, Biden had lost his wife, Neilia, and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, in the same tragic accident involving all of the Biden children.
Commuting by train allowed the devoted family man to be present to tuck his two surviving children into bed each night.
In an era where over 276 million vehicles crowd US roads, Biden’s steadfast belief in train travel appears almost nostalgic. Yet, many of his presidential predecessors found it pivotal in connecting with their constituents and spreading their message.
In some instances, a train journey may have even secured a president’s re-election.
Trains and Tragedy
In May 1826, entrepreneur Colonel John Stevens invited curious residents of Hoboken to embark on a circular ride aboard a basic engine, reaching the dizzying speed of six miles per hour. Three years later, the inaugural steam-engine locomotive, named “Tom Thumb,” chugged along a precarious 13-mile route between Baltimore and Ellicott Mills, Maryland.
This marked the onset of the railroad fever in the USA. Within a short span, enterprises like the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad Company and the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company were laying tracks at a pace reminiscent of Gromit in “The Wrong Trousers.”
While Andrew Jackson became the first president to ride a train, William Henry Harrison seized the opportunity to leverage steam power for his aspirations.
Appropriately, his 1836 campaign embarked from Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, journeying to Trenton, New Jersey. Although Harrison was defeated, he returned to triumph in the subsequent election. Unfortunately, he was also remembered as the first president to perish in office, having also been the first to arrive at his inauguration by train.
Former railroad attorney Abraham Lincoln recognized the potential of train travel. On his journey to his 1861 inauguration, his whistle-stop tour made 93 pauses in towns and cities between Springfield, Illinois, and Washington. This allowed him to connect with citizens on a personal level, offering them a glimpse of his iconic beard and top hat.
As he departed Springfield’s bustling platform, Lincoln remarked, “I now leave… with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington.”
His immediate challenge was navigating a grueling route: due to the lack of standardized rail gauges, Lincoln had to switch trains multiple times. Additionally, there was an alleged assassination plot against him.
As the Civil War neared its end, a private train car, dubbed “The United States,” was prepared for Lincoln. However, the president, wary of extravagance, was not keen on the idea.
Ironically, he never had the chance to ride it during his lifetime.
Lincoln’s sole journey aboard The United States occurred posthumously. In the spring of 1865, the rail car, stripped of its lavish furnishings and adorned with a portrait of the late president at the front, traversed approximately 180 cities between Washington D.C., and Springfield, Illinois, serving as a somber reversal of an inaugural journey.
Rail travel bookended Lincoln’s presidential legacy. Between his inauguration and demise, he signed legislation initiating the transcontinental railroad – a network that would connect the East and West Coasts, bolster trade, and epitomize American unity.
James A. Garfield could have been another advocate for trains had he not been assassinated while about to board one, less than four months into his presidency. The 20th President of the United States was shot twice in the back at Washington D.C.’s Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station on July 2, 1881, succumbing to his injuries 79 days later.
In a reminiscent gesture to Lincoln’s funeral, Garfield’s remains were transported by train, with mourners laying coins and petals on the tracks, later retrieving them as keepsakes once the train had passed.
The Presidential Train that Swung an Election
The era of the presidential train reached its zenith with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his US Car No. 1, also known as “Ferdinand Magellan.”
The car, a refurbished Pullman, boasted bulletproof steel, 12-ply laminated glass windows, and two escape routes: one in the roof, fashioned from a former submarine, and the other in the bathroom. It was the Air Force One equivalent of its time.
“Ferdinand Magellan accompanied President Roosevelt on roughly 50,000 miles of travel from 1943 to 1945,” recounts Cully Waggoner, a historian at Florida’s Gold Coast Railroad Museum, where the restored car is currently housed.
The car became indispensable to the president, not for campaigning, but for conducting wartime affairs.
“President Roosevelt’s initial journey aboard the Ferdinand Magellan was to Miami, where he boarded the Pan American Airways Boeing 314 Dixie Clipper for the Casablanca Conference,” Waggoner explains.
“I believe he discussed the next phase of World War II with his generals and advisers during this trip.”
One can imagine Lincoln’s reaction to the “creature comforts” that Roosevelt enjoyed. Waggoner often demonstrates to museum visitors the rudimentary air conditioning system on the Ferdinand Magellan, which involves fans circulating cool air generated by blocks of ice.
In the bathroom, a seemingly ordinary silver soap dish served as Roosevelt’s cigar holder while he sat on the toilet.
However, it was Roosevelt’s successor, Harry Truman, who made the most use of US Car No. 1.
During his 1948 re-election campaign against Thomas E. Dewey, Truman traversed over 28,000 miles across the nation, delivering more than 350 speeches from the rear platform.
The car transformed into not just Truman’s podium but his residence – a mobile White House. It’s even rumored that the president washed his socks in one of the on-board sinks.
Truman may not have cherished train travel as much as Roosevelt did, but the effort was worthwhile. “Truman was not a particularly popular president, and he trailed significantly in the polls,” notes Waggoner, “However, his connection with the American people during those speeches propelled him to victory
.”
The rear platform of the Ferdinand Magellan immortalized Truman’s triumphant smirk as he held up the infamous Chicago Daily Tribune headline: “Dewey Defeats Truman.”
Dwight Eisenhower was the last president to utilize the presidential car before it was decommissioned, though his usage was infrequent. His focus was more on roads; he signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, catalyzing the rise of the automobile and oil industries while simultaneously crippling the rail sector.
The presidential train screeched to a halt. Or did it?
A ‘Second Great Railway Revolution’?
While a president’s role often entails envisioning a brighter future, nostalgia consistently resonates with the masses. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton both indulged in sentimentality by riding the vintage Georgia 300 railroad car.
They were succeeded by Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who paid homage to Lincoln on their journey to their 2009 inauguration.
In October 1984, Ronald Reagan resurrected Ferdinand Magellan for a day-long tour of Ohio, following Truman’s trail and delivering speeches from the rear platform.
However, these events were largely symbolic; could Biden’s presidency reignite the personal bond between POTUS and rail travel?
The current occupant of the White House may appreciate the social aspect and environmental benefits of trains (Amtrak claims to be 47% more energy-efficient than cars), but their leisurely pace doesn’t align with the demands of a president who must be omnipresent.
Security concerns also abound; Biden’s plans to travel to his inauguration via Amtrak were derailed by the Capitol riots.
“Transporting a president by air is much safer and faster than ground transport, so the likelihood of a president traveling by rail is highly improbable,” Waggoner asserts.
Nevertheless, Biden’s tenure could provide a much-needed boost to the rail industry.
During his 2020 campaign, Biden advocated for a “Second Great Railway Revolution,” and now, seated at the Resolute Desk, the industry cautiously anticipates that he will fulfill his promise.
The California High-Speed Rail project, despite its challenges, anticipates relief under Biden’s administration. His predecessor, Donald Trump, openly derided the project, jesting that it would only span one mile and demanding a refund.
Looking Ahead
Melissa Figueroa, chief of strategic communications at the California High-Speed Rail Authority, expresses optimism about the future: “California and the Biden administration share a common vision of creating jobs with good wages and establishing an environmentally friendly transportation system.
“We are hopeful that we can progress toward that goal with this new collaborative federal partnership.”
Biden’s cherished Amtrak also has reason to be hopeful. In his article for Amtrak magazine, Biden hailed the railroad as “an indispensable means to propel us all into a more efficient, cleaner, greener 21st century,” highlighting its economic viability compared to highway construction costs.
Whether Biden’s presidency can usher in a wave of progressive, high-speed rail networks akin to those in Europe and Asia – or even enhance local rail travel, given the pandemic’s adverse impact on passenger numbers – remains uncertain.
Waggoner reflects, “I would love to see Joe Biden undertake something akin to Eisenhower’s Federal Aid Highway Act and contribute to the enhancement and expansion of national railroads, similar to the interstate highways.
“However, with a national debt exceeding $21 trillion, I doubt it. It will likely be up to private enterprises to spearhead these new railway projects rather than the government.”
A train may have once rescued a president’s political career single-handedly. But it may be overly optimistic to believe that a president alone can now revive the American rail industry.