Lincoln's Funeral Train, Tourist Information Center - Springfield, IL - Exact Replicas on Waymarking.com

In Springfield, near the center of the city, is an old railroad station now used as a Tourist Information Center where there is a detailed model of the Lincoln Funeral Train.

The station, known as Union Station, is at the corner of Madison Street and 6th Street. The station is now a Tourist Information Center for Abraham Lincoln sites and other tourist locations within the city of Springfield.

The display is in the center of the old waiting room for the station, surrounded by tourist brochures, pamphlets, and other tourist publications. The models are in glass cases. There is the steam locomotive, the funeral car, and a scene showing Lincoln's casket being loaded into the hearse.

The locomotive is a 4-4-0 steam locomotive common for that time. The name is 'Nashville,' and has a large portrait of Lincoln on the front and smaller ones on the sides. Streamers also were laid along the length of the locomotive.

The funeral car is a brown colored car with black drapes all around, and an eagle on the side. There are eight wheels on a side.

The casket is being carried by six blue uniformed soldiers to a black horse-drawn hearse.

The detail on all of the models is great, all around.

The real funeral train, unfortunately, no longer exists. The car was originally intended to be the presidential private car. As one web site put it, it was the time's equivalent to Air Force One. It was ordered in 1863 and built by the US Military Railroad. Lincoln never used it while he was alive. When he was assassinated, the car was then the bearer of his coffin. The route was from Washington, DC to Springfield, IL, but via a rambling route that went through several cities including New York, Boston, and Chicago. Unfortunately, the funeral car burned down in a fire in Minnisota.

Other sources:

lionel.com:
(visit link)

the2015lincolnfuneraltrain.com
(visit link)

history.com
(visit link)

Where is original located?: No longer exists. The funeral car burned in a fire in 1911 Where is this replica located?: Springfield Tourist Information Center at Union Station Who created the original?: US Military Railroad Internet Link about Original: http://www.history.com/topics/president-lincolns-funeral-train Year Original was Created (approx. ok): 1865

Visit Instructions:
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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/21/2016 stevepre2 visited it 04/30/2016 kJfishman visited it 02/12/2014 walkingwildly visited it

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