Friday, December 7, 2018

President Bush Funeral Train

   This is not a usual post for us at Barking from the Bayou but December 12, 2018, was not our usual day. President George H. W. Bush was a proud Houstonian and the city has been honoring and remembering him all week. There have been some very moving tributes by politicians, sports figures, celebrities, and regular citizens who knew him. 
   We were excited that the Presidential Funeral Locomotive 4141 was departing from Old Town Spring which is just a few miles from us. Skipper and I got to the train tracks around 10:00 and the train was scheduled to pass through town at 1:30. We were super early but when there are thousands of people expected to show up, you don't want to be late. The day was cold and rainy but we met some nice people to while away the hours. People brought flags, signs, and a sense that maybe we can all come together as the kinder, gentler nation that President Bush wanted.
   President Bush became the eighth president to take his final trip by train. The last was Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1969. The first funeral train was Abraham Lincoln’s in 1865.
   Union Pacific had originally commissioned the Bush Locomotive 4141 for an exhibit at his presidential library. President Bush had a lifelong love of trains and fondly remembered riding the rails with his mother when he was a child. After the unveiling of 4141 in 2005, he was given a brief training session and took over the engineer’s seat for a two-mile trip! 
    We were surprised to see the train’s sixth car, a converted baggage hauler called “Council Bluffs,” had been changed to have transparent sides so mourners could see President Bush’s flag-draped coffin. A lone sailor stood at attention inside the car during the trip.  
   It was incredible to see the thousands of people who came out to say their final goodbyes to our 41st president. As the passenger cars passed us, the family could be seen waving from the train windows. They said it was “incredible” to see the turn out all along the train’s route from Spring to College Station, Texas. President Bush was laid to rest at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library behind the Texas A & M campus.
    It was an honor to be able to witness history and pay our respects to a United States President. 
   I shot this video so you can see the entire train. There is no music because I thought the sound of the train would help you feel like you were there with us. It does whistle so warn the dogs! LOL!

19 comments :

  1. we are so sad for President Bush... and we cried as we saw the picture of his pup...

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  2. We have been glued to the TV every day and watching all of the funeral footage for #41. One again, you have mom is tears. We adore the Bush family♥

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  3. That is pretty awesome you got to see the train in person. Mom said he was such a kind man when she met him. Even being a former president, he was just an average guy with his wife on the 14 hour flight to Beijing. They never were demanding nor did they expect special treatment. Too bad that we don't have people like him to lead any more. The world is a very different place.

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  4. That's amazing that you were able to see the train. I watched it on TV as well as most of the coverage. I was pretty much glued to the TV this week. This sad event really seemed to bring the country together and I hope we can maintain that ...

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  5. Excellent post. Seeing it through the eyes of a friend is different from the TV coverage.

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  6. What a great tribute that was! Thanks for showing us.

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  7. Oh my word I have chills after that train video. I have all the service on my DVR which I'll watch this weekend but this video is just the best. 41 was beloved. Thank you Texas for such a honor to him and his family
    Hugs Cecilia

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  8. I really enjoyed my visit to Houston, but it was close to 20 years ago now! I like Galveston too. Mr. Bush was a cool dude.

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  9. How awesome that you got to see the Bush train...though a sad day.

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  10. Thank you for sharing these photos. I am sure it was an honor to be there.

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  11. How unforgettable to get to experience that in person! Your video was way better than anything I saw on TV - thanks for sharing!
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  12. What a wonderful opportunity you had!!! Mom thought that train ride was the icing on the cake for the funeral of such a great man as George H.W. Bush. She would loved to have seen it too.

    Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

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  13. oh my this gave me chills. I love that you were able to experience this. You will never, ever forget it. Thank you for sharing this with us. My heart breaks for his family, but at least he is reunited with Barbara and Robin xoxo

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  14. While we were saddened at the death of this president, the various events honoring him and his legacy were quite inspiring. How wonderful you were able to experience this firsthand while so many of us could only watch on TV. RIP George Herbert Walker Bush (and thank you for your service to the country).

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  15. Thank you for sharing this with us. We have watched all the coverage but did not see much about the train.
    hugs
    Hazel & Mabel

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  16. Oh, it was a most beautiful week of tributes to a good man. While I am saddened at his passing, I am so grateful that he served our nation for as long as he did. His family sure did a beautiful job of honoring their Patriarch. He is home now. RIP good Sir. ♥
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  17. This is so awesome that you got to do this! I just moved to Texas the end of November and if I wasn't quite so far away (Texas is very big!), I would have been there. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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  18. Oh my gosh, what a site. Thank you for sharing i had no idea there was a funeral train.

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