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A couple years ago, I built my first American Freedom Train in HO scale. Since then, 3 more have been built with 26 cars in each. I recently was able to retrieve photos that were deleted and/or lost and thought I would share them here for those interested in the train.
This particular train is the one that RMC did the article on and graced the cover in April of 2010. The train is owned by John Finnin and was built for him in our old shops. It resides in eastern PA.
We'll start at the head end. EX Southern Pacific 4449, pulled from retirement, leads the beautifully painted train. This is a Bachmann northern fitted with a tsunami heavy pacific sound decoder.
The train used three 89' piggyback flats to carry ticket wagons, concession wagons and other support vehicles included here. The 'wagons' were loaded and unloaded by 'circus' style ramps. The vehicles(wagons) are scratchbuilt using 20' containers as a starting point....
Coming next; the 2 'Showcase' Cars, until then....
The 4449 had it's own tool car and carried the reporting marks; PNWC76. It always traveled with the loco. It was the only car to be painted with the stripes wrapping around the ends....all the others had black ends.
The train had 2 'showcase' cars. They had large display windows that were
lit all the time. The artifacts inside were viewed from outside of the car through these windows.
The #40 car had; The Liberty Bell, A Route Map of the Trains' U.S. Journey, and a Lunar Rover used by NASA for training, the real ones were left on the moon...
The 41 car had; A 1903 Oldsmobile, Gen. George Washintons' fire Pumper, and a small 'grasshopper' type steam loco called the Arabian...
All of the items save for the Olds, which is a Jordan Model, were scratchbuilt. The lunar rover started as a one piece gray plastic piece that was detailed and custom painted....
There were 10 of these display cars in the Freedom Train. Each one had a conveyor belt running the length of the car and off to one side. The belt carried people from one end of the car to the other, in effect expediting the movement of the masses who came to see the train. The cars shown here are heavily reworked Lionel cars produced in the 70's and long out of production. The cars are custom painted and each has the window panel of the prototype. They were all replicated from pictures of the actual windows....
Thanks Everyone, glad to find and share them again...
Ok, so the train had 2 power cars for whatever electrical needs they had both on the train and when it was set up in display mode.
The first was #111. This car not only had a generator, but was also the 'exit' car. The people who went through the display cars exited from this car. Ramps were assembled leading up to it and the entrance car. These portable ramps were carried in one of the wagons on the flats.
This car started life as a Con-Cor baggage car that has been heavily modified including see-thru grills and power plants in one end....
Car #200, also a power car, had dorm rooms for train crew at one end. This also a heavily modified Con-Cor baggage car....
Moving along, the train had a sleeper in it for some crew, others stayed in hotels. It was the only sreamlined car in the train...
#201
The train had 4 ex-Reading cars bringing up the rear.
The #202 was known as the 'pie' car. A term derived from circus trains of long ago. It was a place for crew to eat and get commissary items like razors, toothpaste, deodorant, etc..., This car had a diner counter and tables. On the baggage door end was a small power plant for electrical needs for the car as well as a full kitchen.
The next 2 cars served as travel areas for the crew who went by train, and a few lucky invited guests....
#203
#204
The last car was an observation that was built from a coach. A platform was crafted to create the observation car, known on the train as the press car. This is where all the publicity for the train was generated and the press rode along for their b roll footage for news stories. Gathering on the platform on runs between cities was the place to be....
The model was built the same way, starting with a Bethlehem Car Works kit and creating the observation platform from scratch....
#205
So there you have this 25 car version of a train that no longer exists, but went down in history as a monumental achievement in railroading, steam restoration and folks pulling together to make it happen. I hope you enjoyed it, the train is in Eastern PA, actually on display in Ross Rowlands' office, which I think, is a rather appropriate place for it.
