President Travels by Train: Politics and Pullmans 
asked by runabout on November 3, 2006 1:14 AM
The fascinating story of railroad travel by presidents of the U.S. from the very earliest period, when John Quincy Adams was the first to ride a train, to Bill Clinton's recent journeys aboard the rails. At one time, the private Pullman car on a special train was for the president what Air Force One is today, allowing him freedom to make important trips, campaign for re-election, and to do the nation's business wherever he was needed. A superbly researched text is supplemented with many rare photographs of the golden age of presidential travel under Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman in the 1930s and '40s.
Reviews
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This is one of those rare books that can blend two areas of interest into a intriguing cocktail. The books discusses the history of presidential train travel. As such, it can appeal to both railroad buffs and students of the presidency. In fact, the book does such a good job of presenting these topics that a train enthusiast might start studying the presidency and a presidency nut could obtain an interest in trains. From a railroad standpoint, the book discusses one of the most unique topics in train lore. From the details of the Lincoln funeral train to the specifications of FDR's bulletproof railcar, Mr. Withers gives a complete description of how presidential trains work. The itenaries, crews, equipment, and people of presidential trains are given for presidents up to Bill Clinton. From a presidentail history standpoint, the book covers what has been a major tool to chief executives, the train. In the days before Air Force One, trains accomplished the vital the mission of transporting the most powerful man in the world about the nation. This is most easily seen in the whistle stop campaigns of virtually every president. Furthermore, the book gives numerous anecdotes of presidential life on trains. For example, Withers gives the story of how Winston Churchill learned to play poker under the watchful eye of Harry Truman while aboard Private Railcar #1. The book makes for an entertaining and informative read.
reviewed by geo on November 19, 2006 12:37 PM
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If you like a snapshot of what it was like to travel by train as a president, this is your book. Bob Withers combines his knowledge of railroading with fascinating glimpses into the now-forgotten era of presidential train travel.
The descriptions of presidential travel by Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, our most railroader-friendly chief executives, provide a look at travel in a more relaxed time. Withers's details and the photographs of the presidential railcar Ferdinand Magellan are worth the price of the book by themselves.
If you can imagine Harry Truman climbing into the cab of a heavy Pacific to wrangle a ride on the engineer's side, click on the order button now!
reviewed by tsu on November 20, 2006 3:46 PM