Golden Thread Lincoln's Funeral Train Reproduction

Finally, a few vertical format shots that had to be rotated on a different computer, because my Windows 8 is haunted.

DSC06366.JPG

DSC06336.JPG

DSC06348.JPG
 
Lincoln's last journey and funeral must have been extremely impressive and it reached out until our times.
Jackie Kennedy arranged JFK's funeral after that model:
"The lying-in-state of Kennedy's body in the Rotunda of the Capitol was modeled on that of Lincoln in 1865. The catafalque that had borne the Great Emancipator's coffin was brought out of storage and used again. No one was allowed to miss the historical significance of this restaging, which accorded to JFK in death a Lincolnesque moral stature in relation to African American advancement that he had not attained during his lifetime."
http://www.businessinsider.com/jfk-funeral-arrangement-2013-11?IR=T
 
In August of 2015, a special exhibit visited North Carolina as a part of a regional tour. It consisted of a high quality, high accuracy reproduction of the railroad car that carried Abraham Lincoln's body from Washington to Illinois for burial, and a fully functional reproduction of one of the 21 different 4-4-0 steam locomotives that pulled the train at various points along the route, between Apr. 21 and May 3, 1865. Reenactors were on hand to guard the car, as it would have been guarded by the US Army at every significant stop along the way.

The display location is Spencer, NC, at the largest surviving roundhouse in the US.

View attachment 165205 View attachment 165208 View attachment 165209 View attachment 165210 View attachment 165211 View attachment 165212 View attachment 165213 View attachment 165214
Next post: Interior
Thanks for posting these great photos. Sadly, the original car was destroyed in a 1911 fire. This reproduction is especially amazing since it was done from only period photographs, written descriptions, pieces of charred metal, and a single wood frame window removed from the car before the blaze.
 
This is a replica of Central Pacific Railroad locomotive Leviathan outshopped by Schenectady Locomotive Works, Schenectady, New York in September 1868 . The original locomotive, though in retrospect a historic machine that certainly was deserving of preservation, was scrapped in the early 1900s.
The replica was built by Kloke Locomotive Works, Elgin, Illinois, who have since built another, Number 17, which operates on the Northern Central Railway, a tourist line in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, about an hour's drive from Gettysburg. See http://www.steamintohistory.com/about-steam-into-history/
 
This reproduction is especially amazing since it was done from only period photographs, written descriptions, pieces of charred metal, and a single wood frame window removed from the car before the blaze.

This small piece of exterior reproduction is on display in the NPS museum building across the street from Ford's Theater:

DSC04917.JPG


The other side of this panel features a quite basic attempt at partial interior recreation, used as a space to display relevant photos and artifacts. The item that caught my eye was an unauthorized photo of Lincoln lying in his casket, in the US Capitol. Guards were supposed to make sure that no such photos were taken. No others have surfaced, and this one is not supposed to be duplicated, but the guard was distracted. (I didn't use a flash.) Lincoln's hair and beard are easy to make out on the left end.

DSC04915.JPG
 
This image has really stayed with me ever since @Southern Unionist made the picture. We engaged this mother and her delightful daughter in a pleasant conversation. The little cutie loved posing for pics with her mom. I think it might make a great pic for "Caption This." The little girl seems so oblivious to the idea of mourning because she really is. I have read a great deal about 19th century mourning and the truth is it permeated the climate. I wanted to share a picture I saw on a blog, entitled "Passion for the Past." It's meant to be haunting and it really is. It's quite a contrast to the one my hubby made.

widow.JPG

The spirit of her deceased husband is providing her with comfort (or the shock of her life).
Hallowe%27en%2B2014%2B008%2Bghost%2Bs.jpg
 
This small piece of exterior reproduction is on display in the NPS museum building across the street from Ford's Theater:

View attachment 165566

The other side of this panel features a quite basic attempt at partial interior recreation, used as a space to display relevant photos and artifacts. The item that caught my eye was an unauthorized photo of Lincoln lying in his casket, in the US Capitol. Guards were supposed to make sure that no such photos were taken. No others have surfaced, and this one is not supposed to be duplicated, but the guard was distracted. (I didn't use a flash.) Lincoln's hair and beard are easy to make out on the left end.

View attachment 165567
Thanks for posting these.
The unauthorized photo of Lincoln lying in state is incredible! I had not heard about it until now. As much as it took to take a photo back then, the photographer must have spent quite a bit of time and effort preparing so as not to be detected....
 
Gosh. Terrific thread, thank you! Grew up surrounded by train buffs and dragged to ( and on... ) most of the old lines, but was never bitten by the bug. This general area does an amazing job. Must be quite a lot of train preservation? Remember seeing Stroudsburg a little endlessly.

Such lovely reenacting weeds, @Eleanor Rose ! The Victorians seem to have known what they were about, allowing that time. Has to give you pause wearing it, a little, goodness- guess it's the point when recreating History.
 
Thanks for posting these.
The unauthorized photo of Lincoln lying in state is incredible! I had not heard about it until now. As much as it took to take a photo back then, the photographer must have spent quite a bit of time and effort preparing so as not to be detected....

I do not wish to "de-rail" (couldn't resist :smile:) Southern Unionist's excellent thread, but the story of the photo's rediscovery is a tale in itself and there is an article written by the person who found it in 1952 when he was only 14. You can find it at the link.

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/news/rietveld.htm
 
The unauthorized photo of Lincoln lying in state is incredible! I had not heard about it until now. As much as it took to take a photo back then, the photographer must have spent quite a bit of time and effort preparing so as not to be detected....

Posted NPS verbiage said something about never allowing the image out in public circulation out of respect for the President, but frankly I don't find the photo even one percent as disrespectful as shooting him in the head. At least he is shown in a dignified pose, in a proper setting for a deceased President. So much better than the typical Civil War battlefield shot of bloated corpses, often missing body parts. Since I wasn't alive to visit him in the Capitol that day, I'm glad I got my chance later on.

With the body being surrounded by large numbers of armed guards daily at every location, the Capitol was surely going to present the only opportunity for a photographer.

Undoubtedly, the photographer waited until late, when the guards were tired and bored, and the crowds were long gone. All the lights were out on the upper level, and the guards weren't going to look up anyway unless they heard a sound. He had plenty of time to set up his shot. Their boredom and lack of energy improved the picture by keeping them motionless.
 
Back
Top