Ferdinand Magellan (railcar)
Ferdinand Magellan Pullman Car | |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Pullman Company |
Order no. | Lot 6246 |
Constructed | 1929 |
Refurbished | 1942 |
Diagram | Pullman Plan 3972D |
Specifications | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Ferdinand Magellan Railcar | |
Location | Miami, Florida |
Coordinates | 25°37′03″N 80°24′00″W / 25.61750°N 80.40000°W |
NRHP reference No. | 77000401[1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | February 4, 1985 |
Designated NHL | February 4, 1985 |
The Ferdinand Magellan (also known as U.S. Car. No. 1) is a former
History
The Ferdinand Magellan was built in 1929 by the Pullman Company in Lot 6246, Plan 3972B as a private car. It was one of six similar cars constructed in two batches – four on Lot 6037, and two on Lot 6246. They were named after famous explorers: David Livingstone, Henry Stanley, Marco Polo, Robert Peary (on Lot 6037), Roald Amundsen and Ferdinand Magellan (on Lot 6246).
After the United States entered World War II, it was suggested by Secret Service agent Mike Reilly and White House Press Secretary Stephen Early that President Franklin D. Roosevelt needed a specially equipped and armored car rather than using standard equipment provided by the Pullman Company. The Ferdinand Magellan was selected, and the Pullman Company rebuilt the car. The Ferdinand Magellan became the first passenger railcar built for a President since the War Department had built a special car for the use of Abraham Lincoln in 1865.[2]
The other Lot 6246 car, Roald Amundsen has also been preserved and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Features
When the Ferdinand Magellan was rebuilt for service as United States Railcar No. 1, the original six bedrooms in the car were reduced to four, and the dining room and observation lounge were enlarged. Two of the bedrooms were a suite for the President and the
The car was protected with 5⁄8 inch (16 mm)
These modifications increased the weight of the car from 160,000 lb (73,000 kg) to 285,000 lb (129,000 kg), making the Ferdinand Magellan the heaviest passenger railcar ever used in the United States. The Ferdinand Magellan traveled at the end of a special train that included Pullman
Other modifications included change to coupler (Type D to Type E) and draft gear (from N-10-F to NF-11-E); change of trucks (from D-24 to 24-F); additional generator (4 kW.) – all of which were encompassed in the new Plan, 3972D on August 12, 1942. The car was air conditioned on December 28, 1933, to Special Order 546, and was not part of the transformation to presidential car. The conversion from the private Car pool to presidential Car was accomplished in three steps – at the Pullman-Standard Buffalo Plant (3/5/1941 – S.O. 651); at the Pullman Car Works (Chicago) (September 9, 1942 – attached to Report No. 34469) and at Calumet (12/8/1942 – Report No. 34469). In December 1942, after the refurbishment was completed, it weighed 268,520 pounds.[3]
Presidential use
President Roosevelt's first trip in the Ferdinand Magellan was to
Like other private cars of its era, the Ferdinand Magellan had an open platform on the rear end of the car, giving the occupants an unobstructed view in three directions. This is the platform from which
President
The railcar was declared surplus and offered to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958, but the Smithsonian did not act on the offer, and the Gold Coast Railroad Museum was able to acquire it.
In 1984 the Ferdinand Magellan was briefly loaned to the presidential re-election campaign of President Ronald Reagan, who gave a series of "whistlestop" speeches from the rear platform during a one-day trip in Ohio on October 12, 1984. President Reagan's five-stop train journey required transporting the train from Florida to Ohio, re-assembling it, and putting it back into commission. Over 100,000 people came to see the President, who at each stop cited the memory of Truman and said, "Mr. Truman could also make very plain the differences between himself and his opponent, and, my friends, that's just what we're going to do today." "It was super," remarked campaign director Ed Rollins. 'The President loved it.'[6] Reagan's journey is the last time the car was used.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Abraham Lincoln's funeral car". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ P-S documents - Record of construction for Car FERDINAND MAGELLAN
- ^ Robert Klara (2010). FDR's Funeral Train. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. p. xx.
- ^ "home - arboretum at penn state". psu.edu. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Reagan whistle-stop tour: a special event despite the politics". Christian Science Monitor. October 15, 1984. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- Withers, Bob. The President Travels by Train
- Original Pullman-Standard records (specifically Lot Specifications for Lots 6037 & 6246) located at Pullman Library, Union, IL
External links
- Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
- Ferdinand Magellan – U.S. Car No. 1 at National Historic Landmarks Program
- The Gold Coast Railroad Museum: Presidential Rail Car, U.S. Number 1 Ferdinand Magellan – retrieved July 10, 2006
- Pullman Robert Peary, a sister car of Plan 3972, Lot 6037 (July 1927), operational at the San Diego Railroad Museum – retrieved January 2, 2007
- Pullman Roald Amundsen, a sister car of Plan 3972-B, Lot 6246 (Aug. 1929), captive at the Scottsdale Railroad Park – retrieved January 2, 2007
- David Brinkley on playing poker with Winston Churchill and Harry S. Truman in the Fredinand Magellan video via YouTube