On Dec. 11, Bridget and I took a trek to downtown Omaha to see locomotive No. 4141 — the engine that carried the body of former President George H.W. Bush to his presidential library in College Station, TX.
Omaha is the headquarters of Union Pacific Railroad (they have a beautiful building downtown).
The train was on display at Union Pacific’s Home Plate (just north of TD Ameritrade Park). It is custom painted and was first unveiled in 2005 — using the colors of Air Force One. The “4141” designation was given the locomotive to honor the 41st president.
The car behind the engine (emblazoned with the U.S. flag) is a converted baggage car called the “Council Bluffs” (it was fitted with transparent panels in Texas to allow mourners to view Bush’s casket). For those reading the blog who don’t know, the city of Council Bluffs sits right across the Missouri River from Omaha.
Union Pacific is having the locomotve travel the U.P. rail system to give employees a chance to see the train. Word is that the locomotive will be placed next to the presidential library in Texas.
ABC’s Houston affiliate put together this informative video on engine 4141:
It was neat to get to experience a piece of presidential history. Union Pacific is an important employer in Omaha, and it was an honor that they brought locomotive No. 4141 to our city.
Previous post: "Movie Review: 'Aquaman' is 20,000 Leagues Under Marvel"
No comments:
Post a Comment