The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1897-03-19
LlNcoLN's CAR.
An Historical Relic That Was Made TO
s,,, the Idea. of the Martyr President.

the Union Pacific ear shops In Olnaha'
- q d;Ianidated and abandoned eondi-
ton. stands a truly historic relic known
as the s'Lincoln" car. It's SIDES are
cracked and weather-btaten and the
oIoss in its windows and the brass ralI-
ings on its platforms are long ago
gone. All the compartments ahu
sumptuous interior furnishings anu
decorations have been removed, II TX
stands like a barren, decayinS hulk o.
It's once proud self. From its former
nrominent association with President
lincoln. both during the later years oil
his life and then after death, 1t would
seem that the car deserves q better
fate than to rot in neglect and obscur-
itv. This ear was built specially for
MIR. Lincoln in the United States mill
tary car shops at Alexandria, Va, IN
1864. bJ T.. u. Lamson, master car
builder. and was certainly n 81 the
handsomest private railway coaches or
it's DAYS. Il wa used by the president
remarkably in his visits to the army OF
the potomic down in Virginia and also
to New York and Philadelphia.
The Lincoln car is forty-two feel
lour by eight and onc-half feet VIDE
and during the time Mr.. Lincoln used
il il was divided into three co,npart-
mcuts. 1t wa entered by q door III
the corner. which opened into Il mar
row passagevvay, extending the entire
lenrth of the car along one SIZE.
From this passagcway doors opened
~intoeach one OF the three private rooms.
The room in one end OF h car was
considerably larger than h others
and was furnished with u large sofa
and reclining chairs. The snail rooms
were also provided with sofa aId re-
clininp chairs. although somewhat IN
ferior to those in the large onl
This larger compartment constituted
President L|incolnS Office and study
and is where he entertained hrs guests
and transacted business with officials
of the government and generals OF the
army. The sofa is Il combination AFFAIR
and was made Of unusual length To
accommodate the elongated form OF the
president. 1t was used as d sofa or
lounge during the day and at night
could be adjusted into "a double bed.
The car was considered in that day Il
triumph of the car builders art. The
walls of each OF the compartments
were padded with rich. corded crimson
silk upholstery, reaching half way IL
the ceiling. and the frieze OF N prcal-
dents room was decorated with pnlnt-
ed panels of the coatS-of-arms ot the
different states of the Union. The car
was iron-clad, armor being set in he-
tween the inner and outer walls, rem
dering it bullet-proof. This added
considerably to its weight, so much 80
that it's builders thought it necessary
to mount it on six-whecled trucks.
just after the close Of the war the
government put a great amount of It's
railway material that had been used IN
the prosecution of the wal into the
hands of an auction firm IN Cincinnati
and among il was the Lincoln ear.
Sidney Dillon. who was then 1T the
head of the Union Pacific affairs. was
directly responsible for its purchase.
For Il long time after its arrival In
Omaha the car was a great curiosity.
both on account OF It's connection with
the martyr president and also for the
reason that it was then considered the
finest railway coach that had ever been
constructed, and many thousands of
people visited the shops for the pur-
pose of seeing it.
Late in 1892 q pa-tT of men from
New York SEM an agent TO Omaha
with a view of negotiating a purchase
of the car, intending to exhibit it at
the worlds fair. Satisfactory terms
with the Union Pacific people coGldno:
be made, however. and the project was
abandoned. The agent desired to have
proof Of the authenticity of the ear
from the railway officials, and Mr.. /.
II. Congdon. for many years master
mechanic OF the Union Pacific railway.
in d lengthy letter on the subject to
Mr.. +. l.. LomaX. general passenger
agent of the road. said:
The famous ON was brought TO
Omaha in 1866. and was pGrchased fOr
the Union Pacific by T. G. Durant.
Sidney Dillon manifested great inter
est in the car in the early days Of the
road. l was in charge OF the locomo-
tive department OF the Great Western
Railroad of Illinois, "a Springcld. dur
ing the war. and was there at the time
President Lincoln's remains were
brought there. The CIR HAD been used
as the funeral ear and stood IL the
railroad yards during the time that
LincOln's body lay i'll state at the cap
itol building. and we had an opportT.-
my VI S&dNIlnlHS IL clOSSIy. i TemGm-
Der identifying it as the same car
when it came acre in 1866. When first
brought to Omaha it was used as a
private car by the directors, but on
account of its extreme weight and the
n in which it was mounted. il
rode so poorly that they soon aban-
donedit. l have been over the road with
Mr.. Dillon in the Lincoln car, and heard
him speak Of it as being the one thai the
president used during the war, and in
which his remains were brought to
Springfield. MIR. $. IL. II. Cla-k. now
president of the Union Pacific, stated
to me a good many years ago that Mr..
Dillon desired some of the furniture of
the a taken out and sent to New
York, and L see hat his request was
carried out.
The car was built as nearly as pos
s1ble to suit Mr.. Lincoln's idea and
was so peculiar in construction as t.
give 1T individual characteristics.
This famous old car will form 2 CEN
trail figure of the transportation ex-
of the Trans-Mississippi and IN
tern&tional exposition o. 1898, a,