Re: (erielack) Fw: The Ghost Train

["Michael Connor" <mjconnor_rr_@_hotmail.com>]

Great story but the record indicates that President Lincoln's funeral train 
never went via the Erie.  IIRC the route included New York 
City-Albany-Syracuse-Buffalo, etc. and was via the Hudson River RR and the 
New York Central RR (they didn't merge until c. 1869 to form the NYC&HR).  
Further the Erie was very much a 6-foot gauge railroad at the time and the 
funeral train equipment, especially the car carrying Lincoln's remains, was 
standard gauge.  While several Ptesidents have ridden the Erie (usually not 
while in office) I think the only funeral train the Erie participated in may 
have been Warren G. Harding's since he was a Marion OH resident.  But for 
Lincoln, dead or alive, I find no evidence though his trips between Illinois 
and Washington while a Congressman and to NYC for the Cooper Union speech 
presented travel in the east though riding the Erie would have been most 
unlikely as we were either out of route (insofar as Washingtion DC is 
concerned) or unlikely (Cooper Union).  M J Connor

>From: "rslate" <rslate_@_frontiernet.net>
>Reply-To: "rslate" <rslate_@_frontiernet.net>
>To: <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
>Subject: Re: (erielack) Fw: The Ghost Train
>Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:21:52 -0500
>
>I'm 57yrs and heard this story about 30yrs ago, but didn't remember what
>line it was. I think it was an article I read about stories of Lincoln.
>Ron
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jon Scaptura" <jon_@_scaptura.com>
>To: <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
>Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 10:32 PM
>Subject: (erielack) Fw: The Ghost Train
>
>
> > This was forwarded to me by a co-worker who noticed the Erie and
>Lackawanna
> > photos on my office wall. This is the first I've heard of this. Anyone
>else
> > hear this story?
> >
> > Jon Scaptura
> > Endicott, NY
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > 
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>------
> >
> > From: T B []
> > Sent: Wed 3/30/2005 7:41 AM
> > To:
> > Subject: FW: The Ghost Train
> >
> >
> > Ever hear anything  about this ???
> >
> >
> >   - tim -
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > Subject: The Ghost Train
> >
> >
> >
> >   Did you ever hear the legend of the Abraham Lincoln Ghost Train that 
>was
> > spotted in the Binghamton area?  Apparently back in the day, Lincoln's
>body
> > was taken through all the big cities.  It went thru Philly to New York,
>and
> > then thru Buffalo to Chicago to eventually get to Illinois where it was
> > buried. Looking at my Erie/Lackawanna map on the wall, the oooollld line
> > from back in the day would have taken the train from New York, through
>Port
> > Jervis, and Calicoon, eventually through Binghamton, west on the line
> > through Johnson City, Endicott, Waverly, Elmira, etc.  A story I read 
>said
> > there was a cop on duty late one night, and he parked along the tracks, 
>I
> > believe it was Vestal, as I remember.  Through the mist he saw a train
> > coming, but the light wasn't the usual bright light.   The engine came 
>out
> > of the darkness, and it was an old steam engine, draped in bunting, and
> > there were several old time passenger cars.   In the last car he could 
>see
> > the coffin in the window.  He thought he was going insane.  He mentioned
>it
> > to a friend  who told him it was the anniversary of the night the train
>came
> > through there.  That date is coming up. Lincoln was shot April 14th, 
>died
> > the 15th.  And it would be a matter of a few days until the train rode
> > through Binghamton.
> >
> >
> >
>

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