THE FREEDOM TRAIN

By Del Robb

I am an American. A free American.
Free to speak - without fear,
Free to worship in my own way.
Free to stand for what I think is right,
Free to oppose what I believe wrong,
Free to choose those who govern my country.
This heritage of Freedom I pledge to uphold
For myself and all mankind.

This Pledge of Freedom was recited by millions of Americans during the historic journey
of the Freedom Train which toured the then forty eight states from September 1947 until
January 1949.

It was a truly historic journey whereby many of our country's most historic documents
and memorabilia were transported throughout the land in a special seven-car train to
more than 300 communities in all of the states. To accomplish that objective government
and private sources made available a remarkable collection of documents in which was
written our national heritage. I was honored to be chosen to serve as Archivist on the
train, and what follows is an historical and personal account of the train tour.

Getting Started

The man most responsible for the Freedom Train was Tom Clark of Dallas, Texas, who
was then serving as the United States Attorney General. He had an idea of a traveling
museum, winding around the country, carrying documents on which this country's
heritage was founded, for all Americans to see. The idea was developed because of the
increase of lawlessness in the Unites States and the growing danger of subversive
activity. "The American people," he said, "need a reawakening of appreciation for their
heritage."

Clark did not want the Freedom Train to be sponsored by the Federal Government, or any
agency of it, because he felt it would be more effective as "the people's train" if it was
sponsored privately. For this reason, the American Heritage Foundation was established
and incorporated in the District of Columbia as the sponsor. There was no connection
with the Department of Justice, except that Clark assumed full responsibility for the
safety of the documents - so valuable that no price could possibly be estimated. The
American Heritage Foundation, completely non-partisan, was composed of Winthrop W.
Aldrich, chairman of the board of trustees; William Green, vice chairman; Robert G.
Sproul, vice chairman; Philip Murray, vice chairman; Thomas D. A. Brophy, president; and Louis A. Novins, vice president and secretary. The board of trustees was composed
of 34 men and women.

In spite of Tom Clark's resolve to maintain a non-partisan position, Representative Clare
Hoffman, a Michigan Republican who was consistently one of the severest Congressional
critics of the Democratic administration, declared that he "smelled a political plot."
Although later criticized, he called Clark before the House committee on Expenditures in
the Executive Departments, which Hoffman chaired. Hoffman implied that Clark was
using the Freedom Train, which would give millions of Americans their first opportunity
to see these priceless documents for the first time, as a means to secure the vice-presidential nomination for himself. Though Hoffman admitted that the purpose of the Freedom Train was "alright," he did not like the publicity that Clark was receiving as the "father" of the project. He further stated that the original documents should not be taken from Washington as this posed too much danger of loss. In spite of the objections of Mr. Hoffman, the project proceeded.

With the formation of the American Heritage Foundation, the sponsors started the
funding with total pledges of over $400,000, which represented less than half of the total
amount estimated to be required for the coast-to-coast tour that had been scheduled. It
was estimated that an amount in excess of one million dollars would be required to pay
all traveling expenses for the seven-car train. Fifty of the nation's railroads pledged their
cooperation in handling the train through every state in the union. The 2,000 horsepower
diesel-electric locomotive was donated for the length of the tour by the American
Locomotive Co. and General Electric Co., along with three diesel and locomotive
engineers. Three railroad cars, which were converted to document carrying, exhibition
units were contributed by the Pennsylvania Railroad, while the Pullman Company loaned
three "domicile" cars, especially converted to meet the needs of the train's personnel.
Equipment maintenance was donated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.
Construction of the train was done by the Pennsylvania Railroad. It is estimated that the
railroads' contributions totaled hundreds of thousands of dollars when computed on the
basis of technical knowledge, materials and time expended. Additional funding was
provided by sponsoring organizations in those towns scheduled for exhibition. Those
organizations undertook to raise a sum proportionate the area's population, although
appearances by the train were not conditional upon raising such funds. For example,
Dallas; Texas, set a goal of $15,000 of which $12,000 was to be contributed to the
American Heritage Foundation with the balance to be used for local expenses. Later, as
the tour progressed, viewers were asked to make small contributions so a "goldfish
bowl" was provided at the end of the viewing and voluntary contributions ranged from
pennies to five-dollar bills.

Now, with construction of the train underway and an amount of funds pledged, it was
time to determine which documents could best portray our country's heritage from the
millions of historical documents stored in Federal and State government depositories,
with historical organizations and with private historians and collectors.

Now came the monumental task of selecting the documents that would best portray the
history of our nation. The National Archives and the Library of Congress held in excess
of one million cubic feet of historical papers. In addition were papers held by state and
local libraries, plus many which were held by private owners and collectors. This task
fell to Dr. Frank Monaghan, who was a historian and a former Yale University professor.
The train was scheduled to depart from Philadelphia on September 17, 1947. Manufacturers needed two weeks to make the special Lucite cases which were to protect the documents, so that left Dr. Monaghan and his co-workers less than a month to get ready. About half of the papers were to come from the Library of Congress and the National Archives, and the other half from state historical societies and various private groups and individuals. This often was not easy.

In one instance, Dr. Monaghan had selected a famous colonial document, which was in a
state archives. The state was willing to lend it but state law prohibited its removal from
that state. After much debate, the state legislature passed a special law permitting the
document's removal. When the bill went to the governor for signature, he vetoed it by
mistake and there was not enough time left to start the entire process again. As a result,
this document was not included in the display.

In spite of all the legal and logistical hurdles, the papers were gathered, encased in the
special Lucite envelopes, and mounted in the train exhibition cars in time for the scheduled beginning of the tour.

Chosen to serve as Archivist

Two days before the dedication and official beginning of the tour, I was summoned to the
office of Arthur E. Kimberly, the head of the repair and preservation department of the
National Archives, and was informed that I had been chosen to accompany the train for a
period of two weeks. Archival experts from the Library of Congress and the National
Archives were concerned that the aged and delicate documents might not withstand the
constant and recurring vibration as the train traveled over the rough train tracks.
Therefore, they thought it prudent to have a person to constantly monitor the physical
condition of these invaluable papers.

After packing clothes and necessities for the two week period, I proceeded to
Philadelphia and the Broad Street Station, where the train had been positioned the night
before. Unfortunately, neither the Philadelphia police nor the Railroad Police had been
notified that I was to be a part of the train personnel, and I was denied entrance to the
train platform until confirmation was obtained from the offices of the American Heritage
Foundation in New York City. I was assigned to share an already crowded compartment
with Major Ernest Schott, second in command of the Marine Detachment, which was
assigned to provide internal security of the train and its contents. Thus, my "two week"
journey began on September 16, 1947, only to be completed 17 months later in January,
1949.

Not only was there concern over the vibration of the delicate documents, but there was
the matter of controlling the temperature and humidity within the exhibition cars. It was
important to maintain a constant temperature as the paper fibers would tend to expand
and contract with temperature change, which in turn would weaken and wear the paper
itself. Humidity control was necessary to keep the paper fibers pliable yet not too dry to
become brittle or, conversely, too damp to encourage the formation of mildew. These
were extremely difficult goals to maintain with the entrance and exit doors (entrance at
the front of the first exhibition care and exit at the rear of the third car) constantly open
during the hours of exhibit. During cold weather, heat was provided by steam to the cars
from outside sources or steam generated by the train locomotive. On hot days, cooling
was done by fans blown over ice, which was stored in compartments in the bellies of the
exhibition and living quarter cars. For example, in both Philadelphia and Montpellier,
Vermont, in excess of 38,000 pounds of ice was used on extremely hot days. A
hygrothermograph was located in the middle of each exhibition car, which recorded a
continuous account of both the temperature and humidity during a 24 hour period. These
instruments were constantly monitored and measures were taken to adjust temperatures
and humidity by whatever means possible.

Security of the Train

The locomotive, a 2,000 horsepower diesel electric, was loaned by the American
Locomotive and General Electric Companies, which also provided three permanent
engineers who accompanied the train throughout the tour. However, the locomotive took
on additional crews provided by the railroad on whose tracks were traversed. This was
because of Interstate Commerce Commission rules, which required personnel who were
familiar with the route and trackage to actually operate the locomotive.

The train was restricted to a top speed of 50 miles per hour and it was provided with what
was known as "Presidential Protection." This meant that all other trains were required to
steer onto a siding while the Freedom Train passed. All tracks over which it passed were
inspected in advance by officials in an inspection car which ran immediately ahead.
Watchmen were stationed at all bridges, deep cuts, tunnel portals, and at places where
slides might occur. Switches to sidings in the direction the train was traveling were
"spiked" so that a switch could not inadvertently be opened. All trains, opposing or
headed toward the Freedom Train, were required to take a siding 15 minutes in advance
of the train's arrival. Upon arrival at a destination, railroad police, city police, and other
security personnel immediately took positions to guard the train and its priceless cargo.
Once the train was positioned to open for display, nothing could move on that section of
track.

The U.S. Marine Corps provided the physical security once the train doors were opened
for viewing by the public. A camaraderie developed between the Corps, train personnel
and myself. The friendships that developed helped to ease the constant, tedious travel
from one town to the next.

An elaborate fire protection system was provided. In addition to the paint being fire
resistant, the carpeting was treated chemically to resist flame. The exhibit cars were
protected by carbon dioxide stored as a liquid under 850.pounds of pressure per square
inch. Connected to the carbon dioxide cylinders was a piping system and multi-jet
discharge nozzles which were located behind the document panels. This system would
fill the cars' interior with inert carbon dioxide gas the minute fire detectors noted a
sudden and abnormal rise in temperature. .

Life in a Goldfish Bowl

As noted earlier, the last three cars of the train served as domiciles for the permanent
personnel The first of the three were roomettes, which housed two people each. The
second car was made up of roomettes except for one compartment which served as a
medical clinic staffed by a Navy Chief Pharmacist Mate, who treated common colds, flu,
minor cuts and abrasions, etc. The last car consisted of two roomettes and three
compartments, one of which was used primarily to greet dignitaries, newspaper and radio
reporters and, though in its infancy, an occasional television crew.

In most cities, those viewing the exhibit were routed alongside the living quarters so it
was necessary to keep the blinds drawn at all times. This was especially true for those
Marines who were sleeping after standing watch-duty the previous night. The Pullman
cars were poorly lighted at best, so the drawn blinds added to the feeling of confinement.
The alternative was to explore the railroad yards, the nearby area, or sit in the lounge area
of the rear car. This routine soon became boring after the first few weeks on the road.

Personnel of the Pullman Company consisted of a conductor and three porters who were
paid by Pullman. The same conductor accompanied the train for the entire tour but the
porters were rotated when the train passed from one zone to another. Tips for the porters
were not permitted, but the American Heritage Foundation provided a small daily stipend
to them. The beds were made up each day but the Marines were expected to shine their
own shoes as only they know how to achieve a proper "spit shine". Arrangements were
made to have laundry and dry cleaning services every four or five days. Upon arrival in a
city, a local company would pick up the laundry and cleaning and would return it to the
train before our departure that same night.

A public address system served all cars except for the one designated for baggage and
equipment. During the hours of exhibition, Americana music was played from records
which were specifically made and recorded by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
At the same time, viewers were asked to "move on as hundreds more were waiting in line
to view the documents." After-hours and after the train had been cleared of visitors,
personnel often played their own collection of music throughout this system. After the
train was en-route to the next city, the system was turned off so the personnel could sleep
and rest for duty the following day.

Sanitation was always a concern to the various railroads. In those days of train travel,
there were no holding tanks for sewage, so waste was dumped directly onto the tracks as the train sped by. Passengers were asked not to flush toilets while the train was stopped
at a station. The situation of the Freedom Train, which was parked at a location for more
than 14 hours, necessitated large containers to be placed under the train to catch waste.
These were commonly referred to as "honey buckets" and were usually emptied two or
three times each day by railroad personnel. There was one shower bath in each domicile
car and these containers required service even more often. Water for the various facilities
was provided by tank trucks.

During the night the train moved to the next city, and it was always a surprise to see
where we would be living for the next several hours. One of the first duties after arising
in the morning was to scout the area to find a cup of coffee and a suitable restaurant for
some breakfast. This was especially important for those Marine personnel who had to
don their dress blue uniform and be ready for duty by 8:00 a.m. Usually by lunch time,
local personnel would have suggested appropriate places for meals. And, of course, there
was always the "chicken ala king circuit." In many of the cities, one of the local service
clubs (Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, etc.) would invite one or more of us to attend their
breakfast, lunch or dinner meetings. This was always enjoyable as it gave us a chance to
meet interesting people and to get a break from our own close knit group. Of course we
were always expected to give a short talk to the assembled group. One eating place of
note was a small neighborhood bar, located on the Mississippi River, in Cairo, Illinois.
This establishment offered a slab of French bread, a large piece of fried catfish, and glass
of beer for a total cost of fifteen cents. There was a steady stream of train personnel to
this small bar, and it is assumed that the owner was able to retire after this busy day.

While crossing the broad expanse of the New Mexico desert, it was necessary to attach a
dining car in order to serve an evening dinner while en route to the next city. This was a
great treat to a number of the Marine detachment as most of their rail travel had been by
troop trains during World War II.

Memories to last a lifetime

Serving on our Nation's Freedom Train was one of the most memorable experiences of
my life. Although all of the personnel that served on the train drifted apart once the train
tour ended, they all remain in my heart. In subsequent jobs that I held during the 1970's
and 1980's I traveled the world, but the journey of the Freedom Train that traveled
through the continental United States is the trip that I remember most fondly. It inspired
great patriotism in those who served on the train, and those citizens that visited and
viewed the documents upon which our great Nation was founded.

Editor's note: Delmar F. Robb passed away in 2008 at the age of 86.

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