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Shallow Nation

January 17th, 2009 at 6:46 pm

Obama Train Video, Photos: Obama Express Whistle-stop Train Inauguration

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

President-elect Barack Obama took a whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia, PA to Washington, DC on January 17, 2009. See video and photos of the symbolic trip; rallies and speeches and transcripts, which kicked off the four day Inaugural celebration.

The 137 mile Obama train route retraced part of the trip Abraham Lincoln took before his inauguration in 1861. As did Lincoln before him, Obama used the trip to galvanize the country and bring a feeling of renewal and hope as his incoming administration and the nation face major challenges.

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

Accompanied by his wife Michelle Obama, and daughters Sasha and Malia and 200 preselected supports, he took part in a departure ceremony at the historic Philadelphia 30th Street Station.

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

From there, the train travelled to Wilmington, Delaware where Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden and numerous family members joined the Obamas in a rally and boarded the train which made its next stop in Baltimore for another rally. Wilmington is the adopted home town of Biden who throughout his tenure in the Senate never moved to Washington, and famously opted to commute via Amtrak.

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

“It’s not everyday you get to do your daily commute with the next president of the United States of America,” Biden told the crowd, with an introduction of Obama billing this trip as “the beginning of another longer journey for our country…

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

“The weather’s cold,” said Biden, wrapped in a red scarf and black overcoat. “A deeper chill of worry and concern have gripped the nation… Millions of Americans have been knocked down. Our economy is struggling. We’re a nation at war. Sometimes, it’s difficult to believe we’ll see the Spring again. But I tell you, Spring is on the way with this new administration…

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

“This is more than an ordinary train ride,” Biden told his hometown audience. “This is a new beginning.”

Riding a 1939-vintage, royal-blue “Georgia 300” rail-car which presidents and candidates before him have used, Obama drew crowds along his path on a frigid winter day’s journey.

Source: Obama’s train ride: Lincolnesque imagery

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

Hundreds of people gathered alongside the track, at train crossings, in backyards and on rooftops, waving homemade signs and small American flags at the train. Those who came to witness the moment, even to catch only a peek of the train, stood in single-digit temperatures, which the wind chill pushed below zero. [...]

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

The route was scripted with echoes of history in mind, with the trip beginning in Philadelphia, where the Constitution was written, and continuing to Delaware, where the Constitution was first ratified. At each stop, the 10-minute speeches from Mr. Obama were imbued with a sense of history, particularly as he called on Americans “to reach for the promise of a better day, and to do the hard work of perfecting our union once more.”

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

For all the pomp and celebration surrounding the slow-motion trek to Washington, a two-hour journey that stretched into more than seven, the underlying mood was a far more serious one than on most days of the presidential campaign. He has often delivered similar speeches with lofty tones, but the moment took on more gravity with the presidency less than three days from being his.

Barack Obama symbolic whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, January 17, 2009

“We recognize that such enormous challenges will not be solved quickly,” Mr. Obama said, speaking to a crowd of about 40,000 people in a downtown Baltimore square. “There will be false starts and setbacks, frustrations and disappointments. I will make some mistakes, and we will be called to show patience even as we act with fierce urgency.”

Source: Obama Arrives in Washington After Train Trip

Photo credit: Getty Images North America, New York Times