Replica of Lincoln funeral train in Pennsylvania

[RJNorton]

Thank you to Richard Sloan and Laurie for this information from Richard:

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https://www.eventbrite.com/e/abraham-lin...3558257189

On April 22 and 23, the folks at the Stone Gables Estate in Elizabethtown, PA (located just a short 5 min. drive from the local Elizabethtown RR station) will be displaying the replica of the Lincoln funeral car (with a replica of the Lincoln casket) It will be hitched to a beautiful working replica of the Levithian, one of the six (?) locomotives that pulled the funeral train on its 1865 journey from DC to Illinois. For details (which were updated only yesterday!), simply go to
https://stonegablesestate.com/
Click on "events." Scroll down to the box with Lincoln's photograph. Then click on "details," and it's all spelled out. (If anything isn't clear to you, do not hesitate to call 1-717-902-9791. Press 1, and then press (extension) 202, followed by the # sign. That will either get you 1.) a recording asking for a phone number where you can be reached, or 2.) the live voice of Ms. Gail Shane, a very helpful lady I have spoken to a few times already. If you get Ms. Shane live, please tell her you are a friend of mine, and that I suggested that you call her..

You have to buy, in advance, tickets for either April 22 or for April 23. There are two types of tickets. One is for a five-minute walk-through of the funeral car ($32 -- $20 for seniors). (Picture taking is permitted.) The other one (which is only good on April 23rd) is a $150 VIP ticket . (There are no senior discounts for the VIP tix.) The VIP ticket enables you to leisurely spend as much as 20 minutes in the funeral car. (Picture taking is permitted.) Then you climb down from the car and climb aboard and sit in a restored 1850 passenger car that's hitched to the funeral car. And you won't believe what's next. The locomotive, to which the funeral car is hitched, will pull both cars on newly-laid tracks , for a distance of a little more than a mile. (It may be closer to two miles.) Then the locomotive will have to go into reverse and return to the spot where you boarded. (At least that's what Ms. Shane told me.) On Feb.7th the Stone Gables Estate received permission from the Town to lay those tracks, making this ride possible. (Ms. Shane just added this information to the website yesterday.)

You must buy your ticket (and select your time slot) IN ADVANCE, either on the website, or with a call to Ms. Shane. (As you will see on the website, the times for the quick walk-through are different on April 22nd than they are on April 23. The quick walk-through time slots run every half hour. You will note that they are posted on April 22 between 1 and 6 pm. They are posted on the 23rd from 11 a.m. to 1 pm. The "slow" walk-throughs (as I'll call them) of the funeral car run less often on the 23rd because they include the train ride! I think that the website lists all the times, and tells you what the other events are on each day.. If you have any questions, ask Ms. Shane! (By the way, Ms. Shane just told me that car parking is free; I thought she had previously told me it's $10. I'll ask her again on Monday.) The Estate will be mounting a publicity campaign this coming week, and Ms. Shane expects to be swamped with orders. So I urge you to get into high gear and make your plans and buy your tickets ASAP!

FYI, this coming Monday morning I will be speaking to her in person by phone and buying my ticket. Here is my own itinerary (Perhaps some of you will be there when I am there!?)

I am buying a VIP ticket for APril 23rd, and selecting 2:30 for my "slow" walk-through, followed by the train ride.

I am catching the 9:30 a.m. AMTRAK train at Penn Station. It arrives in Elizabethtown at 12:27 pm. I am purchasing my roundtrip ticket next week. (They are refundable up til about a week ahead of time, I think.) Friends of mine, Nancy and Sam Attardo, will pick me up at the RR station and drive me to the Stone Gables Estate grounds. (If a friend or two take the same train with me, Sam and Nancy told me they will be happy to pick my friends up, as well! This early arrival time will give me a little blanket, in the event the train is delayed. The Attardos will drive me back to the RR station to catch the 4:47 train to Penn Sta. (That gives us time to hang out together and see some displays, pose for pictures in front of the locomotive and funeral car, etc By the way, a caterer will be selling sandwiches, hot dogs, drinks, etc If my train should arrive on time in PA, I'll also have an hour to hang out with them before my walk-through, and have lunch with them.

If you plan on driving to PA, the address is 1 Hollinger Lane, ELizabethtown, PA

1. The train ride is a half mile long, not a mile.

2. Don't call Ms. Shane first if you want to buy tickets; buy them on the website. There is a $10 service charge for your credit card purchases.

2a. If you should encounter any difficulty in buying your tickets online, then, by all means, call Ms. Shane and she will be happy to assist you (and take your credit card number and process your online purchase )while you are on the phone with her.

3. Arrangements are being worked out for Lincoln re-enactor Fritz Klein, Civil War e-enactors and possibly a Gen. Grant re-enactor to appear periodically at the venue (not at the train) on Mon. and Tues. The times for this are not firm yet. Feel free to call Ms. Shane to ask her about this.)

4. Check the website for additional activities that will only take place on Monday , prior to the first quick walk-through.

[Gene C]

I was able to go see the train and funeral car a few years ago with Joe Di Cola.
A great event, and Richard you picked a good time to go. There will likely be several school groups attending, try to schedule your time for mid to late afternoon - like Richard, and the children should be on their way back to school, so it will be less crowded.

It is well worth the visit if you can go.

[RJNorton]

Thanks again to Richard and Laurie:

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Do you all know about the Stone Gables Estate in ELizabethtown, PA having bought the funeral car replica (and a beautiful (and working) facsimile period locomotive? They are selling tickets to either a quik walk-through of the car ($32/ $22 for seniors) or -- for $150 -- a "VIP" 15 min. visit into the car followed by a 1/2 mile ride in a restored period passenger car that's hitched to the funeral car and the locomotive. It's as close as one can get to "riding in the Lincoln funeral train." Go to the Stonegablesestate.com website for details. The quick walk-throughs will be given on both April 22 and 23rd. The quick walk-throughs end on the 23rd at 2 pm, at which time the "VIP" visits and rides begin. VIP ticket holders also attend a banquet dinner and meet and hear Fritz Klein. Please spread the word. I will be there on the 23rd but am not staying for the dinner. So will three other members of the LGNY. Special arrangements have to be made in advance for those taking an AMTRAK train to ELizabethtown, as there is no taxi service to and from the estate. (I have made my own arrangements for this, thanx to a friend with a car who is also attending the event.) The person to ask about getting a ride is Gail Shane at 1-941-920-2013. Tell her I gave you her number. You'll obviously want to talk to her before you buy your tickets on line. (You see, you'll have to select specific funeral car boarding times when you buy your online tickets.)

This is not recommended for people who would experience great difficulty climbing steep steps and pulling themselves up with the funeral car's handrails.