Abraham Lincoln's funeral train.

A funeral train is a train specially chartered in order to carry a coffin or coffins to a resting place. Funeral trains today are often reserved for leaders and national heroes, as part of a state funeral, but in the past were sometimes the chief means of transporting coffins and mourners to graveyards. Funeral trains remain mostly steam locomotive hauled, due to the more romantic image of the steam train against more modern diesel or electric locomotives. Abraham Lincolns funeral train The train that carried Lincolns remains from Washington, D.C. to Illinois was viewed by over seven million people, almost one-fifth the population of the U.S. at the time. ... Abraham Lincolns funeral train The train that carried Lincolns remains from Washington, D.C. to Illinois was viewed by over seven million people, almost one-fifth the population of the U.S. at the time. ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was an American politician who served as the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ... A typical North American steam train In rail transport, a train consists of rail vehicles that move along guides to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. ... A coffin (in North American English, also known as a casket) is a funerary box used in the display and containment of deceased remains -- either for burial or after cremation. ... Graves at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York A cemetery or graveyard is a place (usually an enclosed area of land) in which dead bodies are buried. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Graves at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. ... Scheme of steam locomotive. ... Great Western Railway No. ... Modern three-phase AC locomotive (DBAG Class 152) A GG1 An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electric motors which draws current from an overhead wire (overhead lines), a third rail, or an on-board storage device such as a battery or a flywheel energy storage system. ...

History

The first funeral train was run by the The London Necropolis and National Mausoleum Company on 7 November 1854. Trains ran once a day from London Necropolis railway station to Brookwood Cemetery. The train carried not only the bodies of the dead, but the parties of mourners who had come to attend the funeral services. Different classes were available for both the living and the dead; a more expensive first class ticket would provide a more ornate coffin and greater care of the body during transit. The London Necropolis Company was run by London and South Western Railway, who feared that regular passengers would shun locomotives which had previously hauled funeral trains, and therefore purchased an entirely new fleet exclusively for the Necropolis line. The public were initially reserved about the project; one bishop expressed fears that "It may sometimes happen that persons of opposite characters might be carried in the same conveyance. For instance, the body of some profligate spendthrift might be placed in a conveyance with the body of some respectable member of the church, which would shock the feelings of his friends".^[1] Others felt that the railway industry, which was less than 20 years old and still very much a new technology, was too hectic and loud, ill-befitting the sombre mourning associated with Christian funeral services. The London Necropolis Company, also London Necropolis & National Mausoleum Company, was set up in 1850, and established by Act of Parliament in 1852. ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The London Necropolis railway station was a special railway station constructed by the London Necropolis Company for funeral trains, specifically to serve their Brookwood Cemetery. ... World War I Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial, within the ground of Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. ... Underwater funeral in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea A funeral is a ceremony marking a persons death. ... First class travel is a particularly high quality travel class offered by passenger airlines, railways and shipping companies. ... The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1840 to 1923. ... A Christian Burial is the burial of a deceased person with ecclesiastical rites in consecrated ground. ...

Cemetery Station No. 1 railway station, Sydney, Rookwood Cemetery

The line ran daily – including Sundays – for almost 50 years until 1900, when the Sunday service was stopped and trains began to run on an "as needed basis". The railway remained in operation through the First World War and Second World War until 16 April 1941, when the London Necropolis station was bombed in the London Blitz. The station was never rebuilt and the line fell into disuse.^[2] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2000x1688, 1292 KB) A cropped version of this image, which was already on wikipedia This image is the same picture as the one on the right, but from a different source[1] which shows that the previous image has been cropped. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2000x1688, 1292 KB) A cropped version of this image, which was already on wikipedia This image is the same picture as the one on the right, but from a different source[1] which shows that the previous image has been cropped. ... Haslems Creek Cemetery station c1865[1] Cemetery Station No. ... Frazer Mausoleum, Rookwood. ... Sunday is traditionally the first day of the Judaeo-Christian seven-day week, between Saturday and Monday, and the second day of the weekend in some cultures. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... The Blitz, a popular English contraction of the German word Blitzkrieg, was the sustained and intensive bombing of Britain, particularly London, from September 7, 1940 through to May 1941 by the German Luftwaffe in World War II. Although the Blitz is named after Blitzkrieg, it was not an example of...

Australia

In Sydney, Australia, there was a similar service whereby the Rookwood Cemetery railway line, Sydney served the Rookwood Cemetery complex. From 1867 until 1948 trains would depart Mortuary Station in Sydney City and travel the 15 kms to Rookwood Cemetery.^[3] The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... Haslems Creek Cemetery station (Cemetery Station No. ... Frazer Mausoleum, Rookwood. ...

State funerals

Although most funeral services now make use of road-going hearses rather than trains, funeral trains remain common for the funerals of heads of state; all British monarchs since Queen Victoria have been carried by funeral trains; King Edward VII and King George VI were both taken to the Windsor and Eton Central railway station for the funeral procession. Most British Prime Ministers do not receive funeral trains. However, as part of his state funeral, Winston Churchill's coffin was carried by an SR "Battle of Britain" Class locomotive Winston Churchill to Blenheim Palace.^[4] Presidents of the United States are also sometimes transported by train; Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower were all given funeral trains as part of the procession. A Buddhist-style japanese hearse An antique limousine style hearse from Volvo Funeral carriage, Museum of Funeral Customs A hearse is a funeral vehicle, a conveyance for the coffin from e. ... Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State of 16 countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand and the Bahamas, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ... The British Monarchy is a shared monarchy. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from May 1, 1876, until her death on January 22, 1901. ... Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King of the Commonwealth Realms, and the Emperor of India. ... George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor) (14 December 1895 - 6 February 1952) became the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Emperor of India, upon the unexpected abdication of his brother, Edward VIII. He reigned from 11 December 1936 until his death. ... Windsor and Eton Central railway station is one of two railway stations in the town of Windsor, Berkshire, England - the other being Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station. ... The Prime Minister is in practice the most important political office in the United Kingdom. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Preserved Unrebuilt West Country Class 21C213 Blackmoor Vale. ... Blenheim Palace, The Great Court. ... The presidential seal was used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was an American politician who served as the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ... FDR redirects here. ... This page is about Dwight D. Eisenhower. ...

Gallery

John A. Macdonald's funeral train. Sir John A. MacDonalds funeral train. ... Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, QC, DCL, LL.D (January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada, from July 1, 1867 to November 5, 1873, and also from October 17, 1878 to June 6, 1891. ...

Winston Churchill's funeral train, 34051 Winston Churchill. Image File history File links Bournemouth_MPD_with_loco. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

References

1. ^ The Deathline - Fortean Times (Registration required). URL accessed 11 November 2006
2. ^ The Cemetery Railway. URL accessed 11 November
3. ^ CityRail, Welcome to Central Station.
4. ^ The Churchill Project Appeal. URL accessed 11 November 2006

Fortean Times is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The Mortuary Train to Rookwood - A Recollection of the Mortuary Train
• The Route of Abraham Lincoln's Funeral Train
• State Records New South Wales - Images of Mortuary Station