President George H.W. Bush's beloved train makes final arrival in College Station
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KTRK) -- The iconic blue and white locomotive built in honor of former President George H.W. Bush has run the rails for a final time as it arrived Sunday in College Station.
Engine No. 4141 rolled into town under a large cover behind another special locomotive, No. 1943 "The Spirit," which honors military veterans.
The engine was scheduled to be lifted off the rails by two 500-ton cranes, placed on a large trailer and hauled the short distance to Texas A&M's west campus where the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library is located.
Engine No. 4141, an EMD SD70ACe diesel locomotive built in 2005, was donated by Union Pacific Railroad to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in 2019, and underwent preparations for display over the past year. The engine was part of Union Pacific's locomotive fleet for nearly five years before it was retired in 2009.
The railroad had surprised the former president in 2005 by painting it to resemble Air Force One in connection with a train exhibit at the museum.
After Bush died in 2018, No. 4141 was part of the funeral train that ran from Spring to College Station to carry his casket to his final resting place on the library grounds.
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved a $1 per-year lease which allotted two acres to expand the grounds of the museum. That space will house an exhibit area for the locomotive as well as a Marine One helicopter.
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These two additions are part of a multi-million dollar expansion being planned by the George & Barbara Bush Presidential Foundation, according to a release.
Our partners at Houston CultureMap contributed to this report.
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