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Re: Freedom Train & topical confusion



Thanks, Ruth, for the additional info.

I am quite familiar with the Merci cars, having helped other historic
preservationgroups conserve and transport two of these donated survivors in
the past decade.

I am curious, however, about your reference to a different track gauge on
the Merci cars. The pair that I have encountered were built originally to
the Continental and US standard gauge of 4 feet 8.5 inches (but are
otherwise completely different in form and capacity of their contemporary US
counterparts). As far as I have learned, all the so-called Merci cars were
basically identical. Until now I have never before heard these referred to
as "Freedom Trains." Rather than belabor the list, any questions or
discussion on this angle might best be conducted off-list.

I am just reminded by one of my CSA colleagues that there are plenty of text
references within African-American slave songs that call their journeys via
the "underground railroad" the "freedom train." Perhaps this is where we all
began with this topic???

Kevin V. Bunker
Student Assistant
CA State Archives

> ----------
> From:         Ruth.Baker@ci.austin.tx.us[SMTP:Ruth.Baker@ci.austin.tx.us]
> Sent:         Wednesday, July 18, 2001 12:16 PM
> To:   kbunker@SS.CA.GOV; ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> Subject:      RE: Freedom Train & topical confusion
>
> More confusion, I think.
>        The French "Merci Trains" arrived in New York in February of 1949.
> They had sent 49 boxcars full of gifts in appreciation for the over 700
> American box cars of relief goods sent to them by America in 1948.  The
> box
> cars were a different gage than our tracks so they were loaded on flatbeds
> and delivered by train to each state( the 49th was shared by Washington
> D>C>
> and the Territory of Hawaii).  They were also referred to as Appreciation
> and/or Freedom Trains.
>       I don't believe that the term "Freedom Train" was ever used during
> the civil rights movement.  They were called Freedom Rides, and the people
> went primarily by bus.
>
> Ruth Baker
> Processing Archivist
> AHC-ALIS
>
> Austin History Center
> Austin Public Library
> P.O. Box 2287
> Austin, Texas  78701
>
> (512)974-7382
> Ruth.Baker@ci.austin.tex.us
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:       Bunker, Kevin [SMTP:kbunker@SS.CA.GOV]
> > Sent:       Wednesday, July 18, 2001 12:10 PM
> > To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> > Subject:    Re: Freedom Train & topical confusion
> >
> > I've noticed the last few postings about the "Freedom Train" subject.
> > There's some subject confusion apparent.
> >
> > The ethno-socio-political "Freedom Train" is entirely different from the
> > two
> > different, Freedom Trains (on rails) that traversed the US. The first of
> > these, diesel-powered trains toured the nation in the late 1940s; the
> > other
> > was a steam-powered, Bicentennial commemorative/celebratory tour that
> > covered most of the US between 1975 and 1977.
> >
> > Kevin V. Bunker
> > Student Assistant
> > California State Archives
> >
> > > ----------
> > > From:         Thomas Robinson[SMTP:hpa@TELEPORT.COM]
> > > Reply To:     Thomas Robinson
> > > Sent:         Wednesday, July 18, 2001 9:25 AM
> > > To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> > > Subject:      Freedom Train
> > >
> > > I have lost the original post, but I collect civil rights and race
> > > relations
> > > 16mm movies, including ones produced by and about freedom riders.
> > > Thomas Robinson
> > >
> > > A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
> > >
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> > >
> >
> > A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
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> > Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
>

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Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>