The American Freedom Train visited all 48 contiguous U.S. states during its Bicentennial tour.
The tour ran from April 1, 1975, through December 31, 1976, and was designed to bring a traveling historical exhibition to communities across the country. It covered the lower 48 states, the states connected geographically to the continental United States.
Alaska and Hawaii were not included in the route because the train traveled over the existing national rail network. Both had become states in 1959, but their geographic separation made a conventional coast-to-coast train tour impossible. The phrase “48 contiguous states” therefore describes both the route and the political geography of the United States at the time.
The exhibition train contained 26 cars and used three major restored steam locomotives, along with diesel power in some sections. More than 7 million Americans visited it. The earlier 1947–1949 Freedom Train also toured all 48 contiguous states, so the two projects are related but should not be treated as the same train.