How many miles did the 1975–76 American Freedom Train travel?
Answer
25,833 miles
The 1975–76 American Freedom Train traveled 25,833 miles during its Bicentennial tour.
The journey lasted 21 months, beginning in Wilmington, Delaware, on April 1, 1975, and ending in Miami, Florida, on December 26, 1976. The route was designed to bring the exhibition to large and small communities across the 48 contiguous states.
Three restored steam locomotives powered the train in different regions. Reading Company locomotive 2101 pulled it first, Southern Pacific 4449 handled the Western portion, and Texas & Pacific 610 operated in Texas. Diesel locomotives were also used where rail conditions or load requirements made steam operation impractical.
The mileage is a measure of the complete traveling exhibition, not a direct distance between its first and last cities. Because the train zigzagged across the country and made 138 city stops, its total route was far longer than a simple coast-to-coast journey.