It is arguably one of the most famous trains in American History. Certainly one of the most famous with a connection to the President. President Abraham Lincoln’s Funeral Train was more than just a means to transport him to his resting place, it was a chance for America to say farewell.
Lincoln arrived in Washington by rail in 1861 – often traveling in secret or by night for his safety. His return home was quite the opposite. Along the journey from Washington to Springfield, nearly 1700 miles, millions of mourners came out to view Lincoln’s body and pay respects.

The front of the locomotive features a portrait of Lincoln. Flags and bunting will be added as well.
Much has been written on the assassination of Lincoln, and the train itself. The itinerary of the 13 day journey is also thoroughly recorded. What is much less certain however are the details of the train itself. The Lincoln Funeral Train represents one of the most extensive research projects ever done for a model at Lionel.
We know the train changed locomotives and cars

The ornate cab features additional portraits as well as the lavish decorations so typical of early steam locomotives.
many times during the route. Black and white photos of some of the locomotives and the President’s Car are a big help – but what were the colors? Lionel worked with noted rail historians to make the best attempt possible at matching one of the Lincoln consists in every detail. The result is this striking model, one worthy of the legacy it represents.
The locomotive, Nashville, is quite petite by O Gauge standards, but she’s modeled to scale. The locomotive’s all-metal construction makes even the small details durable. The finish on the locomotive speaks for itself. Even the small details like the three portraits of Lincoln are reproduced in stunning accuracy. The locomotive’s bright colors, typical of the era, stand in stark contrast to the somber duty to which she was assigned. We’ll be making a few more tweaks to the pre-production sample seen here to get even closer. Also not pictured are the flags and bunting which adorned the engine and will be included with the final model!
As with the locomotive, no detail was overlooked on the palace car which bore the President and his son. In fact, you can see both President Lincoln’s flag-draped coffin and his son Willie’s smaller coffin through the windows. From the 16 wheels to the roof, the car is complete to the last detail. In order to keep the authentic look, scale link-and-pin couplers are used to couple the train.

The President's casket, draped in the American flag, can be seen through the windows. His son's casket can be found at the other end of the car.
An add-on set of two coaches will also be available to complete the consist. These were used by the press and by traveling dignitaries along the route.

The two add-on Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore coaches are the perfect complement to the train.
So, how do you get one? The Lincoln Funeral Train is available only to members of the Lionel RailRoaders Club. Of course there are many other advantages of club membership, but access to this and future releases like it is reason enough to join. Join today! Once you have your membership number, you can place your order for the train and the add-on cars. The locomotive and funeral car will be available around the end of this year. The add-on cars will follow shortly thereafter. Supplies are very limited, so don’t wait. Secure your piece of history today!
Dear Santa… Hah-hah!
Wow this is very beautiful! I was expecting lionel to use the standard General type body! Really worth buying! Anyone know how many will be made?
I’ve got one ordered, along with a set of the add-on cars. I’m really looking forward to getting this.
Why do you suppose the steam chests are located ABOVE the bogie at a 45′ angle…instead of along side the bogie parallel to the ground-as in traditional American Standard Locomotives??Better Leverage??
Will the Nashville engine be conventional or Legacy?
Due to her small size, Nashville only has forward / reverse operation.
Will the Nashville have sound such as bell, whistle, & passenger station announcements between Cleveland & Columbus???
No, there is no room in the scale model for sound features.
Does the model have a headlight?? Does the model at least smoke?? Everyone loves the smoke from a steamer!!
-Deal Breaker for me if it does not! (M.T.H. Premier 1/48 “O” SCALE 4-4-0 American Standards have smoke, headlight, SOUND, and DCS!-same size as the “Nashville”- I have C.P.R.R. “Jupiter” from Promentory Summit!!)
Will the model Smoke and have a headlight??
Headlight yes, smoke no.
can you order just one of the trains?
You can order the locomotive and funeral car as a set. There is an add-on two passenger car set that can be purchased seperately. But you have to be a member of the LRRC first.
DEtails on ordering, price, shipping, etc.??
The Lincoln Train is sold exclusively through our Railroaders Club. You can find all the details on joining and other benefits here: http://www.lionel.com/LionelRailroaderClub/ You can order the locomotive and funeral car as a set for $799.99. There is an add-on two passenger car set that can be purchased seperately for $299.99.
I surely hope it runs longer than the Christmas set we bought. I surely hope it can be fixed or something can be done if it stops running. We were told sorry, nothing can be done. The set was expensive.
Mr. Legg,
Have you been in touch with our customer service? I don’t know the particulars of your problem, but if there is anything we can do, we’re always happy to try and help. If you haven’t talked to our service department yet, they can be reached at TALKTOUS@lionel.com.
I just received my Lincoln set, and the detail on the engine is stunning. I bought two cars to go with it, and I have a feeling I will order another set of two to make the train about the correct number of cars as it had.
From the cloth on the engine to the coffins and soldiers in the cars, I am thrilled with the appearance of the train. As a Lincoln fanatic since childhood, I can’t thank Lionel enough for having this made.
I have a set of trains that are very old from my grandfather that he lleft me there still in the boxes do u all purchase Lionel trains
We do not purchase them ourselves, but there are is a huge market for old trains. You may want to check with a local hobby shop – often they will purchase and resell used trains if you do not want to go through the hassle of appraising, pricing and selling them yourself. You can use the dealer locator on our website to help find some near you. http://www.lionel.com/CustomerService/Dealers/
Look at my layout on facebook,change evert year at christmas and take it down, every car back in box, let me know if you like,i bring kids over every year, new enthusiasts
I have a Jersey Central Lines from the 70’s. can any one tell me about the set I have. dorianball65@yahoo.com
I’d need a little more information to help… we’ve produced several Jersey Central sets over the years. You may also want to try posting a question on the OGR Forum… its the busiest hub for O gauge collectors and you’ll have lots of experts to help. If you can include a photo or the numbers of the locomotive and a description of the cars in the set it will help a lot. Here’s a link to the forum: http://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/
I would like to know more about my jersey central O scale train set from about the mid 70’s didn’t see it in the lineup of sets for sale. The locomotive #8310 coal car has jersey central on it also has CN car a box car a log car with the logs a scrap metal car caboose i think their is like 5 cars and coal with the locomotive. About 10ft of track a switch board to changr track and tha converter!
Dear Lionel or any one that may know. Can anyone please explain to me what the phrase MTH stand for and possibility give me an example or two. I would really appericate the the info. Thank you for your help. Mike Rudkosky. Respond to mike rudkosky@hotmail.com
Mike, I tried to reply via your email, but the address was not valid. MTH stands for Mike’s Train House, another brand of model trains. Thanks!
How do one get into a dealership with Lionel Trains?