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Home > Archives > President Gerald Ford greets supporters in Joliet, Ill., 1976.

President Gerald Ford greets supporters in Joliet, Ill., 1976.

President Ford toured Illinois by chartered Amtrak train on October 16, 1976. Black and white photograph from the FY 1976 Amtrak Annual Report.

President Gerald Ford greets supporters in Joliet, Ill., 1976.

On May 15, 1976, President Gerald Ford and first lady Betty Ford took a whistle-stop tour across the president’s home state of Michigan. Dubbed the Presidential Express, the special train ran from Flint to Niles, with an extended lunch stop in the state capital of Lansing. Enroute, President Ford was interviewed by newspaper and television reporters.

In October, during the closing days of the campaign against Jimmy Carter, the Fords toured Illinois aboard another Amtrak charter train called The Honest Abe, seen here at Joliet Union Station. The train was made up of two P-30 locomotives, seven new Amfleet cars and an observation car with an open-end platform.

Photographer: Unknown for Amtrak. From the Amtrak Corporate Collection.