While his ride never came to a stop, President-Elect Barack Obama, with Joe Biden by his side, smiled, waved and even interacted with a few people, which was good enough for the thousand or so gathered at the Edgewood train station who had waited hours in the stinging cold Saturday to catch a glimpse of the soon-to-be president aboard the train that would eventually take him to Washington D.C. for Tuesday’s inauguration.
At just about 3 p.m. Saturday, after a few toots of its horn announced its presence, the Obama Express, crawling along at about 1 mph rather than its normal 50 mph travel speed, cruised into view of the Edgewood MARC station. After enduring hours of freezing temperatures and several false alarms, the crowd grew eager and anxious as the train cars continued to crawl along.
By the time the crowd realized it was finally happening, it was already nearly over.
On the last car on the long train (not officially a caboose – as I later learned on CNN), Obama, Biden and a handful of others appeared on a platform and a roar went up from the crowd. It was over after only a few minutes, but Obama made the most of that time: smiling, waving, pointing and even apparently addressing one supporter who was standing as close to the tracks as permitted.
And then they were gone, leaving the hundreds and hundreds of supporters with wide grins on their faces as they trudged back to their vehicles in the cold.
But before getting to Edgewood, the Obama Express first had to pass by a few other train stations as it departed Wilmington, Delaware after picking up Biden.
Jason Neidig, an Aberdeen Police officer and Perryville resident, took his sister to watch the Obama Express roll through Cecil County on its way into Harford:
I was contemplating whether or not I wanted to brave the cold temperatures, get in my cold car, and drive a mile to the Perryville AMTRAK train station. Many things were running through my mind: How many people will be there? Will I get a parking space? Will I get close enough to see something? Should I take a camera? At 1:10PM, I jumped in the shower and I was out the door by 1:35. Off to the train station, with my sister who is visiting from Pennsylvania.
Finding a parking spot was really not an issue. Parked in an old bank parking lot. We walked about a quarter of a mile to the train station that was slowly starting to fill up. At 2:00PM, we were told the train just left Wilmington. By 2:30, it was passing through Perryville. Before that though, “dummy” trains got everyone excited and the blood flowing. So cold, but so warm we all were. Above, Secret Service hilacopters, and the US Army. Police all over. The whistle blew, the train rolled by at about 40mph. Just long enough to see a hand covered in a white glove waving. Just long enough to snap two photographs of this historic event.
When it was all over with, I had to tell myself that was Barack Obama waving. Really, I knew it was probably a good chance it was not. I had to remind myself, I have training in dignitary protection. Barack was definatly in another one of those train cars. I had to ask myself which one? I told myself, the last one and that was him that waived.
This was so exciting. I really wish he would have stopped. Then again, the cold was now hitting me so I am glad he didn’t. People yelling and screaming, I cannot wait to tell my children that I was part of true American History.
Sorry Jason, a video replay of the event shows both Obama and Biden went gloveless as they cruised slowly past the crowd gathered at the Edgewood train station. Then again, Obama seems like the type of hands-on guy who might just take off his gloves and endure a few minutes of frost bite for his supporters.
Here are a few other random anecdotes from the scene in Edgewood on Saturday:
– The Edgewood High School parking lot had filled to, and beyond, capacity by 1:15 p.m. Most resourceful visitors were parking at nearby churches or lining the streets of adjacent neighborhoods. Although the system seemed to be working smoothely, many people bypassed the shuttle system entirely and just hoofed it on the mile walk to the MARC train station.
– The hawkers were out in force. One guy, with a Chicago White Sox hat on was selling cotton candy and “Obama memorabilia.” Others sold buttons that must have been custom made for the Obama Express train trip, posters, and flags. A few local entrepreneurs opened their driveways and parking lots to visitors to use at $10 a vehicle.
– The Secret Service security check was a well-oiled machine. Empty your pockets of everything metallic, don’t worry about emptying your purse or bag because officers would open and go through its contents for you, unzip your jacket, and walk through the metal detector. The line moved quickly until about 2:30 p.m. when the security check got clogged up with late arrivals.
– In the security line, a Department of Transportation employee said no one really knew where Obama was going to be and if he was going to stop until the very end. He said 36 hours earlier, no one knew much of anything and that late word was that the train would slow down for the crowd greet at the Perryville train station. In the end, he said, Secret Service decided it liked the layout of the Edgewood station better from a security standpoint.
– There weren’t as many elected officials or ‘local celebrities’ as I thought there might be. I saw Del. B. Dan Riley and Harford County Councilman Dion Guthrie, but that was about it. Of course, I didn’t venture inside the nearby Clarence’s Taste of New Orleans restaurant either – where Guthrie was seen and law enforcement seemed to be hanging out.
– There was a guy with a dog that was wearing sunglasses and a guy brazenly wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jacket, but they seemed to be the only “infirm” attendees in the crowd – which was a relief.
– The first time one of the Amtrak Acela trains whipped by at about 125 mph, a cheer came up through the crowd and people starting snapping pictures and waving their signs around. This happened several times before people caught on.
– On a personal note, I’ve heard people naysay and criticize this inaugural train ride for its cost and zeal, but I feel I have to point out that the Obama presidency is about much more than politics. Sure, he’s a Democrat and you might not like his tax programs or his Cabinet appointements, but there weren’t thousands of people lined up at train stations along the East Coast this weekend because they support Obama’s proposed policies. This is a social and cultural victory that overshadows any political win.
More photos coming soon. Did anyone else out there snap photos of the Obama Express?
The front page of today’s NY Times has a great photo of the Edgwood event:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/us/politics/18obama.html
(presidential waving was done with gloves off, at least for that photo).
My teenaged son and I arrived late at the Edgewood Train Station and were about to go through the metal detectors, when officials shut it down. Presumably to prepare for the train’s arrival.
Instead of finding a viewing post behind the temporary orange fencing in front of the station, we chose a spot away from the station but along the metal fence lining the tracks. We were actually closer to the tracks than most of the crowd (odd, since we were with the group that hadn’t gone through security). But we did have to keep 5 feet back from the fence, per the police officer on the scene. Then we waited.
Every time a police helicopter flew overhead, the crowd buzzed, thinking the train was about to arrive. Once prompting my sardonic, but Obama-supporing son to announce “I smell hope.” His nose was wrong that time, as the train would not arrive for about 10 more minutes
When the train finally inched by, it was close enough for us to get a good, long, unobstructed view.
I have lived (ahem) a decent number of years and seen some amazing things, but never a president or president-elect. It was a moving experience, especially seeing it through the eyes of the many children in the crowd.
The memory of that day, the TV cameras, the signs, the cheering crowd and the smiling president-elect, will stick with many of those kids the rest of their lives. People may have differing views about Barak Obama, but the memory of his visit to Edgewood, tucked away in the minds of children on our community, has got to be a good thing for all of us.
I was one of the many brave souls out in the Cold yesterday to share in the making of history waiting for the Obama Express. We live in Aberdeen, but I wanted to make sure I could get some good pictures as the train went by, so two of my daughters, two of my granddaughter and one of my son in-laws packed up into our cold van and headed down to Perrymen to wait. We got there at 2pm thinking the train would roll by around 2:15. We were the first to get there at the old rail road crossing, well more like the second as there was all ready a police car sitting there. We pulled up next to his car to ask if we could park there. We were told we would have to park across the road to watch, that everyone had to be 100 feet from the tracks. So across the road we went, we parked at the stop sign on the coner of Perrymen Rd and Canning House Road, we had front row seats, so to speak. But it was not long before others were pulling up behind us to park and get out to also be part of history and t
take pictures too. We braved the cold for 45 min. before the Obama Express rolled by, along with about 25 other folks all chilled to the bone. But it was all worth it, I got my pictures that I can share with my kids and grandkids, and they can someday share with their kids and grandkids. We were part of the history of watching the Obama Express in person. Hubby stayed home and watched it on CNN. Now today I will sit at home and enjoy the warmth and watch the Ravens kick butt !! What a great weekend !!!
I didn’t get a chance to see the train. I was a part of the local & County Team that made his trip a safe one. Although my heart beamed with pride as my 9 yr old son told me his story on seeing the train. My heart even beamed more when he said Thank You Mom for helping make his trip a safe one. So I guess being in the job I’m in isn’t always bad. Sometimes it does take away from spending time with my son.
Quite the inauguration celebration on Sunday and ceremony today.
I read somewhere that members of the Harlem Globetrotters, in commemoration of Obama as our 44th President, each wore a #44 jersey during their games Tuesday.
I guess what stuns me most about that is that the Globetrotters are still relevant enough to be playing multiple games on a Tuesday. Scary.