Today, the historic locomotive Union Pacific 4141 comes to rest beside its namesake, 41st President George H. W. Bush at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
The engine, painted to match Air Force One, pulled into College Station on Sunday, March 21, under a tarp while being transported by the U.P. No. 1943 locomotive “The Spirit,” named in honor of U.S. veterans.
Later this afternoon, No. 4141 will be lifted from the tracks by two cranes and driven by a 12-axle trailer to its final destination on West Campus.
“What a historic day for our community,” Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp said in a System press release. “President Bush loved trains and we love everything associated with the legacy of President Bush. Congratulations to the crew at Union Pacific, our hauling contractor and everyone at the Bush Center at Texas A&M who worked to bring 4141 home.”
In February 2021, the Board of Regents donated two acres of university land to the George & Barbara Bush Foundation as a part of their planned multi-million dollar expansion to create a space for the No. 4141 engine and Marine One helicopter promised to A&M last year.
The blue and white locomotive led the Bush funeral procession to College Station in December 2018, bringing the former president to lay beside his wife, First Lady Barbara Bush, at the presidential library.
As a surprise for former President Bush, Union Pacific unveiled the engine in 2005, painted in Air Force One colors and thus renamed No. 4141 to honor the 41st president and his lifelong love of trains.
After the unveiling in 2005, Bush said if the locomotive had existed during his presidency, he “might have left Air Force One behind” and taken to the tracks as his mode of travel.