Aboard The Freedom Train: America’s Most Underrated 250th Birthday Party

Interesting 4th of july, alexandria, freedom 250, july 4, patriotism, trains, ufc freedom 250, union station admin July 3, 2026 0 Comments

Aboard The Freedom Train: America’s Most Underrated 250th Birthday Party

Many of the Freedom 250 events have come with great fanfare; the UFC fight on the White House South Lawn, the Great American Fair on the National Mall.

But the Freedom Train has gone underreported. The company CSX turned two locomotives into tributes for America’s 250th birthday, sending them from Waycross, Georgia, all the way up the coast, with stops in 29 towns before rolling into their final destination: Washington, D.C.

I boarded in Alexandria, Virginia, for the last leg of the journey. Our route took us out of Virginia, through the city, a quick dip into Maryland, and on to Union Station, the grandest train station in the capital.

Onboard, the train was dressed for the occasion: American flags, red-white-and-blue floral arrangements, and grand food tables in every car. Attendees buzzed around, grazing and snapping photos between bites. Seated around me were members of the military, first responders, and congressmen who were all invited to ride the train on its final journey.

I figured I’d spend the trip sightseeing, taking in the views, enjoying the food. Instead, as the train rolled slowly through the nation’s capital, I found myself waving, eagerly and constantly, at everyone we passed.

Dozens of spectators lined a nearby bridge, phones out, cheering as we went by. Drivers pulled over and jumped out of their cars just to wave. Construction workers stopped mid-task to tip their caps. One toddler sprinted alongside the train, refusing to stop waving until we outran him. Flags came out. Hands went up.

In the neighborhoods we passed, people leaned out over balconies. Others had set up lawn chairs in their driveways and backyards, waiting for us to come through.

The back car had a floor-to-ceiling glass window, perfect for waving at the crowds. It also had a button that let passengers sound the train horn. The children of a congressman and I hit it every time we passed spectators. Every “choo choo” was met with a fresh round of cheers.

Upon arrival at Union Station, I finally got a good look at the locomotives after they finished their journey. They were painted red, white and blue, with the words “United We Stand” on the side.

Soldiers who’d ridden the train posed for photos in front of it. I tucked a CSX challenge coin, engraved with an illustration of the train, into my pocket.

Those locomotives will now go back to hauling coal, grain, and wood — everything that keeps America moving. And maybe that’s what America’s 250th birthday is really about: celebrating her greatness, then getting back to work building the next 250 years.