A closer look at the Presidential Railroad Communications Car

The Magellan Rail Car Dining Room (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron H, who writes:

[Check out] the following link to a story about the communications car that was part of the Presidential train. [This] was originally posted on the Hammarlund listserve:

Click to access the_presidential_communications_railroad_car_crate.pdf

Click here to download PDF.

Thanks so much for the tip, Ron!

Spread the radio love

4 thoughts on “A closer look at the Presidential Railroad Communications Car”

Edward May 7, 2021 at 1:46 pm

So if it predates “Air-force One” would it be AMTRAK One? Who was the predominant passenger rail carrier in those days?

Reply ↓

Bill Walch May 6, 2021 at 4:11 pm

This really begs the question, were all the cars, especially the Communications Car, designed as Faraday Cages? With the antenna’s so close to the top top of the CommCar. there had to be a lot of radiated RF from those 1KW transmitters. Additionally, with a range of 3-17 MHz, there’s no way they’d get a good match without some monster tuning unit.

Reply ↓