Following President Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865, arrangements were made to transport his remains (along with those of his son Willie who had died in 1863) to Springfield, Illinois, for burial. The job fell to the nation's railroads, and would eventually retrace much of Lincoln's inaugural trip of four years earlier along some 1600 miles of track. Sadly, it would be the only time Lincoln would ever use the luxurious private car "United States," which had been ordered for his use in 1863. Arriving in Cleveland on the night of April 28, the train was turned over to the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad and the engine "Nashville" for the 135-mile journey to Columbus.
 
With the assistance of Wayne Wesolowski, retired director of the Benedictine University Lincoln Train Project, this set is a superb replica of the original train, and includes a 1:48 Scale model of the "Nashville" (probably the best documented of the 20 engines used on the trip, at least three period photos exist of this engine), and the "United States," complete with full mourning decoration including bunting, wreaths, and photos of Lincoln. The loco is powered and fully assembled of brass and die cast parts. An engineer and fireman, as well as a military Honor Guard and caskets are included.