The Marine Band was on the Shiloh Troop Train for both days, playing at all the stops. They're an interesting bunch--this was a paying gig for them. They do other types of events and have other uniforms, too. Their Marine uniforms were duplicated authentically down to the last detail.



It also happened to be the 150th anniversary of the Union Pacific Railroad, which underwrote the cost of the Shiloh Troop Train to the tune of $1.5 million, according to the rumor mill. The reenactors only paid $44 apiece and that was for meals. This was a big publicity event for the Union Pacific, and they picked up the tab for everything else. The passenger cars were from the golden age of train travel and were spacious with comfortable seats, dining cars, observation cars, etc. I'll bet the train enthusiasts along the way were green with envy that we could spend 2 days on those cars being pulled along by the 844 steam locomotive for what we paid. I spoke to one in Kansas City who had come to see the 844, but didn't know about the reenactors--I spotted him at several crossings down the line with his video camera. At one point, an entire elementary school that was near the tracks turned out, kids, teachers, staff waving as we went by. It was definitely an interesting and unique experience.