HO Norman Rockwell Freedom Train Set

Overview

In 1941, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress with his hopes for America after World War II, emphasizing a vision of four basic freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Rockwell painted each of these freedoms as part of his desire to do more for the war effort, naming the series the Four Freedoms. This artwork would help elevate Rockwell to an icon of American culture after being printed in The Saturday Evening Post. In May of 1943, Rockwell joined a combined campaign by the Post and U.S. Department of the Treasury to sell war bonds and stamps through a travelling rail exhibit.

The Freedom Train, adorned in a patriotic red, white, and blue paint scheme, rode the rails from September of 1947 to January of 1949 to 16 U.S. cities highlighting American heritage and the importance of preserving important American documents. 133 items in total were featured on the train, including Rockwell’s Four Freedoms and original versions of the United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Every citizen who bought war bonds through the campaign received printed copies of the Four Freedoms in return.

The classic artwork’s next stop is your HO scale layout, where Bachmann’s Norman Rockwell Freedom Train embodies the same hopeful message of its namesake.