A whistle stop or whistle-stop tour is a style of

political campaign A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracy, democracies, political campaigns often refer to election, electoral campaigns, by which representatives a ...

ing where the

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

makes a series of brief appearances or speeches at a number of small towns over a short period of time. Originally, whistle-stop appearances were made from the open platform of an observation car or a private railroad car.

Definition and usage

The definition of the term derives from the practice of a small, occasionally used railway station signaling a train so the engineer will know to stop. Trains inbound to a " whistle stop" station would signal their approach with a blast of the train's steam whistle which would alert the train depot attendant to their arrival. If passengers, mail, or freight waited to be picked up at the depot, the depot master would raise a tower signal to indicate to the train engineer that the train should stop. If no stop was necessary, a different signal would be raised and the engineer could pass through the depot without stopping. One usage of the term in the political context, by Robert A. Taft, was derisive. He accused then-President Harry S. Truman of " blackguarding Congress at whistle stops across the country".

Background

In the 19th century, when travel by

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

was the most common means of transport, politicians would charter tour trains which would travel from town to town. At each stop, the candidate would make a speech from the train, but might rarely set foot on the ground. "Whistle stop" campaign speeches would be made from the rear platform of a train. One of the most famous railroad cars to be used in the U.S. whistle-stop tours was the '' Ferdinand Magellan'', the only car custom built for the President of the United States in the 20th century. Originally built in 1928 by the Pullman Company and officially the "U.S. No. 1 Presidential Railcar", the ''Ferdinand Magellan'' is on display at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, Florida. The famous news photo of

Harry S Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th Vice president of the United States, vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Frank ...

holding up a copy of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' with a banner headline stating " Dewey Defeats Truman" was taken on this platform on Wednesday, 3 November 1948, at St. Louis Union Station. The ''Ferdinand Magellan'' was also used by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

and, to a much lesser extent, by President Dwight Eisenhower. The ''Magellans last official trip before retirement was in 1954, when first lady

Mamie Eisenhower Mary Geneva "Mamie" Eisenhower (; November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979) was First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 as the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Born in Boone, Iowa, she was raised in a wealthy household in Colo ...

rode it from Washington, D.C., to Groton, Connecticut, to christen the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, the . President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

used the ''Magellan'' for one day, 12 October 1984, traveling 120 miles in Ohio, from Dayton to Perrysburg, making five stops to give "whistle stop" speeches along the way.

Modern whistle-stop tours

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

of the United Kingdom started a five-day whistle-stop tour of the United Kingdom on Monday, 6 September 2010, with a speech in Glasgow when he was

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

. The green campaigning tour was a part of the Prince'
Start
initiative that aimed to build public awareness of sustainable activities. In Europe, touring politicians still occasionally take a train, as the excellent, dense railway network offers access comparable to road travel and as it is better suited for extensive trips than air travel. In 2009, for example, German chancellor (and CDU candidate) Angela Merkel made a highly publicized tour in

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...

's old campaign train. The SPD, on the other hand, discontinued the use of train tours for campaigns before the 1998 election. On 30 September 2020, after the first presidential debate against

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, Democratic presidential nominee

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

rode on an

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

"Build Back Better Express" from

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio, to Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Gallery

The following are examples of whistle-stop train tours: Crowd at Putnam station postcard

;U.S. presidential campaigns File:Bryan Wellsville.png, Democratic presidential nominee

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

delivers a whistle-stop speech in Wellsville, Ohio during his 1896 presidential campaign File:Wjb1896.jpg, Map of Bryan's extensive 1896 whistle-stop travel File:Bryan Crestline.png, Bryan during a whistle stop appearance in

Crestline, Ohio Crestline is a village in Crawford County, Ohio, Crawford and Richland County, Ohio, Richland Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. Crestline's population was 4,525 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. It is the third largest municipality ...

File:Teddy Roosevelt at Kansas City, Kansas (15178301101) (cropped).jpg, Republican vice presidential nominee

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

on a whistle-stop during the 1900 presidential election File:Former President Theodore Roosevelt Delivering a Speech from a Train (13566589583) (1).jpg, Former president Theodore Roosevelt delivers a whistle-stop speech during his third party campaign as the nominee of the "Bull Moose" Progressive Party in the 1912 presidential election File:Charles E Hughes campaigning in Winona MN 1916.jpg, 1916 Republican presidential nominee

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

speaking during at the

train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...

Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...

while completing a whistle-stop tour on the

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...

's '' Olympian'' Image:Charles Hughes whistle stop 1916.jpg, Charles Evans Hughes and his wife shake hands with supporters at

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

File:Women's Campaign Train for Hughes promotional artwork.jpg, Promotional artwork for the Women's Campaign Train for Hughes, a whistle stop tour of prominent women speakers supporting Charles Hughes's 1916 presidential campaign File:Prominent Women on Campaign Train of Hughes Alliance (The Daily Telegram Oct 7, 1916) (1).jpg, Photograph of the Women's Campaign Train for Hughes File:JamesCox RRsteps 1920A (cropped).jpg, Democratic presidential nominee James M. Cox makes a whistle-stop appearance during his 1920 presidential campaign File:Franklin D. Roosevelt campaign in Morgantown, West Virginia - NARA - 195779.jpg, 1920 Democratic vice-presidential nominee

(second from left) at a whistle-stop appearance in

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Monongahela River in North Central West Virginia and is the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the 2 ...

File:Franklin D. Roosevelt,Eleanor Roosevelt, and Earl Miller in Savannah, Illinois - NARA - 195405.tif,

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

Democratic presidential nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

on a whistle-stop tour for his campaign File:Franklin D. Roosevelt and James in New Albany, Indiana - NARA - 196831 (1).jpg, Franklin D. Roosevelt, accompanied by his son James, speaks at a 1932 whistle-stop appearance in Albany, Indiana File:Campaign 46-44-1(1) (8077710997).jpg, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, accompanied by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, speaks at a whistle-stop in

Redding, California Redding is a city in and the county seat of Shasta County, California, and the economic and cultural capital of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California. Redding lies along the Sacramento River, north of Sacramento, California, Sacrame ...

during his

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

reelection campaign File:Truman with wife and daughter.jpg, President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

(Democrat) and his family embark on a whistle-stop tour during his 1948 reelection campaign File:Pat & Dick Nixon in Ann Arbor, on a whistle-stop campaign tour, October 15, 1952. (8295115760) (cropped1).jpg,

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

Republican vice-presidential nominee

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, accompanied by his wife Pat, speaks in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

File:LBJ and Ladybird Train New Orleans 1964 (cropped1).jpg, President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

(Democrat) greets his wife, First Lady

Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She had previously been Second Lady of the United States from 1961 to 196 ...

, in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

at the end of a whistle-stop tour she conducted in support of his 1964 reelection campaign File:RWRMay1968RFKspeaksm.jpg, Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy speaks during a whistle-stop for his campaign in the Democratic primaries of the 1968 presidential election Image:President and Mrs. Ford wave during their primary campaign in Michigan - NARA - 7027911.jpg, President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

(Republican) and his wife Betty wave from a train during their whistle-stop tour of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

during his campaign in the Republican primaries of the 1976 presidential election Image:President Ronald Reagan on the "Whistle stop Tour" campaigning through Ohio.jpg, President

(Republican) goes on a whistle-stop tour through

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

for his 1984 reelection campaign File:President Bush addresses supporters from the back of his "Spirit of America" railroad car in Cornelia during on his whistlestop train tour across Georgia.jpg, President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

(Republican) conducting a whistle-stop tour of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

during his 1992 reelection campaign File:President and Mrs. Bush make a campaign whistle stop tour on the train, "Spirit of America," across Ohio.jpg, President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush making an appearance during their 1992 whistle-stop tour of Ohio File:President Bush waves from the back of the train outside of Bowling Green as he travels on a whistlestop campaign... - NARA - 186459.jpg, George H. W. Bush waves to spectators along the route of his 1992 reelection campaign whistle-stop tour of Ohio File:President Clinton's Whistle Stop Event in Bowling Green, Ohio.webm, Video of a whistle-stop appearance in

Bowling Green, Ohio Bowling Green is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 30,808 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, it is part of the Toledo metropolitan area and ...

by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

(Democrat), accompanied by his daughter Chelsea, during his 1996 reelection campaign File:John Kerry on Caboose during 2004 Presidential Campaign Whistle Stop at La Posada Hotel, Winslow, AZ.jpg, Democratic presidential nominee

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

on a whistle-stop tour during his 2004 presidential campaign ;U.S. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns File:Wod-o-Pics-3 0071 - Kodalux Processing Services NOV. 89 P - Bradley for Gov campaign whistle-stop 1986 (9501734601).jpg, Rail car being used for a whistle-stop tour by Democratic 1986 California gubernatorial nominee Tom Bradley File:Wod-o-Pics-3 0070 - Kodalux Processing Services NOV. 89 P - Bradley for Gov campaign whistle-stop 1986 (9504535246).jpg, Crowd greets Tom Bradley's 1986 whistle-stop at the Fresno station File:Democrats Main St. vs. Wall St. whistle stop tour 074 (5136953258).jpg, Iowa Governor Chet Culver (Democrat) delivers a speech alongside Roxanne Conlin during a 2010 whistle-stop tour in support of his gubernatorial reelection campaign and her U.S. senate campaign File:598344 10150881064728687 467347874 n (7482352284).jpg, As part of her 2012 U.S. Senate campaign, Democratic nominee

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...

embarks on a whistle-stop tour ;Russian campaigns File:Vladimir Zhirinovsky.jpg,

Vladimir Zhirinovsky Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky (, , né Eidelstein, ; 25 April 1946 – 6 April 2022) was a Russian right-wing populist politician and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) from its creation in 1992 until his death in 20 ...

conducts a whistle-stop in support of his party ( LDPR) ahead of the

2007 Russian legislative election Legislative elections were held in Russia on 2 December 2007. At stake were the 450 seats in the 5th State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly (the legislature). Eleven parties were included in the ballot, including Russia's largest ...

;Non-campaign tours File:Pres. Elect McKinley going to the White House passed York 8 AM Mch 2nd 1897.jpg, Train carrying U.S. President-elect

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

on a celebratory whistle-stop tour conducted ahead of his 1897 presidential inauguration File:President Roosevelt on his way to the south - stopping at Hillsboro, Texas. (15127519096) (1).jpg, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt makes a 1905 appearance in Hillsboro, Texas File:President Theodore Roosevelt in Newcastle, Colorado (15158281176) (1).jpg, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt speaks in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

in 1905 File:20090120 whistlestop.ogv, Video of U.S. President-elect

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's celebratory whistle-stop tour en route to his 2009 inauguration File:Whistlestop tour (8161636928).jpg, President-elect Obama with Vice President-elect

during their 2009 celebratory pre-inauguration whistle-stop tour File:Timaru Railway Station with Queen Elizabeth II Monday, 25 January 1954.jpg, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

of the United Kingdom delivers a whistle-stop speech during an appearance in

Timaru Timaru (; ) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to peo ...

during her 1954 royal visit to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

(of which she was the reigning

monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

)

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Whistle stop tours Articles containing video clips Political terminology of the United States History of rail transportation in the United States