What a whiny rant. It was just a year and a half ago that the Union Pacific ran commemorative trains to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. There was also a major event at the Golden Spike National Historical Park and other events along the original transcontinental railroad.

Living in the East, I did not partake in the festivities.

My understanding is that yes, this time around, there was more attention paid to the the role Chinese workers who constructed the Central Pacific than there was during the 100th anniversary. That is definitely as it should be. However, the traditional aspects of this milestone (CP vs. UP race, feat of engineering, role of the Transcontinental Railroad in development of the West) were incorporated into the anniversary events.

Likewise, there is no reason why a future Freedom Train could not incorporate a traditional narrative of American History along with the experiences of Native Americans, African Americans, Eastern Europeans and other typically under represented groups. The role of labor unions could also be included.

Don't view this as a zero-sum situation.

A more real question is whether the Class 1 railroads would allow such a train to operate on their systems.