What is the meaning of whistle-stop tour?

A ‘whistle-stop tour’ is when a candidate puts in a brief appearance in several small towns in a very short period of time. Whenever a train stopped at a small station, the candidate made a short speech from the train itself and quickly moved on to the next town.

Where does the phrase whistle-stop tour come from?

The term was first applied to a fast-moving political campaign tour just after World War Two. President Truman organised an extensive railway trip during his re-election campaign of 1948, which visited Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California.

What is a whistle stop on a train?

(Entry 1 of 2) 1a : a small station at which trains stop only on signal : flag stop. b : a small community. 2 : a brief personal appearance especially by a political candidate usually on the rear platform of a train during the course of a tour.

Which president did a train tour?

William Taft traveled more than 100,000 miles by rail during his 1909-1913 term, reaching every continental U.S. state except North Dakota. Woodrow Wilson in 1916 became the first sitting president to actively campaign for re-election, traveling more than 34,000 rail miles.

What does a whirlwind trip mean?

A whirlwind event happens very fast, and often unexpectedly: They married three months after they met – it was a real whirlwind romance. a whirlwind tour/visit.

What’s another word for whistle-stop tour?

In this page you can discover 11 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for whistle-stop tour, like: campaign trail, campaigning, grassroots campaign, politicking, stump, stump excursion, stumping, stumping tour, door-to-door, canvassing and candidature.

What candidate used the Whistlestop campaign?

THE TRAIN CAMPAIGN PROVED TO BE AN UNEXPECTED SUCCESS. During the tour, a new relaxed and confident Harry Truman was presented to the people — a candidate who spoke their language and understood their needs.

Does the President have his own train?

U.S. Car No. 1 is the only private coach railroad car specifically designed for the president of the United States. The Pullman Company built the Ferdinand Magellan in 1928, and refurbished the car and presented it (dubbed U.S. Car No.

What is the definition of a whistle stop tour?

A whistle stop or whistle-stop tour is a style of political campaigning where the politician 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. 1 Definition and Usage.

Who was president during the whistle stop tour?

He accused then-President Harry S. Truman of “blackguarding Congress at whistle stops across the country”. In the 19th century, when travel by railroad was the most common means of transport, politicians would charter tour trains which would travel from town to town.

What was the name of the whistle stop 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.