Flags and bunting hung from the back of a shiny blue train car. Thousands of people swarmed small-town rail depots. And Senator Barack Obama made his pitch as he rolled by: "The train is leaving the station. I need your help." The presidential candidate's Saturday whistle-stop tour leisurely rolled through the politically rich blooming Pennsylvania countryside from Philadelphia to Harrisburg with four full stops — and a couple of "slow rolls" — between. Senator Obama's relaxed appearance — casual without a tie or jacket, his shirt sleeves rolled up — and the lazy pace of the train did not show the fierceness of the Democratic nomination. Polls show Senator Clinton leading in the state, though Senator Obama is ahead in the delegate count. From Wynnewood and Paoli to Downingtown and Lancaster, Senator Obama portrayed his rival as a typical Washington politician and game-player who uses slash-and-burn tactics and can't be trusted to say what she believes.
As the tour began in Philadelphia, Senator Obama shook hands with conductors and chatted up rail-workers at the 30th Street station's Track 2 platform. Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, Senator Obama's most prominent supporter in the state, joined him, as did the senator's family. "I'm really excited about this," Obama said. "This is great! Everybody, get on board now." And, with that, Senator Obama climbed aboard the Georgia 300 train car, pulled the whistle and set off.
The plush and upholstered car, named General Polk and built by Pullman Standard for the Southern Railway in 1930, contains a kitchen, two living areas and a small bedroom. It has been used by other politicians before, including former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. One day after a stunning 35,000 turned out to hear him in Philadelphia, about 6,000 people greeted him in Wynnewood and another 3,000 showed up in Paoli. People packed parking lots, gathered on hillsides, and, at one depot, perched on a bridge. At each stop, Senator Obama descended his train car to speak from a podium — and before giant flags and "Change We Can Believe In" banners — in unseasonable weather in the 80s. Many in the crowds carried water bottles and wore hats under the bright sun. Some brought their children and their dogs. At a couple of points, Senators Obama and Casey ventured from their air conditioned coach to wave from the small observation balcony at the back as the train slowly rolled by a couple of paint-peeling depots where sign-toting supporters lined both sides of the tracks. "We've got four days before we bring change to America. This is now our moment. This is now our turn," Obama said often throughout the day — prompting chants of "Yes, we can!" and causing shrieks from the crowd of "I love you!" Even Senator Clinton has not generated this much excitement in her home state of Pennsylvania.
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