Robert Redford, who passed away today at age 89, was one of the few actors to know what it was like to campaign from the back of a whistle-stop campaign train.

According to campaign train historian Edward Segal, author of "Whistle-Stop Politics," many corporations and organizations have mimicked campaign trains in their marketing or promotional activities, including General Motors, Ringling Bros. Circus, and railroad companies. 

"A train tour was even used as a publicity stunt in Florida to promote 'The Candidate,' a movie starring Redford. The 1972 film was about a successful campaign for the United States Senate. Redford made the campaign-train-style trip from Jacksonville, Florida, to Miami to promote the film. He was accompanied on the back platform of the train by Jeremy Larner, who wrote the movie script and was a former speechwriter for a real presidential candidate—US senator Eugene McCarthy," Segal noted.

"I am not a candidate," Redford announced at the West Palm Beach train station. "I'm just a guy who made a film about a candidate, so please, however you may vote, don't vote for me. The truth is, I am not qualified to run for office, I am not competent. I have no experience. I have no program."

For more campaign train stories, read "Whistle-Stop Politics: Campaign Trains and the Reporters Who Covered Them."  Learn more about the book at WhistleStopPolitics.com.

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