The No. 4141 George Bush Locomotive carried the remains of former President George H.W. Bush along the Union Pacific Corp. rail line from Spring to College Station on Dec. 6, passing through communities such as Old Town Spring and Magnolia along the 70-mile route. The train departed from Spring at about 1 p.m. Spring and Ponderosa fire departments raised a U.S. flag over the I-45 and Spring Stuebner Road overpass as the train passed through Spring, where personnel saluted the train as it passed. Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office and the Harris County Sheriff’s Department provided security and crowd control for the hundreds of people gathered on a rainy day beneath umbrellas in the shopping village. An Honor Guard consisting of local veterans groups raised flags and saluted as the train passed. “It’s always an honor, especially for George H.W. Bush. … That means a lot to us and to me personally to be here regardless of the weather to honor our 41st president,” said Steve Benavides, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars District 4. Local residents including Debbie Munoz and her son, Joshua, were among those gathered at the train tracks. They held up a sign honoring the 41st president. “He wanted to see the train,” Munoz said of her son. “He’s been talking about it all week.” The train arrived in the city of Magnolia just before 2 p.m. With spectators lining up early the morning of Dec. 6 along the tracks, families traveled from as far as Arkansas to find a spot in Magnolia to view the historic event. The train was scheduled to arrive in College Station at 3:25 p.m.