Mystery Locomotive

[Woody Elmore]

Sorry to bring up the old "trains in pictures" topic but last night on TCM they showed "Dodge City" a 1939 oater starring Errol Flynn. The film begins with a train going to Dodge City. I couldn't make out the locomotive but I think it's the ubiquitous Sierra Ry. number 9. The locomotive in the film has two drivers with white tires and a third driver under the cab which I guess you are not supposed to see. It also has a phoney stack. Anybody know anything about where the film was shot or the origin of the engine (and three car train?)

Interestingly, the film shows wood being thrown into the firebox but the black smoke belching out of the stack makes me think that it's not burning wood.

[CNE Runner]

Woody, your description of that locomotive reminded me of another 'TV star'; but I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I remembered: Back in the mid to late 1950s there was a Saturday morning show called "Casey Jones" starring Allen Hale Jr. (later of Gilligan's Island fame). His engine on the Cannonball Express was a 'woodburning Mogul' that clearly wasn't burning wood. Could this be the same locomotive? I have the first 18 of the entire 32 episodes on DVD and still enjoy the show to this day...ah, the memories.

Ray

[Woody Elmore]

I went back and reviewed the few minutes of the film that I recorded and the engine is definitely a mogul and not Sierra RR #9 as I originally thought. I researched the filming location areas of the film and one location is the Sierra Railroad.

I remember the Alan Hale show (vaguely) and this is probably the same locomotive.

I can't take corny, 1930s cowboy movies; when I was a kid I saw many of them over and over on a local New York TV show called "Sixgun Theater." This was the early days of TV when they showed kinescope recordings. No wonder I am wearing glasses now.

If they rebroadcast the movie on TCM, I'll save the whole thing on DVR since there is supposed to be a scene near the end of the movie involving a train on fire.

Enjoy your Alan Hale shows.

[Terry Toenges]

Casey -
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1592073051178459897&ei=rhhaSvuPI47UrQL69ZCfCA&q=+%22casey+jones%22

[CNE Runner]

Terry, I owe you one. As near as I can tell that was the pilot episode for Casey Jones. Sam (the Native American fireman) apparently didn't make it into the series as none of my DVDs list him and I don't remember seeing his character in any of my 18 episodes (there was 32 episodes in total). I like the way they made a switch out of straight rail...you can't find folks like that anymore!

Again thanks,
Ray

[Woody Elmore]

Great Video! Casey would get into trouble with the unions - the who he lets oil the rods is probably not a union member.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

I went back and reviewed the few minutes of the film that I recorded and the engine is definitely a mogul and not Sierra RR #9 as I originally thought. I researched the filming location areas of the film and one location is the Sierra Railroad.

If they rebroadcast the movie on TCM, I'll save the whole thing on DVR since there is supposed to be a scene near the end of the movie involving a train on fire.

There is definitely a sequence, the climax of the film, with a gunfight going on while the baggage car is on fire.

I noticed when TCM was going to broadcast it, but it was on past my bedtime.    It's been years since I last saw it.  Are you sure that locomotive is a mogul and not a consolidation? I was always under the impression that it was a Sierra engine, but I can't say where I picked up that notion and I could be wrong. I could be wrong about the wheel arrangement, too.

[CNE Runner]

Jeff - I have 18 of the total 32 episodes filmed and have seen them all. I can definitely tell you The Cannonball Express was a Mogul. I still don't know how John Luther Jones was transported from running the IC to somewhere in the Southwest...must be the magic of television.

Ray

PS: I believe the real John 'Casey' Jones ran a ten-wheeler and not a mogul.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Jeff - I have 18 of the total 32 episodes filmed and have seen them all. I can definitely tell you The Cannonball Express was a Mogul. I still don't know how John Luther Jones was transported from running the IC to somewhere in the Southwest...must be the magic of television.

Ray

PS: I believe the real John 'Casey' Jones ran a ten-wheeler and not a mogul.

Illinois Central locomotive #382 was a ten-wheeler built by Rogers in 1896.

I understood Woody to be referring to the locomotive in the movie Dodge City. I was asking if he was sure that engine was a mogul and not a consolidation.

[CNE Runner]

OK Jeff - I see that now. I thought Woody was referring to the Casey Jones TV series...sorry about that.

Ray

[Woody Elmore]

I was referring to the movie, not the TV series. Good Grief - when did that show air. I spent much of my youth watching TV. I vaguely remember Casey Jones. I also vaguely remember Buster Crabbe in "Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion." Another corny show with a kid sidekick - no locomotive or train.

I assume the Casey Jones show was cancelled before after a seaon. They used to do 39 episodes a year.

I apologize for the garbled posting above. I was alluding to the fact that in the promo for the TV show, Casey lets his kid sidekick oil the rod bearings. The unions wouldn't like that! Parents today would be howling - the poor child is working and, oh no, the oil might be toxic!

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Anyway, I tried to do some research at home last night on that darn locomotive from Dodge City, and I came up empty-handed. Couldn't find a thing. 

[CNE Runner]

Woody - The Casey Jones series began broadcasting in 1957. Holy moly...another person who remembers Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion - sponsored by Chunky ("What a chunk of chocolate!"). These shows coexisted with others such as Sargent Preston of the Yukon, Fury, My Friend Flicka, and Space Patrol to name a few.[I'd better stop here as our younger audience will think I am older than dirt.]

I honestly don't remember how long Casey Jones was on the tube...too much water under the bridge although I could look it up on the Internet.

Ah, yes, Little Casey oiling 'round... There are a lot of jobs young'uns are prohibited from these days (they were great to clean out fireboxes and boilers because of their small size).

Thanks for the memories,
Ray