Tag Archives: 4-4-0 steam locomotive

The Tall Target 1951

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Metro Goldwyn Mayer

It’s February 22, 1861. The American Civil War is about 7 weeks from exploding on the scene, and the 16th President of the United States has yet to be inaugurated. Gosh. I wonder who the tall target is?

Filmed mostly on MGM’s Lot #2 and at RKO’s Encino Ranch (on just 1,800 feet of railroad track), today’s movie features a wonderful 4-car passenger train pulled by the venerable Virginia & Truckee 4-4-0, #11 the “Reno”.

Many thanks to Bruce Bruemmer for recommending this flick and a hat tip to Larry Jensen’s “Hollywood’s Railroads, Volume One”, for the skinny on equipment used. It’s 78 minutes of film noir murder, suspense and intrigue, onboard a speeding express bound for our Nation’s Capitol!

It was a dark and stormy night. Wreathed in steam is the wood-burning, 1872 product of the Baldwin Locomotive Works; Coming down the aisle is our hero, Sergeant John Kennedy (played by Dick Powell). Hey, that gal with the knitting on the left…that’s none other than June Cleaver (played by Barbara Billingsley)! I wonder if she spoke jive back then…

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Hello Dolly 1969

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20th Century Fox

Well HELLO, Dolly! Pennsylvania Railroad #1223, a D16sb class 4-4-0 stars in this splashy, lavishly-costumed musical. Built in 1905 at Pennsy’s Juniata Shops in Altoona, PA for passenger service, this Belpaire-fireboxed beauty was painted up as New York Central & Hudson River Railroad (NYC&HR) #15 for the movie.

Along with a string of passenger cars, the high-stepping PRR #1223 was borrowed from excursion service at Strasburg Railroad and towed to Penn Central’s ex-NYC Hudson River line (east bank) for filming.

In addition to the opening credits, NYC&HR #15 and train featured prominently in a musical number 34 minutes into the picture. More about that later. All Aboard for Yonkers!

NYC&HR #15 struts her stuff along the Hudson River as small boys wave at the fireman in this nicely-framed shot.

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The General 1926

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United Artists

Buster Keaton’s masterpiece from 1926 is both a silent picture and black and white, which makes it about as obscure a train movie to modern audiences, as can be. Based on the true-to-life Andrews Raid during the Civil War, location shooting took place on the Oregon, Pacific & Eastern railroad near Cottage Grove.

Filmmakers were able to discover three 4-4-0 locomotives in Oregon to use for the movie. They were:

OP&E #4, built by Cooke Locomotive Works in 1886. This became W&A #3, “General”.
OP&E #5, built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1881. This became W&A #5, “Texas”.
OP&E #1, built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1881. This became USMRR #8, unnamed.

Chock full of railroad scenes featuring some incredible stunts by Keaton, I had a difficult time chopping down over 200 screen caps to a manageable 64 for this review.

Our story begins in 1861, Marietta, Georgia….

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…where a despondent Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton) has been denied enlistment, account being too valuable as an Engineer on the Western & Atlantic (W&A) Railroad. As he rests on the main driving rod of the 4-4-0, a hostler moves General into the shed.

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