ABC Television

Hi-Yo, Silver…Away! Yes, the Lone Ranger rides again, this time on the small screen, in full color, no less! It’s Clayton Moore as “that masked man”, along with his faithful Indian sidekick, Tonto (played by Jay Silverheels), fighting for truth, justice and the American Way!

To quote from my book, “Hollywood’s Railroads: Volume Two”, by Larry Jensen: “It (The Lone Ranger) was the first TV series to shoot on the Sierra Railroad. The Twisted Track episode used No. 3 and cars that were still brightly painted from a recent appearance in the Alan Ladd movie, The Big Land.” Hmmm…I might have to check that movie out…

In this installment (season 5, episode 12), two ex-Confederate brothers have a grudge against the DamnYankee owner of a railroad. Mostly, their revenge consists of train robbery. Filmed along the aforementioned Sierra Railroad, we are treated to two separate attacks, and famous Sierra 4-6-0 #3 (1891 Rogers) pulling a motley assortment of rolling stock. Let’s check it out.

Pow! With an impressive puff of smoke, a bad guy offs the engineer who drops to the deck, giving us a good look at the consist and cab interior.

Behind #3 is a shorty baggage/combine (possibly #5), flat car, another baggage/combine, full coach and caboose.

Continue reading →