Tag Archives: water tower

Bonanza Stallion 1972

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NBC Television

Dum-de-la-dum de-la-dum de-la-dum de-la-DAH-DAAAAHH! Ahh…that catchy theme song…which is about all I remember of this long-running TV show. Westerns just weren’t my thing, back then.

BUT – present day, there it is on YouTube (link below), albeit a rather fuzzy episode capture. But what do ya expect for free, huh? ;p Sierra Railroad #3, an 1891 Rogers 4-6-0 stars as “Virginia & Truckee #3″ pulling Sierra’s “shorty” coach #6, and a wooden boxcar with “MW24” reporting marks.

There is only one, seven minute train scene in this Season 14 Episode 9 feature, but it’s a doozy, with Little Joe (played by Michael Landon) racing his gift horse from Ben (played by Lorne Greene) alongside a speeding train. And, no, he didn’t look his gift horse in the mouth (groan).

Giddy-up!

The only down side to the train scene is almost the entire thing was filmed back-lit. SO. We’ll start things off with a couple artsy-fartsy close ups of our favorite ten-wheeler.

The cameraman zooms in on Sierra #3’s steel cowcatcher and profile up to the middle of the boiler. Nice, underside view of the flames from her firebox, though.

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Incident on the Road Back 1961

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CBS Television

Rawhide! “Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’…” Who can forget Frankie Laine howling those opening and closing lyrics…especially after the Blues Brothers reintroduced the show to a newer generation (me) in 1980?

According to my research (Hat tip to Larry Jensen – Hollywood’s Railroads, Volume 2), the production company of Rawhide spent a month in Tuolumne County filming bits of various shows for Season 3. Today’s review features Sierra Railroad #3, “shorty” passenger cars #5 & #6 as well as several stock cars borrowed from Southern Pacific Railroad.

In addition to the iconic 1891 Rogers 4-6-0, feast your eyes on one of the screens most recognized actors, Clint Eastwood, in his breakthrough role of Rowdy Yates. Two classics in one. Let’s get started…

Clint Eastwood (Rowdy) poses with co-stars Paul Brinegar (as Wishbone) and Eric Fleming (as Gil Favor) alongside Sierra #3.

Do ya feel lucky? Well do ya, punk? Rowdy waits for the train, sporting his now-famous annoyed grimace. Note the stock car on the siding and water tower in the background.

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