Tag Archives: wig-wag signal

Last Clear Chance 1959

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Union Pacific Railroad

This railroad safety film has the dubious honor of being mocked by Mystery Science Theater 3000 in one of their episodes, “Radar Secret Service”. A YouTube link to the MST3K version is provided below.

Basically the message is, don’t try to beat the train to the crossing – sound advice – but there’s a whole plethora of neat, old ’59 Fords and Chevys being driven, rather ineptly, by my fellow Idahoans, sometimes with disastrous results. (Thanks for the car ID’s, Mark!)

Beside the blurred streamliner images, trackside views include EMD F units, GP9s, switchers and even an Alco-GE gas turbine-electric locomotive.

Will the Idaho State Police get the word about railroad safety through people’s thick skulls? Let’s find out.

UP owned a fleet of EMD E8’s and E9’s seen here flashing past the camera in southern Idaho. Passenger trains of the era included #105/#106 City of Portland, #17/#18 Portland Rose and Mail and Express #11/#12. Portland Rose was the only train that traversed the Boise area in daylight.

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Paradise Express 1937

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Republic Pictures

Dorothy Appleby (as Kay Carson) and Grant Withers (as Lawrence “Larry” Doyle) dress up the front of Southern Pacific Railroad #2418 in this canted publicity photo. Our movie features this oil-burning locomotive as the primary motive power of the fictional “Moon Valley Short Line”.

Thanks to reader Mo Bouk for suggesting this movie and providing links to B&W and colorized versions of the film on YouTube. I will be reviewing the colorized version.

The gist of the plot is the evil Armstrong Trucking Company has resorted to nefarious deeds, (downright racketeering if you ask me), to take customers away from the railroad, forcing them into bankruptcy.

Larry Doyle has been appointed receiver/trustee of the short line, and charmed by Kay Carson’s perky ti…err…demeanor, sets out to win back the stolen business from the truck line.

The print of this picture is pretty bad, so I will concentrate on the last 3/4’s of the movie which seems to have the best daylight views. Enjoy!

Arriving at Paradise (the movie’s namesake), is SP #2418 4-6-2 “Light Pacific” P-1 class built by Baldwin in August 1906. Built as a coal burner, it was soon converted to use oil. Superheater added at Ogden on 3-23-18. Vacated from roster 11-8-42. Scrapped at Bayshore on 10-12-48.

OK, is that enough information? ;p

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