I have this film on a DVD collection, and someone has transferred it to YouTube as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWbUyULuCzY
In watching the film, it's always got me wondering if how they went about getting The General to operating condition was the best way, or all they knew how to do it at the time? I go back and forth on the conversion to get her running again.
What are your thoughts?
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Eddie, thanks for sharing that. It brings back a lot of memories. The engine and tender was done in Louisville at the old L&N Engine Shops near the U of L campus.
The big man guiding the stack in place, was Bud Hollenseed, who was a Master Machinest/Blacksmith. Bud spent his whole career with the L&N working in the steam locomotive erecting shops in Louisville, Ky. He was also a customer of mine on my paper route.
The shot of the engine sitting on the single wooden trussel, was on upper river road and just up river from the old NYC(Big 4) Water Street Yard.
The second tressel shot was crossing the Muldraugh Hill, south of Louisville.
The shot of the engine on the "Slip Track" was west side of the south round house, and I witnessed this being done.
Answering your question of it being given a good overhaul, with the exception of the doing the inch by inch testing of the boiler for cracks, with the new testing of today, I don't think that there could have been a better overhaul done on this engine.
They may have used die penetrant, or magniflux at that time, checking for cracks in the boiler steel,as I don't know exactly what was used back in those day's.
If Hot Water see's this post he may add something, as he was in the industry in those days I believe.
Mr. Hollenseed took me up to where this work was being done, and I got to look it over several times before they finished it, and got it up to steam and running again.
As a matter of fact, my mom and my aunt, got an invitation to ride it to Buechel on the Southern, and back to Louisville. They turned it at the Bueschel "Y" , near the General Electric complex.
Thanks again for making this post, as I remember all of this very well, and didn't know it was filmed. The Louisville Courier Journal did a short Story, but I don't ever remember seeing anything on television. We only had 2 tv station's in Louisville in those days, and then there was the radio, that I grew up with!.........Brandy!
Eddie, thanks for sharing that. It brings back a lot of memories. The engine and tender was done in Louisville at the old L&N Engine Shops near the U of L campus.
The big man guiding the stack in place, was Bud Hollenseed, who was a Master Machinest/Blacksmith. Bud spent his whole career with the L&N working in the steam locomotive erecting shops in Louisville, Ky. He was also a customer of mine on my paper route.
The shot of the engine sitting on the single wooden trussel, was on upper river road and just up river from the old NYC(Big 4) Water Street Yard.
The second tressel shot was crossing the Muldraugh Hill, south of Louisville.
The shot of the engine on the "Slip Track" was west side of the south round house, and I witnessed this being done.
Answering your question of it being given a good overhaul, with the exception of the doing the inch by inch testing of the boiler for cracks, with the new testing of today, I don't think that there could have been a better overhaul done on this engine.
They may have used die penetrant, or magniflux at that time, checking for cracks in the boiler steel,as I don't know exactly what was used back in those day's.
If Hot Water see's this post he may add something, as he was in the industry in those days I believe.
Mr. Hollenseed took me up to where this work was being done, and I got to look it over several times before they finished it, and got it up to steam and running again.
As a matter of fact, my mom and my aunt, got an invitation to ride it to Buechel on the Southern, and back to Louisville. They turned it at the Bueschel "Y" , near the General Electric complex.
Thanks again for making this post, as I remember all of this very well, and didn't know it was filmed. The Louisville Courier Journal did a short Story, but I don't ever remember seeing anything on television. We only had 2 tv station's in Louisville in those days, and then there was the radio, that I grew up with!.........Brandy!
Thank you so much for sharing that! I saw this film on a DVD set, and thankfully someone loaded it to YouTube. I've been always interested in the General and Texas, and now have started to look for any paraphernalia from the 1962 run!
Neat film. Liked the music, too.
Anyone else notice the idiot run across in front of the oncoming locomotive at 5:30?
Neat film. Liked the music, too.
Anyone else notice the idiot run across in front of the oncoming locomotive at 5:30?
I did, too! I actually cringed when I saw that!
On another note, I won an auction on ebay that had VHS copies of the Disney movie The Great Locomotive Chase as well as another tape that has the film above, plus a couple of other films related to the General. Yep, I still have a VHS player! Going to see if I can transfer that second tape to a DVD!
I'm not knowledgeable enough to sort the old steamers out but...
Was it in the 1939 NY World's Fair Parade of Progress?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT8piY6kYNo
Don't forget that very little of the locomotive today is from the 1860s. She went through a rebuild in the early 1870s and probably one in the 1880s as well. She and looks totally different today than she did on April 12, 1862.
People today don't realize what a big deal the Centennial of the War Between the States was in the 1960s. It's a totally different world today, and the very recent 150th anniversary of the war didn't garner nearly the response from the public at large. I don't think that even if someone allowed the locomotive to be restored, that we'd see this same tour today, especially with the 'no steam on my railroad' orders being so common now within the industry.
I had a long conversation with the folks at the museum at Big Shanty in 2013 when I was last there and they were adamant that the locomotive will never, EVER steam again (besides, the locomotive is on a much higher elevation than the surrounding area of the parking lot, you'd have to tear out the entire side of the building, and then have an elevator capable of lowering the engine to the parking lot level). With the new reproduction 19th century locomotives out there now, there wouldn't be the need, anyway. Maybe someday someone will have a replica of the "General" in it's 1860s configuration built...
Don't forget that very little of the locomotive today is from the 1860s. She went through a rebuild in the early 1870s and probably one in the 1880s as well. She and looks totally different today than she did on April 12, 1862.
People today don't realize what a big deal the Centennial of the War Between the States was in the 1960s. It's a totally different world today, and the very recent 150th anniversary of the war didn't garner nearly the response from the public at large. I don't think that even if someone allowed the locomotive to be restored, that we'd see this same tour today, especially with the 'no steam on my railroad' orders being so common now within the industry.
I had a long conversation with the folks at the museum at Big Shanty in 2013 when I was last there and they were adamant that the locomotive will never, EVER steam again. With the new reproduction 19th century locomotives out there now, there wouldn't be the need, anyway. Maybe someday someone will have a replica of the "General" in it's 1860s configuration built...
I agree about her appearance now. I believe she had kind of a set of "outriggers" around the locomotive, about mid way driver level, for one.
The Texas actually looks more like what The General looks like now.
But it looks like more places are resistant to steam up this era of locomotive, with the B&O Museum saying they may never steam up the William Mason again, either (which played The General in The Great Locomotive Chase).
I would love to see Kloke Works make General in the original configuration. It would probably blow people's minds to see how it originally looked!
Sure would be nice to see the General restored to look like this: http://www.smrtrains.com/graphics7.htm
Sure would be nice to see the General restored to look like this: http://www.smrtrains.com/graphics7.htm
It would be easier and cheaper to build a new General from scratch.
Rusty
I don't believe that decision was due to "resisting firing that old of a locomotive". I believe the amount of money to make that boiler legal to operate was the reason.
I agree fully.
Do any of you guys know where the "Texas" is located, I assume it was saved for prosperity. I just never ever heard anything about it!.................Brandy!
Do any of you guys know where the "Texas" is located, I assume it was saved for prosperity.
Not sure it was prosperous. It was saved for "posterity," perhaps...
Brandy - It's in Atlanta, Georgia - or, as with the General, the many times rebuilt version.
It's going to go through some restoration work and be moved to somewhere on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center next year.
The B&O Museum said they arent going to operate the William Mason anymore?
The General had to be redone after the Yankees got through with her in Atlanta in 1864.
The stack is different and it looks like a sand or steam dome was removed.
Now exactly what locomotives did Disney use when making the movie? I thought it was the real locomotives, that had been restored?..................Brandy!
The Disney film used the William Mason and the Inyo.
Kevin
Please excuse the question, as I just watched another video that I'd never had the pleasure of seeing and that was the making of the Disney Movie The Great Locomotive Chase. They told of the 2 engines they got, and made ready for this movie production.
Thanks again..........................................................................Brandy!
I agree fully.
That wouldn't be the General.
I agree fully.
That wouldn't be the General.
The Making of The Great Locomotive Chase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akc_bq8BIm4
I agree fully.
That wouldn't be the General.
Neither is the Leviathan the original Leviathan, but people still flock to see her in operation.
And after bringing what's left of the original General up to contemporary specifications, there would be even less of the original left.
Rusty
The stack is different and it looks like a sand or steam dome was removed.
That was an auxiliary steam dome. Many engines of the period had one.
Here are the SMR O Scale models of the two as the looked at the time of the chase.
The General
The Texas
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
