I recently saw a 1953 Gene Autry movie, “Pack Train”, that had a scene that showed Autry and the villain in the obligatory fist fight on a runaway train. The scenes were shot on the Carson and Colorado narrow gauge, (Southern Pacific at that time), on their line around Needles, CA. Ten-wheeler No. 9 looked great since it seemed to have been put into movie service right out of regular service with only the Southern Pacific name being obscured. My question is based on the car the fight was held in. It was a gon that appeared to have longitudinal bench seats along the sides which started me wondering if the C&C was offering excursion or fan trip services at the time, and, if so, how long did it last. Did it continue through the end of service in '59? If it did, is there anywhere I could see photos or videos of such trains? I’ve already checked YouTube and couldn’t find anything. I would appreciate any information that could be given. Thanks.
I want to see that movie!! I knew about Spencer Tracy’s “Bad Day at Black Rock” on the connecting standard-gauge SP Jawbone branch, but had not heard about this.
After thumping the bad guy, did Gene get out his guitar and sing a little?
Not certain on the date, but I think that the GE 50-tonner arrived on the scene in 1954, which may be about the time when the last excursions ran. The NG line was abandoned in April 1960.
Needles is not in this area.
The best source of info I know of is David Myrick’s book(s) Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California. I highly recommend these books, Myrick did a outstanding job !!!
I have the books and have read them several times, and I don’t recall any excoursions, but I can’t say for sure. No doubt the filmmakers could have had one made if they decided to, even if just for one time use.
There’s at least one commercial video (released back in VHS days) showing an excursion on that line taking place in the 1950s. It was shot as a color home movie, so not of the highest cinematic quality. I’ll do a little homework on this.
October 16, 1954 - which by coincidence was the day I was born.
I just bought the new book Southern Pacific’s Slim Princess in the Sunset, 1940-1960. On pages 203 and 206 there are photos of #9, during its brief (1956-57) restyling as an 1880s-vintage locomotive, pulling five open carloads of tourists. It gives a date of May 1957 for the picture, but doesn’t say what the occasion was. Maybe THIS was the last excursion.
Another interesting Carson & Colorado factoid: SP #1, the NG GE 50-ton diesel which served less than six full years on that line, had two repaintings during that time and three distinct liveries. It was originally in black/orange “tiger-stripe”. In 1957, it got the black/orange “Halloween” scheme. By sometime in 1958 or 1959, it got an abbreviated form of the gray/scarlet scheme, with a bloody nose but no wings. The combination of sun and sand apparently was rough on paint.
This variety of diesel paint schemes made me think that if you model this line in its latter days, and you’re very concerned about being prototypical, you’ll need to narrow the time frame on the layout. Then again, almost NOTHING else changed on that line during this period, so just make sure that any automobiles are 1957-vintage or older, and you’re on the mark!
By the way, the book is a treat, and covers a lot of material not seen in previous writings on the subject. It was published by the Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society. If you have a thing for the SP narrow gauge line, this book is the best yet. (disclaimer: I am a member of SPH&TS, but have no personal stake in this publication)