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MR Insider Exclusive: A visit to the The General
GREAT video of the museum. I had an opportunity to visit there about 6 years ago and regretfully we arrived about 45 minutes after they closed.
THANKS!
Though the Disney movie is mentioned, I prefer Buster Keaton’s 1926 silent film “The General” much better. He performs some amazing stunts in the movie and the train scenes are MUCH better and much more exciting.
I see the entire film is on Youtube, so if you haven’t seen it yet, take 75 minutes and enjoy it soon!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilPk-SCHv30
This is a great museum. The people of the museum graciously allowed us to have a photo shoot that led to the CD cover photo that has me sitting with a banjo on the front of the General for my Chattanooga Choo Choo CD, which features all train songs. It took about 150 photos to get “that perfect photo”.
Rather amazingly, The General was in good enough shape to make a US tour – under steam --during the Civil War centennial of the early 1960s. Among the places it visited was the railroad museum in Green Bay Wisconsin.
When I was a boy the local C&NW station agent in my hometown of South Milwaukee WI gave me old old copies of the newsletter of the railroad telegrapher’s union to which he belonged. It had an article, from 1956 or 57 as I recall, saying that if you wrote to the Louisville & Nashville railroad they would send you a photo of The General. So years later I did write to the L&N and while perhaps by that time their offer of the 1950s was no longer operative, they nonetheless sent me a magnificent rolled up color photo of the locomotive, a postcard, and some other information.
Nice story, enjoyed the video! I’m glad I subscribed, makes for a nice break in my day!