The Andrews Raid: In memoriam

I found this In Memoriam note in the Cleveland Plain Dealer this morning. A real railfan, I’m sure, knows the background story:

The Walt Disney movie still moves me and I’m sure it was one of the reasons I made History my lifelong interest and livelihood.

This obit reminds me of the one for King Harold that’s often placed in a London newspaper on the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings.

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I wish that movie was on Disney+. It’s a shame it isn’t… also, apparently there’s a poorly-transferred (possibly degraded?) copy of the making-of The Great locomotive Chase on Youtube. It was apparently shown on the 1950s TV show the Wonderful World of Disney.

Also, if anyone hasn’t seen the film, give it a watch - the film is available to buy / rent to watch on Amazon Prime streaming service!

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I’ve got the movie on DVD maybe 13 to 15 years ago,and it is an enjoyable movie to watch.

Along those lines, I just finished reading Erik Larson’s on the events leading up to the shelling of Fort Sumter - good read. There were a number of mentions about railroads in the book.

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General on display in Akron, OH 1963.

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I saw it go through Cleveland at the ripe old age of seven!

General_CUT-62a by Edmund, on Flickr

These are captures from an 8mm movie my dad shot.

General_CUT-62 by Edmund, on Flickr

IMDB info on the Movie here: The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) - IMDb

Cheers, Ed

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Thank you to Balt & Ed for those photos of the General’s 1963 visit to northern Ohio. I had no idea it visited Akron. What area railroads did it travel on? Although I saw it up close inside the CUT, I can’t recall what fuel it used. Coal? Oil?

I knew it would leave CUT and head west, so I went up to the Observation Deck of the Terminal Tower and watched as it ascended the viaduct, crossed the Cuyahoga, and then disappeared from sight.

Seeing the General under steam, and years later seeing the Wm. Mason in Baltimore, makes me wish more mid and late Victorian locomotives had been preserved. Those funnel stacks and giant headlights–the entire appearance of an American 4-4-0–I just find thrilling.

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When the Louisville & Nashville restored the “General” to operating condition they made it oil-fired for ease of operation. It certainly made its grand tour on L&N (and I’m assuming) affiliate lines and even paid a visit to the New York 1964 Worlds Fair. In fact it reached the Fair over the Hell Gate bridge and was the first steam locomotive to do so under it’s own power in that bridge’s history!
After the Civil War Centennial it was put away and hasn’t run since. Presumably it’s still operable.
I’m with you, I love the look of those classic 19th Century 4-4-0’s and always have. They’re more like works of art than machines!

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Thanks Balt!
It looks like the “General” had quite a bit of “Get up and go!” in it after the L&N restoration.

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Thank you, Balt. It gave me goosebumps to see this video.

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I have read every book I can find about the Andrew’s Raiders. Currently, I am reading Stealing the General. It has incredible detail. A former next door neighbor was the great-grandson of William Reddick, one of the raiders and one of the first recipients of the Medal of Honor. I have been to his gravesite in Letts, Iowa and left a salute and a penny on his tombstone. I have also been to the Chattanooga National Cemetery and left a penny on James Andrew’s tombstone and also the other raiders that were hung with him. I also saluted their graves. The best place to go is the Southern Museum in Kennesaw, Georgia. They have fantastic displays, a photo and bio on each raider, also conductor Fuller, and they have the General. Allow plenty of time to visit. The staff is super nice and they also have a great gift shop with books and videos.

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Thanks for the tip about Stealing the General; I’ll have my library get a copy on loan for me to read. From what I read at Amazon, it’s a good book.

The museum looks like it’s worth a visit, too.

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I have this film on DVD. It’s about the restoration but it’s music and title cards rather than narration.



Mooney had everyone beat when it comes to modeling.

Every little piece carved by hand, fitted by tension only (no glue) and all the moving parts work.

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Unless I’m mistaken his work was featured on “Tracks Ahead” years ago. I’ll tell you, his craftsmanship was absolutely astonishing!

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I’m suprised that no one has mentioned Buster Keaton. Really, I am surprised.

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True, considering all the mention of The Great Locomotive Chase.

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Buster Keaton’s movies never interested me, maybe because they were well before my time. Furthermore, they are silent movies in black & white. Then there’s Keaton’s expressionless face and the corniness of it all (sitting on a connecting rod and going up & down, for example). I confess I’ve never been able to watch Keaton’s movie all the way through.

Contrast that with Disney’s movie, filmed in color, with sound, and with good acting; no nonsense. Disney in those days knew how to keep a boy’s attention. There’s real suspense and the truthful sad ending.

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Ever have the opportunity to watch a silent film in a movie theater with an organist?

I did once (in a very old and historic theater, which is now just a shell), and it was a cool experience.

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Yes, I have several times. An organ (or orchestra) does make a silent movie seem to come alive. I’ll agree it greatly enhances the experience.

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