I have a small batch of scans featuring some old locomotives in vintage photos; people seem to like those, so here we go!
First up is this October, 1963 image of a beautiful steam locomotive. I originally labeled this as a "mystery loco", but then noticed that the red rectangle on the side of the cab had words (hard to read on this jpeg, I admit). "Torch Lake"... well that's specific! The Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad (Q&TL), an affiliate of the Quincy Mining Company, was a 3-foot-gauge shortline railroad located at Hancock in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, not far from Torch Lake. It... was designed to take copper-bearing rock from the Quincy Mine downhill to a mill, and return coal uphill to power mine operations. The line was reactivated in 1937 as World War II-era demand for copper caused the mine to reopen. The mine and the railway were shut down permanently in 1945.
Here's a vintage photo of the engine, from the Henry Ford Museum website - the museum acquired the locomotive in 1969, and you can still enjoy a train ride, pulled by this venerable machine. It’s currently the oldest operating steam locomotive in the U.S. and one of only two locomotives built by the Mason Machine Works left in the world. COOL! Read a bit more about it HERE.
Next is this unusual photo of a nice miniature train, with a film crew in action. The slide was labeled, "Colo. RR Museum, Johnny Cash", and is dated "August, 1974" . Johnny Cash?? Sadly, he's not in this picture, but... on November 22, 1974, CBS ran his one-hour TV special entitled "Riding The Rails, a Musical History of Trains". Most images that I've seen from this TV special show full-sized locomotives, so I really don't know why this very nice miniature was used. Maybe because of weasels.
Facebook had this behind the scenes photo of Johnny taken while filming the program. "How much longer do I have to sit here, fellas?". "No more than two hours, Mr. Cash". Johnny looks heavenward and shakes his head.
I hope you have enjoyed these Laudable Locomotives!
1) It's kind of refreshing (or shocking?) to see one of these old steam locomotives looking kind of beat up and grungy. We being so used to seeing bright, shiny, pristine, Disneyland locos here on GDB. This is a 'working horse', not a 'show horse'! If you use your imagination, you can see a face on the front of the Engine, like Casey Jr... or Thomas. And he's smiling!
ReplyDelete2) Interesting, that the wood/coal tender is part of the engine itself, not a separate car. Looks kinda strange actually.
3) Another engine with a face! This one looks kind of sly, or sneaky. I suppose they used footage of this train for a couple of seconds when it wasn't noticable that it was not a full-sized train?
4) Great Moments with Mr. Cash! He does have sort of a Lincoln vibe. Shirtless guy is either rummaging through a makeup kit... or he's puking his guts out... into the makeup kit.
A perfectly cromulent "anything goes" Saturday, Major. Thanks.
These are some very nice vintage train pics, Major!
ReplyDeleteJB, I think "heaving guy" is actually a boy named Sue. And it looks like he is wearing Levi's corduroy flares. Groovy!
Thanks, Major!
I just had a memory pop up. While my grandfather was recovering from surgery at Eisenhower Medical Center (in the 1980s), Johnny Cash came into his room and chatted with him for a few minutes. At the time, Mr. Cash was undergoing treatment at the Betty Ford Center, which was located on the same property.
ReplyDeleteMajor, you’re right, the Junior Gorillas also like trains. Big trains, small trains, trains that climb on rocks, fat trains, skinny trains, even trains with chicken pox.
ReplyDeleteThat Torch Lake locomotive is an odd looking beast, I don’t know much about why. Hoping Steve DG stops by to explain it.
The miniature film train is a perfect combo of GDB check boxes. Train? Check. Miniature? Check. Tenuous association with a movie star or musician? Check. We love miniature things because they are so cute and tiny. Is Johnny Cash a miniature too? I feel bad for shirtless guy, being immortalized in such a ridiculous pose. Wrong place, wrong time.
Thanks Major, these are unusual and enjoyable.
JG
JB, one of the mysteries of my photo is that the Torch Lake locomotive appears to be in use as some sort of excursion train for sightseers. Maybe I’m mistaken? There isn’t a lot of info about it, so I just have to keep wondering. You’re right, it looks kind of rusty and beat up; we really are spoiled by the spotless, shiny Disneyland trains! Good eye on the tender, I’d love it if Steve D. chimes in with some of his vast knowledge. That miniature train is very passable as a full-sized version, as long as you didn’t notice the puppet engineer! Which, on old TVs, was probably not that apparent. I forget now, but I think you might be able to watch that Johnny Cash TV special on YouTube. Unless it’s been removed since I wrote this blog post.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, we all remember the part of “A Boy Named Sue” in which there is puking. Pretty progressive for the time. Corduroy flares, I can hear that “zhip zhip” sound!
TokyoMagic!, wow, that’s pretty incredible that Johnny spoke to your grandpa! I know Mr. Cash had some wild times, but it also sounds like he made a real effort to care about people.
JG, Armour Hotdogs wanted a catchy jingle, but one of their demands was that a viral infection be mentioned. “Pick any one you want!”. Luckily it worked. Since the Torch Lake was an actual mine train, that might explain its unusual appearance. It is definitely a bit smaller than what we are used to seeing. And as I said to JB, the one car that we can see in my photo looks like some sort of excursion car. Johnny Cash was actual only 9 inches tall, but camera trickery made him look more “average”.
Oh man! Taking my son back to the airport after spring break, working around the house and walking the dog and I’m late to the party! Great images today Major!
ReplyDeleteJB, you’ve seen tenders attached to engine frames many times, and didn’t think it odd! I’m referring of course to the Fred Gurley and Ward Kimball!
ReplyDeleteJG, it’s mostly just oddly proportioned, with a huge cab and a ton of space underneath. It’s a Mason Bogie, and the entire set of driving wheels, including the cylinders and cow catcher, is pivoted to the boiler and can swivel side to side underneath the boiler on tight curves.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that’s a builder’s photo for the factory’s records, and there’s no headlight, which would help with visual balance. This was the era when engineers had locomotives permanently assigned to them, and they would install their own personal headlights.
ReplyDeleteSteve, thank you!
ReplyDeleteJG
I actually thought that was a full size narrow gauge train in the picture of the miniature train. So I guess the illusion worked.
ReplyDeleteMajor, I think you’re pulling our leg. That’s a full-sized narrow gauge train in the second color shot, Denver & Rio Grande Western C-19 Consolidation #346. You can see the very shot being filmed in this slide at this link.
ReplyDelete