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Doris Day in the cab of a Steam Locomotive

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Doris Day in the cab of a Steam Locomotive
Posted by Miningman on Monday, May 13, 2019 8:30 PM

Doris day and Jack Lemmon in a movie with Trains! Steam at that! 

 
 
 
 
And just in case case you missed this over on Trains 
 
Great Train Songs that we all know....So long Doris, on to the next journey 

 
Boy did I have a crush on her, but then we all did in all likelihood. 
 
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Posted by Flintlock76 on Monday, May 13, 2019 9:43 PM

That's 97, a 2-8-2 Mikado and the last steamer on the New Haven, it went to the scrapper right after filming wrapped.  Too bad.

Now the "Night Train" has come for Doris.  Well, at 97 she had a good run, a hell of a good run!  

Rest easy on the "Night Train,"  Golden Girl!

Hmm, Mikado #97, Doris passes away at 97.  Makes you wonder...

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Posted by Miningman on Monday, May 13, 2019 10:37 PM

Wayne/Flintlock-- Wow! You have earned your pay for the month and the next one. The last New Haven steam locomotive! Holeeee Mackinaw. Then they scrapped it? Stunning.

97 at 97. Foretelling.

From Mike: here's a link to the entire movie, not perfect, a little fuzzy.

 
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Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 8:26 AM

I did a bit of research this morning, that IS a New Haven steamer, the last one, but the "97" is a ficticious number, as is the railroad name on the tender.

NH 2-8-2's were numbered in the 3000 range, the last in the series being 3024.

The Valley Railroad in Connecticutt operates a Tang-Shan Mike they purchased from the Knox and Kane Railroad, and modified it to look like a NH Mike.  They renumbered it "3025" to continue the series.

I forget exactly where I read about the NH steamer used in the movie, but don't believe the climax of the film where the engine's mounted on a platform as a preservation piece.  Sadly, it didn't happen in real life.

There IS some good railroad action in the movie though! 

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Posted by Miningman on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 2:36 PM
Seems Australia beat us to this by 15 years! 
 
 
Posted by M636C on Wednesday, December 08, 2004 5:07 PM 
 
The movie was made on the New Haven. There are details provided of the locations in Staufer's "New Haven Power", book, including stills from the movie. The steam locomotive was NH 2-8-2 3016 (I think, I'll check), although a full size mock up of the locomotive was also used for some scenes. NH 3016 was about the same size as a USRA light mikado, but was an NH design. 

I'll check the book and get back to you with the available details. 

Peter
 
 
Posted by M636C on Thursday, December 09, 2004 6:40 AM 
 
The filming took place during June and July 1958 in Connecticut, in Colchester, Plainfield, Hartford and New Haven. The big scene with the blocked FL9s on the passenger train was at Plainfield. The filming of this movie was the last use of 3016 and the last steam operation on the New Haven. 

Peter
 
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Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 3:52 PM

Amazing!  Peter did one hell of a job there! 

Thanks Peter, if you're looking in!

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Posted by wjstix on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 4:36 PM

BTW the boy next to Jack Lemmon is Teddy Rooney, the son of Mickey Rooney and Mickey's third wife, actress Martha Vickers. He left acting to become a musician, and served in Vietnam. He died in 2016.

The girl is Gina Gillespie. She's perhaps best known for playing the young Blanche Hudson (Joan Crawford's character) in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?".

Stix
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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 5:57 PM

wjstix
The girl is Gina Gillespie.

Who was surprisingly good-looking in later life.  Her sister may be famous to Disney fans.  A good mix of Irish and French-Canadian.

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Posted by Miningman on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 6:08 PM

Darlene's story is unbelievable. Got involved with quite the savoury character fir third marriage.

Gina Gillespie and Darlene from the Mickey Mouse Club 
 
Fascinating story about Darlene 
 
 
Teddy Rooney ... these from Mikev


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Posted by Miningman on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 7:30 PM

Clarification of exactly what happened to New Haven 2-8-2 3016. A sad tale of woe.. nobody wanted them and a last minute reprieve was too late. Not good. 

Gary Everhart: “New York, New Haven & Hartford 2-8-2 #3016 was not just an average, normal steam locomotive, it was a movie star. This Mikado starred with Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs and Doris Day in the 1958 movie "It Happened to Jane". As with any movie star, it wore make-up to appear like a Portland & Eastern locomotive instead of its normal self. There were 3 J-1 2-8-2s saved for snow melter steam supply use after steam power died on the New Haven in 1952. 3020 was the Providence (RI) engine, and was last used in March 1956. 3016 was assigned to New Haven, and 3006 to Boston terminal. All were retired (in New Haven parlance, "condemned", with a big "C" painted next to the road number) in mid-1956, but they somehow stuck around until early 1958, when Hollywood came calling. After the movie was finished in July 1958, 3016 shed her movie "Eastern & Portland 97" makeup and was relettered NH 3016. That summer. Bob McKernan, the NH PR Director, offered the 3016 to Essex and New Haven, CT for display, and also offered her to Joe Leahy, owner of the Danbury Fair (where 1863-built Boston & Providence 4-4-0 "Daniel Nason" was on display-- in 1982, it was sold to St. Louis MOT after the Fair was closed). The two Connecticut trolley museums were apparently not interested in a New Haven steam locomotive. The towns and Fair said "not interested", so the three engines were shipped dead-in-tow to Luria Brothers at South Modena, PA. Two weeks later, Leahy called McKernan (apparently, he had second thoughts about the engine), and after a mad scramble on long-distance telephone lines, it was ascertained that 3016 was already partly cut up. This info came from personal interviews in the 1980s with Bob McKernan and others involved…”

 

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 9:13 AM

Mike e-mailed me the sad story as well.  What a shame. What a loss.

The moral of the story is, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" and "For free, you take!  For pay, shop around!"  

You never know, do you?  I'm sure the Valley Railroad would love to have a real  NH steamer instead of the ersatz  one.

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Posted by M636C on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 10:43 PM

Flintlock76

Amazing!  Peter did one hell of a job there! 

Thanks Peter, if you're looking in!

 
"It happened to Jane" was one of my favourite movies when I was young.
I've seen a lot of Doris Day movies since, of course..
 
A great loss to us all.
 
I am sometimes surprised by things I posted so long ago...
 
Peter

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