Gunsmoke Snow Train

[pgtr]

This 2 part episode from 1970 featured a steam loco, tender but just a baggage car and a single passenger car (well much of the drama of course occurs). I couldn't tell - what kind of loco was it? Also was it by chance the Durango Silverton narrow guage (with snow on the ground I couldn't recognize the San Juans well from other ranges)

[jimhaleyscomet]

I saw the show a while ago.  It looks like a 2-6-0 if I remember correctly. 

 Jim H

[Brutus]

I suspect that this is the same train used in the Hooterville shows - Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and the Beverly Hillbillies, as well as The Wild, Wild West.  I did a search on The Wild,Wild West tv show and on wikipedia there is a note that the train interiors were used on an episode of Gunsmoke?  A while back I found this website about the Canonball from the Hooterville shows, and it indicates that the train was also the one used in The Wild, Wild West - at least the actual train cars were....

http://www.tvacres.com/trains_cannonball.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Wild_West

 

Look under trivia on the wiki - entry.  Of course, Wikipedia is wrong about as often as it is right!

[Anonymous]

Jim: I have watched all of the original Wild Wild West,

Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies and noticed that

the loco on the Wild Wild West is a 4-4-0 and the

Hooterville Cannonball is a 2-6-0. I think there is a bit

of subliminal messaging at work by the writers of the

shows. James West was a Secret Service agent in the

service of his country (America) and his loco (4-4-0) is

an "American" whereas the loco for the Hooterville Ca-

nonball (which was a shortline owned by the folks in

Hooterville) was a "Mogul" (2-6-0) maybe to play on the

"big business" of railroad ownership. Factoid: The Hooterville

Cannonball also starred in "Green Acres" w/Albert&Gabor. 

 

 

[jimhaleyscomet]

That picture sure looks like the train on Gunsmoke.

Jim H 

[Brutus]

Yeah - the cars were dummies made for television/movie work - I'm betting those were the same ones on all these shows.  Not sure about the locomotive - if it was the 2-6-0, then you think was probably the same one used in GAcres/PJunct, but if 4-4-0 then TWWWest?  Man, I grew up watching all these shows.  I've gotten the first season on TWWWest and the 2nd season comes out in a month or two - will get that on dvd as well.  I have the first 3 seasons of Green Acres on dvd as well.  Love to watch these shows with my kids - much better and funnier than stuff made nowadays.  Just found out that the first 22 (?) episodes of Petticoat Junction were released in a set, so will get those when deepdiscount has another 20 percent off sale - should be in May 2007 (every 6 months or so).  Loved Gunsmoke as a kid - I really liked one episode with an old miner and all the guy wanted was some crackers - he craved crackers!

[DCmontana]

I believe the episode was filmed in the Black Hills (South Dakota) and the train was the 1880 train that runs from Hill City to Keystone!