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WOW, Andre is on top of things! He is correct, the 'narrow minded' loco is indeed SPNG Number 9. All 3 locos pulled 'whaleback' sstyle tenders, hence the hint of 'types of whales'. During 1952 or possibly 1953, Gene Autry's Flying A production company went to Keeler to film some episodes of 'The Gene Autry Show". So far I have found 2 of them filmed in Keeler . We see he and his sidekick Pat Buttram chase down the bad guys. In one episode, Gene takes the throttle on number 9 to stop the runaway train. Several cars are detailed in shots of fights on gondola, flat and box cars. Several additional scenes are shot by the ground level, track side end of the station.. This side of the station is widely photographed. Once scene has Gene chasing a bad guy up on the roof, and we see some glimpse of the rarely photographed 'rear side' of the station. The film crew did some quick coverups...A propane tank near the agent's door gets a heavy canvas cover over it, as does the ground level swamp cooler around the corner from the same door. Pat Buttram gets 'carried away' on a fake mail hook mounted on caboose 401 at the conclusion of the show. According to Gerald Bests book, and Ferrells book too, 401 had its roof clipped in late 52 or in 53, The shows were made just to the roof modifications. I have discovered at a Gene Autry webside that Flying A Productions also shot a number of Annie Oakley shows in Keeler. Once the home of 5000 residents, in the 1880s, Keeler is today almost a ghost town, with about 60 residents living in the area. There is a report thqt as of 1998, the former Depot was still in decent shape, and being used as a private residence. Detailers note: In several of the shots we see the rear of the cab of #9, fireman's side. Clearly shown is a safery plackard urging the use of caution not to fall from the train. I have never seen this plackard in any still shots of 8, 9 or 18...Never saw a photo from an angle that would show it, except one. This single still is from a period long after 9 was retired, and clearly shows the 'outline in filth' where that plackard had been removed...probably stolen by a railfan. I plan on making a facsimile of the plackard and an O scale minature of it to mount on my SPNG 18 after she gets painted.
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