Re: Yes ... Virginia & Truckee #22 - For Chris Walker

larryjensen Wrote:
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> While V&T and Sierra fans recognize and embrace
> the participation of their beloved railroads in Holly-
> wood's sometimes questionable use of trains in
> movies, my biggest surprise with my books has
> been the apathy of most Colorado and New Mex-
> ico narrow gauge fans. Hollywood played a big part
> in focusing attention on those lines during a couple
> of time periods when they really needed it.  Speci-
> fically, the 1950s (when the D&RGW really wanted
> to get rid of the Silverton branch) and 1968, when
> director Burt Kennedy's first-ever use of Chama
> and the line over Cumbres Pass in a major mo-
> tion picture was likely a contributing factor in the
> ongoing effort to preserve the line. What we know
> and love today might have turned out quite dif-
> ferent in a parallel universe without the national
> exposure Hollywood provided.


Right, Larry -

IIRC, per Rich Braden (employee2 here on the NGDF), the filming of 'Shootout' on the C&TS during the autumn of 1970 brought in just enough money to enable Scenic Railways to make it through that first winter.  Apparently Gregory Peck was more of a western hero than many of us realized — he helped save the railroad!

- El Abuelo Histœrico, Greengo y Curmudgeoño de los Locomoturas Viejos y Verdes,
aka Der Grossväterlich DünkelOlivGrünDampfKesselMantelLiebHabender