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

Hi Chris! And thank you for your reports on the New Zealand scene ... I always enjoy them.

While V&T and Sierra fans recognize and embrace the participation of their beloved railroads in Hollywood's sometimes questionable use of trains in movies, my biggest surprise with my books has been the apathy of most Colorado and New Mexico 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. Specifically, 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 motion picture was likely a contributing factor in the ongoing effort to preserve that line. What we know and love today might have turned out quite different in a parallel universe without the national exposure Hollywood provided.

I don't always find NGDF threads on movie train related topics right away. Sometimes they've run their course by the time I read them. But I'm friendly and accessible. I can be reached via Private Message, the Contact page at [www.cochetopapress.biz], or through a message to the Hollywood's Railroads Facebook page. I'm always happy to answer questions about trains used in films.