I
saw this movie when I was about 7 or 8 years old in West Vancouver, BC. It was the first train
movie
I ever saw on the big screen. I still remember Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe from Petticoat
Junction)
breaking up a kiss between Molly Bee and Ben Cooper. Edgar Buchanan had sneaked
up
on them on a railroad handcar and told them he had orders "to pick up all cars with D&M
markings".
I
later found out D&M stood for "Detroit & Mackinac Railway", but
that's not the railroad line in
this
movie.
It was actually filmed in Oregon on an SP branch.
It
turns out, the movie is just about impossible to find for reasons described below. I've never
seen
it offered anywhere on VHS or DVD even on the really obscure movie websites. About all
that's
left to purchase of this movie are the one-sheets and lobby cards remaining from the film. I
would
REALLY like to see this movie again, even though it's supposed to be pretty corny.
You
can read what IMDb has to say about this movie by CLICKING HERE.
The
following text was taken from the http://www.pnwc-nrhs.org/ website -- which doesn't seem to
have
it online anymore! So, with credit to them, I present the most information I have found to
date
on Chartroose Caboose.
begin
notes of Chartroose Caboose
=============================================
Thank
you for the information on Universal's 1960 feature "Chartroose Caboose", for which
details
until now have been almost impossible to locate.
Glenn
Laubaugh, Web Site Editor, Pacific Northwest Chapter of the N.R.H.S., Don Henderer,
retired
from the S.P, and John Beardsley, also retired from the same rail line, provided
exceptionally
accurate details on locales, filming, dates, and background information into long-
forgotten
technical aspects of the movie, and I will be forever indebted to them. Mr. Laubaugh's
mapping
on the World Wide Web proved to get the entire project rolling, so to speak, as his
detailed
graphics and spectacular ageless data are without equal.
Don
and John, who provided corroborating material about the 1959 filming helped me find out
details
on the film whose master prints were destroyed in a water pipe break in one of Universal
Studio's
negative vaults back in the 80's. I have one of the last existing copies of the film having
rented
it for home use back in the late 70s... fortunately making a digital video tape transfer of it.
Glenn,
Don and John's accurate information and geography are exceeded only by their warmth
and
generosity!
Cordially,
Dale
D. Mikolaczyk
Satellite Systems Engineering Director
NBC Television Network
One MSNBC Plaza
Secaucus, New Jersey
07094
[
I do not deserve any credit for the historical descriptions I gave Mr. Mikolaczyk. Ed Austin &
Tom
Dill's Southern Pacific in Oregon provided all the information. I have yet to find any other
railroad
history book for any railroad anywhere that is as detailed and exhaustive as their mile by
mile
and year by year accounts of the S.P. in Oregon. The map on the web site, of which you
write,
is merely a graphical representation of their text, as well as from other sources. - G.L. ]
From:
Donald J Henderer
Organization: The Dog House
Subject: Chartreuse Caboose
Let
me introduce myself. I was a Brakeman Conductor for the SP for 39 years, and have been
retired
for 18 years. Well I have been looking for the movie for years and knew it was on VCR as
Oregon
Broadcasting Company Portland Or. had showed it years ago, but they no longer had it.
But
to my surprise I saw the letter that Dale Mikolaczyk had wrote in the mailbag and your note in
The
Trainmaster.
If
I can be of any help let me know.
So
Toot Toot Cupola Don.
Don
Henderer
Eugene
Oregon
Dear
Sir;
I
receive the Trainmaster bulletin published in Portland, Oregon, because I belong to their
organization.
I
see that you are requesting any information regarding the film "The Chartreuse Caboose". I was
a
brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad during that filming. I am now retired. I was working
on
a local in the vicinity of Springfield station of the S.P. at that time. The Springfield yard
consisted
of three tracks about fifty cars long with a lot of industrial spur tracks along with them.
The
film was produced by a person named Red Reynolds. He since has passed away. He was
either
from Hollywood or went there after producing the film. At the far east end of the Springfield
tracks
was a track that went to Marcola which was known as the Marcola branch. It was on this
railroad
that this was mostly filmed. I was on a switching run that was over this piece of railroad.
We
couldn't use it while they were using it for their filming which amounted to about two or three
hours.
In
the writeup in the Trainmaster they were in error in stating that they thought it was filmed on
the
Springfield-Lebanon branch. It was the Springfield - Marcola branch. Part of the film could
have
used the Eugene yard of the S.P.
The
engine used for the film was one of the lightest engines the S.P. owned, partially because
part
of the tracks used was limited to the tonnage of the track limits. Also, the S.P. let them
repaint
the caboose for the filming. The track had a covered bridge on this branch line that was
one
of the restrictions for the use of the small engine. It was a big part of the filming. In the film,
there
was an episode where the caboose was to enter a spur track that was just before this
bridge.
It was a spur track for a mill located there. The engineer was Del Hebert, who has since
passed
on. A brakeman named Les Hinshaw rode the caboose in this move. Les Hinshaw has
also
passed on since this film was made. They had to make a movement called a "drop" or "flying
switch",
which required a move where the engine and caboose got up enough speed to let the
brakeman
uncouple from the engine, and the engine went away from the caboose to let another
person
throw the switch and let the caboose enter the spur track and brake, by hand, to stop it
from
going over the end of the track. It was interesting to watch the move.
My
wife and I saw the movie after it was produced, at the only movie theatre in Springfield. Hope
this
information is of interest to you.
Sincerely,
John
W. Beardsley
Eugene, Oregon
http://www.brian894x4.com/SPWendlingbranch.html
end
of notes of Chartroose Caboose
