August 2005

TheTelegraphNews & Events from the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History

In the past six months, the SouthernMuseum has acquired several rareartifacts, including two rare books by

a Union raider and an original oilpainting “The Stourbridge Lion.” Severalare currently showcased and others maybe displayed at the new education centerlater next year.

Daring and Suffering, A History of theGreat Railroad Adventure was published in1864 and donated to the Museum byJohn Berky of Windsor, CT. Aninspiration for The General with BusterKeaton and Disney’s Great LocomotiveChase, the book was written as a firstperson account of the failed mission byraider William Pittenger. Its descendantThe Great Locomotive Chase includesConfederate accounts as well.

“There was always jealousy betweenhim and the other raiders after he wrotethe book because they felt like he wastaking advantage of the situation and

profiting from it,” revealed MikeBearrow, assistant curator.

“The Stourbridge Lion” oil paintingof the first steam locomotive to operateon a commercial line in the U.S. wascreated by railroad artist A. SheldonPennoyer and donated by George Wilsonof Kennesaw, GA. The engine wasmanufactured in Stourbridge, U.K. and

During a season when leavesfall and time “falls back,”theSouthern Museum steps up

the programming with the belovedannual Folk Tales of the Rails,upbeat concerts, intriguing lectures,and family fun celebrating the 150thbirthday of the General:

Smithsonian Institution ExhibitionPicturing the Century: OneHundred Years of Photography

from the National ArchivesCreated by the National

Archives and RecordsAdministration andorganized for travel bythe Smithsonian

Institution TravelingExhibition Service

July 16 - September 11, 2005

Kennesaw Historical Society LectureSeries: Rare Videos of the GeneralSee rare video footage of the General aspart of its 150th birthday celebration.Visitors who would like to tour theMuseum before or after the lecture shouldcome in the front entrance.

in Association with the Smithsonian Institution Vol. III, No. 3

P.O. Box 846 • Kennesaw, Georgia 30156770-427-2117 • Fax 770-421-8485

Please visit www.southernmuseum.orgfor more information on upcoming events.

TheTelegraph

Fall into Fun at theSouthern Museum

Rare footage of the General as it arrives in Kennesawin 1962. (Photo by Joe McTyre Photography)

Southern Museum Acquires Rare and Fascinating Artifacts

Rare Artifacts(continued from front page)

NONPROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE

PAIDKENNESAW. GAPERMIT NO. 39

was named for the colorful head of a liona workman had painted on its face.

Famed artist and historian John B.Bachelder created “The Battle ofGettysburg” – a lithograph map that wasdonated by George Blake of Marietta, GA.The map shows landscape features,battlefield structures, and Confederateand Union soldiers from a bird’s eye viewfrom detailed notes he took fromsoldiers. “He was a central figure indeveloping [the history of] the battle ofGettysburg,” Bearrow said.

A gun that shaped the future offirearms was donated by the KennesawHistorical Society and is on display in the“Long Arms” weaponry case. The 1863Spencer Repeating Rifle was one ofthousands of guns that had a profoundeffect on military tactics – the firstrepeaters to ever be used in warfare.According to Bearrow, only Unionsoldiers used the gun becauseConfederates couldn’t afford them.

Marion Garrett of Douglasville, GA,donated three medallions of pewter,copper, and silver, created in 1972 tocommemorate the return of the Generalto Kennesaw. On display, they feature theGeneral on the front and the Great Seal ofthe Confederacy on the back.

An original letter dated 13 January,1864 by Confederate Col. William F.Dowd of the 24th Mississippi Regimentwas donated to the Museum by Arthurand Don Nelson of Athens, GA. He wroteencouragement for his men to carry oneven though he was forced to resign dueto poor health. “It’s inspirational to readthe letter,” Bearrow said.

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Historical Association’s documents. Heand Pat Cates just authored a secondbook about the collection that will bepublished this fall called SouthernRailway Further Recollections. Itspredecessor, Southern Railway, waspublished last May.

Hillman learns about restorationwork and new products at variouslocomotive and transportationworkshops and clinics. He even drovehis restored 1966 Chevy Suburban toone of them. His work as a volunteerfirefighter is part of his interest inrestoring the Chevy – a retired firedepartment rescue squad truck that hasits original siren and rescue equipment.

He volunteers as a fire departmentchaplain and does rehabilitation workat fire scenes, ensuring firefighters haveenough water. Hillman and his wifeCynthia live in Marietta. They have adaughter in Atlanta, a son in Rome, GA,and have another son in Largo, FL.

Staff Spotlight(continued from page 5)

(continued on page 4)

Daring and Suffering: A History of the Great RailroadAdventure was the inspiration for Disney’s GreatLocomotive Chase and The General with Buster Keaton.

“The Battle of Gettysburg” - a lithograph map revealing abird’s eye view of a significant turning point in history.

Mark your calendars for alegendary evening for a greatcause - the Kennesaw Museum

Foundation! Enjoy an elegant dinnerfollowed by an evening of casino-stylegames, including roulette and blackjackat the annual Heroes and Legends Ball.The evening will conclude with anexciting live auction.

The ball will be held October 15 at6:30 PM at the Cobb Galleria Centre.Call (770) 427-2117, ext. 100 for tickets.Proceeds from this event fund artifactacquisitions, educational and communityprograms and activities, and archivalmaterials for the Southern Museum.

Casino-style games were enjoyed by last year’s attendees atthe Heroes and Legends Ball.

Heroes and LegendsBall Set for Oct. 15

Photo

Exhibition

Ends Soon!

Last Chance To See Smithsonian InstitutionPhotography Exhibition“Picturing the Century”

Ending Sept. 11!

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Elewa Health and WellnessBody Spa & Healing Center

Elewa has thoughtfully created aspace to enable clients to reach theiroptimal health potential. Elewa offers averity of services including chiropractic,reflexology, massage therapy, yoga, spatreatments, and acupressure. Theboutique offers a great selection ofunique gift ideas, gift cards, and custombaskets. Call Elewa to inquire aboutservices or to schedule appointments.

Elewa offers Museum members 20%off all services /major medical accounts.2982 Cherokee Street, Kennesaw (770) 425-0909

Kennesaw Trains & Hobbies, Inc.Celebrating its 10th anniversary,

Kennesaw Trains carries a great selectionof model trains specializing in N, HO, O,and S Scale and DCC, as well as a largesupply of detailed scenery parts andother supplies and tools needed to builda model.

In addition customers will findquality service, repairs, custom paintingof train models, and a good selection ofbooks, videos, magazines, and researchmaterial.

Kennesaw Trains & Hobbies offersMuseum members 10% off all purchases.2844 Main Street, Kennesaw (770) 528-0990

Whistle Stop CaféFind classic Southern cooking and

friendly service within walking distanceof the Museum at this local café.

Enjoy such Southern classics as porkchops, fried chicken, and fried greentomatoes. Breakfast favorites includegrits, eggs bacon, and biscuits. Service isprompt and the prices can’t be beat.

Whistle Stop Café offers Museummembers $1 off their meal.2871 North Main Street, Kennesaw (770) 794-0101

NRI DesignFind sensible ideas for home

furnishings at NRI Design. NRI Designoffers a unique selection of homefurnishings, accessories, and gift ideas ataffordable prices and a full range ofinterior decorating services.

NRI Design offers Museum members20% off all purchases (excluding sale andclearance merchandise).2721 Summers Street Suite 100,Kennesaw, 770-795-0068

Enjoy Member Discounts at theseFine Kennesaw Establishments

* Please Note: Museum members mustshow their Smithsonian Affiliate/Southern Museum membership card toreceive merchant discounts.

differences between archiving andrestoring old cars. However, she pointedout one similarity. “I can get equallydirty,” she laughed. “These documentsare old and dusty.” Recently, at AllAboard Days, Slack left the documentsin the dust to check hand stamps ofpeople in line to ride the North GeorgiaLive Steamers’ miniature locomotives.“That was a lot of fun,” she said. “I’mvery much a steam lover.”

Slack moved to Georgia to be closerto her children in Atlanta. She also has adaughter in the Navy who movesfrequently. Slack also enjoys sewing andfixing up her log cabin and lives withher parrot, Marvin, and her cat, Kenya,who unfortunately can’t participate inher railroading activities.

Volunteer Focus(continued from page 5)

Thanks to Our 2005Corporate MembersACS Water / Callaway Blue

Spring WaterAshton Staffing

Bank of North GeorgiaBellSouth Telecommunications

Bentley, Bentley & BentleyCarceron System Group, LLC

Carl Black Buick/Pontiac/GMCChastain & Associates Inc.

CheckPoint MortgageCobb Energy Management

Elite Telcom ServicesGeorgia Power

Integrity Extinguishing Co. LLCMain Street Bank

North Metro Technical CollegeO’Neill CommunicationsPacesetter Steel Services

Phoenix Aviation Managers, Inc.Primrose School

of Kennesaw NorthStockwell Family Dentistry

VLR ConstructionVulcan Materials Company

This past summer was a busytime at the Southern Museum as

we hosted largenumbers of events andthousands of visitorsfrom throughout theUnited States andaround the world.From our children’sprograms to our livinghistory encampmentsto the opening of ourmost recentSmithsonian

exhibition, Picturing the Century:100 Years of Photography fromthe National Archives, ourMuseum has become a center forcultural and educational events inCobb County.

If you didn’t get a chance tovisit with us this summer you willhave plenty of opportunities thisfall. In September the Georgia 8thRegimental Band will hold anevening concert at the Museum.In October, the Museum is co-sponsoring, along with theKennesaw Parks and RecreationDepartment, Folk Tales of theRails. This fast-growing storytellingfestival features pirates, soldiers,hayrides, and a haunted museum.During the holiday season be sureto visit our Civil War Christmasprograms. As a member of theMuseum, these events are free toyou and your families, so why nottake advantage of them and spendsome time in downtownKennesaw?

As always, we are continuouslystriving to be the “Smithsonian inyour Neighborhood.”

Kindest Regards,

Jeff Drobney, Ph.D.

From the Executive Director

2

From events designedspecifically for chil-dren to those perfect

for the whole family, anumber of new events thisyear proved to be sopopular that they willbecome yearly occurrencesat the Southern Museum.

All Aboard Days a Huge Success

In May the Southern Museum heldAll Aboard Days, a two-day event full ofminiature train rides, storytelling, andfamily fun. The first-time event drewmore than 1,300 parents and children.Many families also took advantage of thelast opportunity to visit the exhibit

Railroading in the Southeast. With a largenumber of rave reviews from theweekend, the Museum plans to make thepopular weekend even bigger and betternext year.

New Children’sPrograms a Hit

June and Julysaw the Educationdepartment busyworking with morethan 80 children intwo new offerings -So You Want tobe a Civil WarSoldier? andSo You Want tobe a RailroadEngineer?

Childrenenjoyed themany hands-on opportu-

nities to drill like a Civil War soldier andlearn how to drive a locomotive! Bothof these new programs sold out inadvance, and plans are under way toexpand the programs to include evenmore children next year.

Enthusiasts Chase HistoryFollowing in the footsteps of history,

the Southern Museum and KennesawHistorical Society sponsored a bus tourretracing the route of the GreatLocomotive Chase in June. The day-longtour started in Kennesaw, then wound itsway through Kingston, Adairsville,Tunnel Hill, and Ringgold. More than45 participants listened to step on tourguides Robert Jones and Harper Harris asthey provided historical narration and afun glimpse into history. Another Chasebus tour is planned for 2006.

Cannons Capture KennesawFour artillery

units provided hun-dreds of visitors witha first-hand experi-ence of the ferocioussounds of the battle-field with weaponsdemonstrations July30-31. Local CivilWar artillery expertRichard Williamson

gave two lectures on artillery andtactics of the 19th Century.Thanks to Howell Battery, PulaskiBattery, Stephens Light Artillery,and the 9th Georgia Artillery formaking this first ever eventpossible. Another artilleryweekend is planned in 2006.

New Museum Events Prove Popular with Children and Adults

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By Director of Education Jennifer Legates

Fun, Educational Events Planned for Fall

T he Southern Museum is theplace to bring family or out oftown guests with many exciting

and educational special events heldthroughout the year. The Museum willbe alive with the sounds of the 19thCentury when we host the 8th GeorgiaRegiment Band for an evening of livemusic on September 17 at 7 PM. Thisspecial performance is free with yourMuseum membership.

Celebrate the General’s 150th Birthday Bash

There are two opportunities left tohelp us celebrate the General’s 150thbirthday. On September 10th RobertJones will give us a glimpse of rare videofootage of the locomotive in the finalinstallment of the 2005 KennesawHistorical Society’s Lecture Series. Andfinally the year-long celebrationends with a bangas we hold TheGeneral’sBirthday Bashon November 5.The day-longevent willinclude activitiesfor children,birthday cake,and even a chance to watch the BusterKeaton movie on the big screen. Comehelp us celebrate the locomotive thatput Kennesaw on the map!

Teachers Invited to Teacher Night – Sept. 22 & 27, 3-7 PM

As children return to school, welook forward to working with thethousands of local students who visit useach year. If you are an educator, orknow of an area educator who hasn’tvisited the Museum, we will be holdingtwo opportunities just for teachers.Teacher Night will be held September 22and 27 from 3-7 PM and gives educatorsa chance to visit and learn more about

field trip possibilities. For more infor-mation, contact Charity Chastain, tourcoordinator at 770-427-2117 ext. 110.

Become a Volunteer! We hope you will consider

supporting the Southern Museum bybecoming a volunteerstaff member. It’s agreat way to meetothers who share yourinterests and allows usto continue to providegreat programsthroughout the year.Volunteers contributetheir time and talentsin all departments ofthe Museum, so

consider spending a few hours of yourtime giving back to the community. For more information, contact JenniferLegates, director of education at 770-427-2117 ext. 114.

Georgia’s 8th Regiment Band returns to theSouthern Museum for a concert September 17.

8th GA Regiment Band Concert Hear the upbeat brass tunes thatCivil War soldiers laughed anddanced to in both the North andSouth. Free for Museum members.September 17, 7 - 9 pm

Discover Hidden Treasures fromthe Southern Museum ArchivesSee some of the many gems of theMuseum’s Archives Department.October 1- 31

Folk Tales of the RailsPirates, settlers, and even Georgiafounder, James Oglethorpe will amuseadults and children with storytelling,hayrides, and treasure hunts.Sponsored by Kennesaw Parks andRecreation and the Southern Museum.October 8, 4- 9 pm

General’s Birthday BashEnjoy day-long festivities and theMuseum’s movie The GreatLocomotive Chase with cake andice cream to celebrate the General’s150th birthday.November 5

Family Movie Night – TheGeneral Starring Buster KeatonGo to the movies for free and seeThe General starring Buster Keatonin the Museum’s theatre!November 5

Christmas Shopping Weekend:Members-OnlyReceive a special 25% discount in the Museum gift shop.December 3 - 4

A Civil War ChristmasSee how Christmas was celebrated bysoldiers and citizens during the CivilWar. Children will make their ownspecial decorations for the tree, andthe 125th Ohio Volunteer infantrywill be encamped out front.December 10, 10 am - 4 pm

Mark Your Calendars!(continued from front page)

Events are described in greater detail in this issue of the newsletter, or visit www.southernmuseum.org

Don’t Forget! Renew Your Museum Membership Yearly!

Call Membership Coordinator Cindy Dadyala at

770-427-2117, ext.104

Volunteer Focus: Marge Slack

A die-hard railroading enthusiast,Marge Slack works in theSouthern Museum Archives and

is a member of the National ModelRailroad Association and the Chattanoo-ga Area Model Railroad Club. She’s sodedicated to the world of railroadingthat when she decided to move closer toher kids in Atlanta from Wisconsin, shechose Lafayette, GA so that she could benear both the Southern Museum and theTennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

“I am so pleased to have Marge as avolunteer and friend,” said Sallie Loy,senior archivist at the Museum. “Herknowledge of railroad history is verymuch appreciated, especially herexpertise of the ‘TAG’ (Tennessee,Alabama, and Georgia Railroad) line.”

When she’s at the Museum, Slackcatalogs Southern Railway HistoricalAssociation’s documents and photos.“There’s two tractor loads of documents

so this willnot be donein my life-time!” shejoked. A firsttime archivist,she has founda way to makethe task “alittle morefun.” She creates mental captions formany of the vintage promotionalphotographs featuring people who areluxuriously dressed for travel, in slightlyunnatural poses. One of her recentcaptions about two women, one seatedand the other hanging up a fur stole,read, “You’ve either got to get rid of thisthing or find someone else to ride with!”

Slack once volunteered in the “carshop” at the Mid-Continent RailroadMuseum. She claims that there are many

Dick Hillman,Assistant Curator

Aretired General Motorsexecutive, former volunteerfirefighter, and member of

several transportation societies, as wellas assistant curator at the SouthernMuseum, Dick Hillman is fascinatedwith transportation.

With almost 15 years ofGlover research under hisbelt, Hillman wrote GloverMachine Works: The South’sLast Steam Builder, whichlater helped establish fundsfor the Museum’s renova-tion. “There was so muchmaterial there that I knew itneeded to be preserved,” he said.Appropriately, Hillman’s initial role atthe Museum included assisting therestoration of the Glover equipment andprocessing and cleaning Glover archives.

“Dick is a ‘reference resource’himself,” said Sallie Loy, senior archivist.“If anyone has a question, he is alwaysreadily available to help!”

According to Museum ExecutiveDirector Jeff Drobney, Hillman is largelyresponsible for the Museum’s

monolithic renovation three years ago.“To be honest, I don't know if we couldhave built the Museum without him.Dick has been at the focal point ofdeveloping this Museum from thebeginning. He was the one who origi-

nally introduced the Mayor andCouncil to the Glover Machine

Works and to the idea ofestablishing a museum inKennesaw to highlight thecollection.”

Hillman’s favorite featureof the Glover Machine Works

is the interactive audio. Whilepreparing the exhibit, the

research team identified factoryworkers and interviewed familymembers who had a first personrelationship with them. Scripts andsound clips were created from theinformation and integrated into theexhibit as first person stories of whatfactory life was like.

Now that the Glover businessrecords have been archived, Hillmanprocesses the Southern Railway

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(continued on back page)

Start the school year off rightwith a visit to the SouthernMuseum! While you are

here, be sure to stop by and checkout our temporary exhibit,Picturing the Century: 100 Years ofPhotography from the NationalArchives, from the SmithsonianInstitution. We have a wonderfulcompanion book for sale in thegift shop that captures pivotalmoments in the past century andpictures Americans at work and atplay. Pick up your copy today!Browse through the rest of ourbook selection to see what’s new.Keep a look out for the newSouthern Railway volume fromour Archives team. It’ll be on ourshelves this fall!

From a t-shirt featuring theGeneral, to a commemorativecoin, to “cartridge candy,” we’vegot lots of new merchandise tosee. All profits made in the giftshop go right back into theMuseum to support educationalprogramming and growth. Weappreciate your business!

Stop in to see us when youcome by for special programs andevents. Bring your membershipcard along to receive your 10%merchandisediscount. Andremember,memberswill get a25%discountNovember5, for theGeneral’sBirthday Bash,and December3-4 for your special HolidayShopping Weekend.

SmithsonianExhibit BookNow on Sale

By Retail ServicesManager Jane Pies

Teacher Night will allow educators a chance tovisit and learn more about field trip possibilities.

By Assistant Archivist C. Pat Cates

Staff Identifies, OrganizesSRHA Photographs

T he Archives Department continuesin its work of cataloguing themassive amount of materials that

were a part of the Southern Railway. Thestaff’s most recent project has been theorganization of the photographs. Thephotographs of the collection of theSouthern Railway Historical Association(SRHA) came to the archives in a variety ofnotebooks and boxes.Some of the photographs,such as the steamlocomotives, had beenpreviously sorted andidentified. A number ofphotographs had beencollectively placed inboxes with a minimumamount of identification.Still more photographswere placed in boxes withno identification.

The staff determinedthat the best place tobegin with the organiza-tion of the photographswas to separate themaccording to state. Within each state thephotographs have been filed with theirrespective cities. Files were started for thevarious depots, yards, and shops containedwithin each state. Not long after theprocess began a researcher came to thelibrary looking for information on thepeach industry in South Carolina. He was shown the recently completedphotographs of the state and jumped forjoy when he discovered the photographsfor which he had been searching.

As the staff began to process thephotographs it became apparent that theywould have to be organized in othercategories rather than states. Files were setup for the large number of steam anddiesel locomotives as well as the variousrolling stock and passenger cars of theSouthern Railway fleet. Files have alsobeen established for excursion photo-graphs and the number of promotional

materials that were in the collection. Italso became evident that the large numberof postcards would need to be sorted. Inaddition, the photographs from the 727thRailway Operating Battalion wereconsolidated into one file.

Each photograph of the collection isbeing placed in an archival folder with thepertinent identifying data and the corre-

sponding negative (iffound). Over the years anumber of filing systemshave been used by theSouthern Railway toidentify the photographs.While an index for thesefiling systems has notbeen found, the staff ismaking every effort tokeep the original filingnumber with the photo-graph. Some of thephotographs have morethan one filing number.Also, the name of thephotographer is beingnoted. For example,

there are now wonderful collections ofphotographs taken at Spencer Shops byDavid Driscoll in the 1940s and a numberof photographs of freight trains taken inthe 1970s by Curtis Tillotson.

One of the major problems that thestaff has experienced is the identificationof the photographs. While many havebeen identified, there are a number withno data at all. The staff has been usingback issues of TIES magazine along withidentified photographs to document asmany as possible. A file is being set up of“unidentified photographs.” Anyone whohas knowledge of the Southern Railway iswelcome to look at these photographs tohelp in their identification.

The Archives Staff has also assisted anumber of researchers who have asked forinformation from the files. Our scannerand printing capabilities have beeninstrumental in helping these researchers.

The staff has also constructed an Ogauge layout on the top of the filingcabinets which are housing the SouthernRailway photographs. The town that hassprung up from the layout has been appro-priately named “Therapy.” The layout is amuch needed relaxation for all theMuseum employees. Come visit us soon.

Find HiddenTreasures in

Archives Exhibit

See some of the many gems ofthe Archives Departmentduring an exhibit called

“Discover Hidden Treasures fromthe Southern Museum of Civil Warand Locomotive History Archives”Oct. 1 - 31 in the Museum lobby.

The exhibit, held in honor ofGeorgia Archives Week (October 1 -9), will feature items from theSouthern Railway Historical SocietyCollection, the Kennesaw MuseumFoundation Collection, the FredBentley Collection, the Donald L.Myers Collection, the M. JamesBearrow Collection, the GloverCollection, the Tallulah FallsRailway Collection, and the GeorgeN. Guill Collection, among others: • Centennial History of South

Carolina Railroad, a book aboutthe first locomotive built inAmerica for passenger service

• A photo of a statue of SamuelSpencer, president of theSouthern Railway Company

• The book Ohio Boys in Dixie

• A letter from Union soldier, E.M. O’Brien

• A modern vintage map of theBattle of Allatoona Pass, Georgia

• A pamphlet promoting Mariettaas a Little Gem City of Georgia andaccessible by W&A Railroad

• The pamphlet “Directions forUsing the Simplex Gin Saw Filer”

• Map of Fulton County, GA,Central of Georgia RailwayResurvey, Industry Yard, GA

• Blueprints for repairs topassenger station at Helena, GA

Unknown: A group of school childrenvisiting the Southern Railway. Can anyreader provide further identification?

Detailed Models Show a ShockinglyDifferent 1862 General Locomotive

By Senior Curator George Deeming

Thanks to multi-talented modelersand some historical research youcan now see how different the

General appeared on the day of the GreatLocomotive Chase, April 12, 1862, thanit does today.

The General was completed inDecember 1855 at the Rogers, Ketchum& Grosvenor Locomotive Works inPatterson, NJ as an eight wheel, 4-4-0,American-type engine with an outsideframe, Russian Iron jacketing, brass trimand banding, with two steam domes anda sand dome. The cowcatcher wasinstalled at the Western & Atlantic shopsin Atlanta when the engine was deliveredand was made of strap iron and paintedred. The entire locomotive was originallypainted in two different shades of greenwith orange trim. This is a big differencefrom the 1960s red and black colorscheme now on the engine. There were alot of other exciting original decorativeelements both in brass and in filigreecast iron that “went missing” over theyears that modelers have re-created inminiature that are now on display in ourGreat Locomotive Chase gallery.

Thanks to talented modeler, HaroldFagan, for the loan of a large scale modelof the General in its April, 1862appearance. The model is unusual notonly because of its scale but also becauseof the amount of detail lovingly added.Mr. Fagan also has on display a model of

the General in the 1960s color schemeand a model of the Texas. These modelsare a tribute to Mr. Fagan’s skill and hisdevotion to railroading. A 90-year-oldformer railroad engineer with some 35years experience working for theSeaboard Coast Line Railroad, Fagan’sgracious wife appreciates hismodelmaking abilities and talents. Ibelieve that because of Mr. Fagan’sbackground, his innate understanding oflocomotives, and his knowledge of theactual appearance of operatinglocomotives, he has come the closest tothe actual “look” of the General. Heunderstands the jacketing of RussianIron and knows the luster of brass; betterstill, he realizes how each part operates,where it fits in, and how it functions as apiece of the whole machine. This modeltook Mr. Fagan almost a year to build.

Surprisingly, seeing the General inits 1862 appearance comes as somewhatof a shock. With its differences and anodd combination of colors and unfam-iliar parts, it makes the casual viewerlook twice and even do a compare andcontrast with the full-scale General to seehow it changed over time.

The research into the originalappearance of the General was done bynoted locomotive and railroad historianSteven Meola of Paradise, PA. Mr. Meolais a certified locomotive engineer andworking restoration expert who used theNew Jersey archives in Trenton, theAtlanta History Center and the GeorgiaHistorical Society in Savannah as well asthe expertise of other historians inresearching the General. His originalresearch led to the painting of two viewsof the April 1962 General by railroadartist Peter Lerro. Prints from thesepaintings are available in the MuseumStore. All of the 1862-era models ondisplay were based in some part on Mr.Meola’s research.

Another of the donated models withthe 1862 appearance is an O gauge and

was built by the Schneider ModelRailroading Company of Mt. Laurel, NJ.The company only manufactured 150working O gauge replicas of the Generaland accompanying boxcars for sale tothe general public. They were limited to150 to commemorate the 150thanniversary (this year) of the General.The models are all brass and very highlydetailed, down to the scroll work, paintscheme, and wooden beam trucks on theboxcars. Future company plans includemodeling more Civil War era engines,passenger cars, and freight cars in Ogauge brass including a few from theU.S. Military Railroad.

Another donated model of theGeneral is in natural wood grain andreplicates the colors of the 1862 enginewith wood color. Its creator, Mr. WayneHolder, is a retired teacher and masterwoodworker/modeler. He displays hisskill through careful selection of naturalwoods. His model of the General featuresunpainted dark walnut, maple, andgreen poplar woods. Mr. Holder’s modelclearly shows his appreciation of theluster and beauty of the wood grain, hislove of nature and affection for theGeneral. In addition, Mr. Holder haspreviously donated a 1960s version ofthe General in its familiar black & redpaint scheme, but in a slightly largerscale. This model, too is in unpaintednatural wood. Though constructed innatural woods and as works of art, Mr.Holder’s models actually work. Thewheels turn, the drive shafts move andthe cylinder rods pulse in and out of thecylinder boxes.

Fagan’s model is the largest of the three.

Schneider’s model was built to commemorate the150th anniversary of the General.

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