Everyone,

I turned on the TV this morning and saw the beginning of a movie called, " A Lawman Without a Star" starring Kirk Douglas. In it, they had the SP 0-6-0 dressed up with a movie smokestack and it was pulling a train of empty cattle cars and a caboose.

I was wondering if this engine was in any other Hollywood productions and if it is still in existance and what shape it is in at present.


Thanks for answers,

JD Johnson, Morehead and North Fork Railroad Historian

The locomotive in question is displayed in Burris Park in Hanford, CA. It was donated to the City of Hanford in March of 1958. Seen below in a late-1990's Dale Brown photograph:

Thanks for the photo. The tender in the movie was a coal tender not oil like what is behind it in this picture.

Would it be a candidtate for restoration?

JD Johnson, Morehead and North Fork Railroad Historian

Certainly a candidate for cosmetic restoration, if nothing more. sad to see park locomotive deferred from even a coat of paint, much less security.

The locomotive is now owned by the The California Trolley and Railroad Corporation of Santa Clara, CA. It is currently stored at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, CA pending it's move to the permanent CTRC site.

Chris Allan

Thanks for the info, Chris. I'll update steamlocomotive.info today.

Thank you for the updated info.

I am still curious if this engine was used in any other Hollywood productions? Any one know?

JD Johnson, Morehead and North Fork Railroad Historian

According to the web, "Man without a Star" was filimed near Thousand Oaks and was released in 1955. SP1215 was an oilburner its entire life. The movie's coal burner appearance must have been Hollywood's attmept to backdate this 1913 Baldwin locomotive. 1215 spent most of its SP life in Northern California, finishing its career switching in San Francisco. How this particular locomotive was chosen for this Southern California movie role (or perhaps others) is unknown. Nonetheless, an interesting story to research.

Ken Middlebrook
California Trolley and Railroad Corporation.

Clarification....the movie locomotive is SP1213, not the other SP 0-6-0 as reported earlier. Due to lots of sagebrush, sand, and tall mountains in the background, my guess is that the railroad scenes were filimed outside Mojave, perhaps on the Jawbone branch. Since SP1213 spent its last active years in Bakersfield, its selection for this particular movie makes sense.

(DARN! Our SP1215 missed the Hollywood limelight...so much for seeking the royalties.)

Ken Middlebrook
California Trolley and Railroad Corp