So who did the Chaplin Google Doodle set?

Randy Gustafson · **Posted:** Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:16 pm

Google is always into odd and neat things with the logo; today's was a salute to Charlie Chaplin.

It's obviously filmed at a western railroad museum, but even though I THINK I know who it is, I'd like the party to step forward to get some credit. Nice job. Station scenes, a WP caboose #467, very nice. Very nice indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gVU3Hz6kwk

Enjoy!

Dave · **Posted:** Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:09 pm

Slow day at Stone Consulting? Does Harvey know you're doing this?

dave

Joe Magruder · **Posted:** Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:47 pm

The location was Niles, California - south of Oakland and the western terminal of the Niles Canyon Railroad, or actually across the UP tracks from the western... The actors were the Google Doodle team.

Randy Hees · **Posted:** Sat Apr 16, 2011 12:45 am

Your always friendly moderator strangely have personal knowledge of this… from three distinct sources…

The film was done in the Niles plaza, in the City of Fremont (I work for the City of Fremont)

The depot is the 1904 Southern Pacific Niles depot… it is the center piece of a local redevelopment project. The near tracks are former SP, now UP, originally Western Pacific of 1862, the far tracks are those of the Niles Canyon Railway, a preservation project of the Pacific Locomotive Association. I have served on one of their planning boards and done a bit of history on the line...

Research and background for the project was provided by the Niles Essenay Film museum http://www.nilesfilmmuseum.org/ A friend and co-worker is on the board… David, their curator recently was feacured on “60 Minutes” on a story about a 1906 silent film, a trip down market street. He is as serious about film as any of us are about anything railroad.

This was the first time Google has done a video for a Doodle… with a picassa page for photos… and a blog… all Google products… a great showcase on how to use internet to promote you products (my wife works at Google but didn’t have anything to do with this project)

Randy

Randy Gustafson · **Posted:** Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:02 am

Hey, Dave, even I get to quit by 10PM on a Friday!

Glad I posted this, I hoped there was a preservation-related story behind this, I was pretty sure it was Niles/Fremont, but all I really wanted to do was call attention to something the entire planet is seeing.

I think I came across this on the CNN News website - there's still a link on the home page as this is the first 'video' Google has ever done on the logo spot. Just so you realize, fellow basement and shop dwellers, how far this one goes.