The General 1855
4-4-0 Steam Locomotive – General, (1855- Present)
This is based of a Locomotive that served in the Civil War.
Backstory (True)
The General was built and rolled out of the Rogers, Ketchum, & Grosvenor railroad shops in Paterson, New Jersey, for the Western & Atlantic Railroad in Atlanta, Georgia. The General served an unassuming role as a freight, and passenger service locomotive from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The Average life of the General was going to change however, on the morning of April 12th, 1862 the General was stolen by a gang of 2 dozen Union spies led by James J. Andrews in Kennesaw, Georgia.
The locomotive was not forgotten about though, because W&A RR conductor William A. Fuller started to pursue the General. William A. Fuller first traveled on foot, then he used a hand cart and then 3 locomotives which were the Yonah, William R. Smith and Texas. William A. Fuller pursued the General until its fuel was exhausted, the General ran out of steam and stopped near Ringgold, Georgia.
Andrews was later tried in Chattanooga and found guilty. He was executed by hanging on June 7th in Atlanta. 11 days later On June 18th, seven others who had been sent to Knoxville and convicted as spies were returned to Atlanta and also hanged; their bodies were buried in an unmarked grave, but later reburied in Chattanooga National Cemetery. Eight other raiders escaped from prison. Traveling in predetermined pairs, they all made it back safely to Union lines. The remaining six were exchanged as prisoners of war on March 17, 1863. 8 days later those 6 members of Andrews’ Raiders were awarded the first Medals of Honor in our country’s history on March 25th, 1863. Ultimately, 19 of the 24 men, including four of those hanged as spies, were awarded Medals of Honor. As civilians, neither James J. Andrews or William Campbell were eligible for the award.
The chase itself wasn’t forgotten though, one of the Union men who stole the train that day in 1862, William Pittenger, wrote a book describing how they tried stopping William A. Fuller, while also cutting telegraph lines, and bending railroad tracks. The General still exists today mainly because of its legacy as the locomotive that ran away, that crisp April morning in 1862.
Epilogue for the locomotives involved:
The General was preserved in the years following the civil war and was even restored to operation for the centennial of both the civil war and the andrews raid in the 1960’s, following the centennial celebrations the locomotive was placed on permanent display in kennesaw where it and 2 0-4-0 glover machine works saddle tank locomotives remain to the present day.
The Texas was retired after 50 years of service in 1907, following retirement it was preserved in its civil war look, recently though it was restored to its 1880’s look and was moved to the atlanta history center where it currently remains on display.
The yonah was later converted into a stationary boiler and was later scrapped, only its whistle still exists.
The William R Smiths boiler survived until 1941 when it was scrapped for use in ww2, some parts of the locomotive are thought to supposedly still exist but there’s been no firm proof of this.
– Information regarding the men, machines and medals awarded to the raiders:
Info regarding the famous Andrews raid https://www.american-rails.com/chase.html#:~:text=The%20celebrity%20locomotive%20in%20what,much%20damage%20as%20he%20could.
Info on andrews and those who received the medal of honor
https://mohmuseum.org/andrewsraid/
https://homeofheroes.com/heroes-stories/civil-war/james-j-andrews/
Info on the general https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/The_General
Info on the texas https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/The_Texas
Further info on the Texas https://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/exhibitions/locomotion-railroads-and-the-making-of-atlanta
Info regarding the Yonah & William R Smith https://evhsonline.org/archives/42864
Info on the William R Smith https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/The_William_R._Smith
Features –
– Realistic Detail
– Multiple Directions
– Working Details
– Lights
– Working Side Rods
Controls:
– Stoke Fire Throttle
– Regulator Throttle
– Handbrake Throttle
– Cab Lights
– Headlight
– Light Fire
– Reverser
Start Boiler:
1. Make sure the "Stoke Fire" throttle is at 1
2. Press the "Light Fire" button
– Enjoy
