This model represents Western & Atlantic's "General," the engine made famous by its capture during the American Civil War by 18 Union soldiers led by James J. Andrews. The train's conductor, William A. Fuller, took it upon himself to get his train back, and, along with the "General's" engineer and another railroad official, took off in pursuit. After an 87-mile chase that involved three other W&A locomotives, "General" ran out of steam and the raiders were captured.
With the fame surrounding the "General," one aspect that held my interest over the years was the nature of the locomotive's original appearance. Like most surviving American locomotives built before 1870 the "General" has been substantially rebuilt over the years, and this coupled with changing tastes in locomotive paint schemes has caused the surviving relic to share little in common with the engine made famous in 1862. The original "General" was near the top of my to-do list when I started building these 3d recreations of locomotives.
There is a surprising amount of information that helps to piece together the original look of the "General." Most helpful is a photograph taken by George N. Barnard after the siege of Atlanta that shows the wreckage of what is most likely the "General" following its destruction by retreating Confederate forces. From this photo it is apparent that the "General" was a standard Rogers 4-4-0 of the 1855-1860 era, with two steam domes and ankle rails instead of running boards. Photographs exist of similar locomotives, such as the "John T. Souter" and "Quincy," and there are also color lithographs issued by Rogers in the 1850s of the "Thomas Rogers" and "New Jersey." Other photos of similar Rogers engines, like the "Madison" and "Dr. Thompson" help to fill in other details.
Complete information about the "General's" original paint scheme is not available. However, historian Steve Meola recently discovered documentation that the "General's" frame was painted green with black stripes (very typical when compared to known Rogers paint schemes). Wilbur Kurtz, who extensively researched the "General" and the Andrews Raid in the early 20th Century, also noted a green "General." In terms of markings, the 1864 photograph of the wrecked "General" indicates broad stripes at the top and bottom of the tender tank.
The rest of the paint scheme shown on this model is conjecture based on typical practices of the time, and gives a "best-guess" look at the "General" as it may have appeared from 1855 to 1864. Chrome green is used as the base color on most of the parts including the frame, dome bases, tender frame, and tender trucks. Surviving documents indicate the W&A was a large user of chrome green, as well as Indian Red. Therefore, Indian red is used as a accent color on some parts, such as the smokebox front (these were often painted in colors during the era), sand dome, and water pumps. The tender tank, cab, and headlight are Bronze green. Bronze green became a sort of standard color on W&A locomotives post-1865, when new Baldwin locomotives ordered at that time used a paint scheme based on Pennsylvania RR practice. While there is no concrete evidence for Bronze green pre-1865 on the "General," it does work nicely to create a contrast with the chrome green, and items such as tender tanks would often be painted a separate color on engines of the period.
The other aspects of the locomotive's decoration, like brass, polished iron, Russia iron, and other non-painted decorative elements, is based largely on standard practices of the time, and on the "Thomas Rogers" lithograph.
Builder: Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor
Date: 1855
Driver diameter: 60 inches
Cylinders: 15x22 inches
Gauge: 60 inches