The one-third scale model of the Civil War-era Locomotive “The General” sits in an enclosed shelter at a pocket park on First Street, across from The Shenandoah Town Hall.
It was designed & hand built by Clayton Hinegardner and daughter Tiffiny and donated to the town on September 13, 2008.
The General went into the history books on April 12, 1862 when it was "kidnapped” by Union raiders at Big Shanty, Georgia and became the most fantastic railroad chase ever recorded, a run which embraced 87 miles and eight hours of high adventure before it was recaptured.
Below are two newspaper articles where reporters interviewed Clayton Hinegardner and he describes how he built the General.
Valley Banner, Thursday June 17, 2004, by Ted Hayes.
Civil War-era locomotive brought back to life in McGaheysville. Hinegardner builds one-third scale model of the General. By Ted Hayes-Valley Banner Staff Writer.
Clayton Hinegardner is a visionary. Where others see salad bowls, he sees burnished locomotive headlights. Where others see cake pans and flower pots, he sees steam chambers and sand domes.
And where some see wood fence-post and steel tubing, Hinegardner sees railroad ties and track.
Despite working solely in wood throughout his life, Hinegardner, of McGaheysville, has used his visions to build a one-third scale metal replica of the famous “General” locomotive, an engine which saw service in the Civil War and which traveled through Elkton as recently as 1969.
“I was reading up on engines and just decided to build this one,” Hinegardner explained laconically. “I started on it once before and didn’t finish. This time I decided to get it done.”
The results are stunning. Brass fittings for Hinegardner’s 1,600-pound model were made, by him on his father’s ancient steel lathe, the only metal-shaping machine in an otherwise 100 percent woodworking shop in this backyard. Two-thirds of the engine’s barrel front, or hood, is nothing more than a 125-gallon diesel fuel tank, made of aluminum, borrowed from an 18-wheel truck tractor and painted black. The one-third of the barrel which is closest to the cab is flat-plate metal, rounded to a rising conical shape by Hinegardner to imitate the original.
Almost everything else is hand-shaped and hand-painted, including the rounded brass bands which connect the barrel’s sections, the stout wood frame, or chassis, which holds the cab and barrel, the smokestack, the grabirons, the crafted leather cushions in the cab and the detailed brass gauges and valves inside the cab.
Looking at the perfection of the metalwork, and at the expert application of paint and line striping on the red and yellow cab and driving wheels, the ordinary observer would never guess that the maker of this metal behemoth was not an experienced metal smith.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the model is its accuracy. Several pictures of the original engine – all that Hinegardner had for “blueprints”- show how close he has come to replicating the old General.
The original was one of 100 locomotives of the 4-4-0 class – meaning it had four forward wheels, four driving wheels, and no wheels (or “trucks”) under the cab—built by a locomotive works in Patterson, N.J. Sent to Georgia in 1855 to pull a passenger train, the General saw service pulling men and freight for the Confederate army, was trashed by the Union army before the war was over, and in the 20th century, was restored and sent to a museum in Georgia. The engine sold for $8,800 when it was new, according to Hinegardner. “But I wouldn’t sell mine for that amount,” he said. “I’ve got about $2,000 of material in it. If I charged for my time, nobody could afford it anyway” he said adding that he was in no hurry to part with it.
“I built it to ride it,” he said. Hinegardner’s masterpiece is built facing a double-wide garage door and a backyard which seems to cry out for a short line.
“I hope to build about 600 feet of track,” Hinegardner said. “And sure, I’ll give neighborhood kids a ride. There won’t be any charge, unless it gets out of hand.”
Hinegardner’s General comes complete with 100 pounds of operating steam (compared to the original’s 140 pounds) which he will use to put air brakes on two forthcoming cars, a coal car and a passenger car; a real steam whistle that sends a scream the neighborhood will not be able to ignore; phillips head screws which everywhere give the appearance of rivets; and what looks like real smoke coming out of its funnel smokestack.
Under the hood is the real source of power- a 12.5 horse-power Briggs and Stratton gasoline engine, geared to a 50:1 ratio. There will even be an underground tunnel where the locomotive will stand when not in use, dug in Hinegardner’s back yard. Only one thing about the replica doesn’t imitate the original, the brass nameplate on the hood reads “Clayton.” Hinegardner expects to have two cars finished and track laid by next summer.
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Daily News Record August 12, 2006 By Alicia Wotring, Daily News Record
Model Citizen- Elkton Man Builds Model Of Civil War-Era Locomotive
ELKTON — Clayton Hinegardner is always working on a project. His most recent is a sight to behold. It's a one-third- scale model of The General, a famous Civil War-era locomotive. The model stretches over 11 feet in length and more than 6 feet high at the smokestack, and there's brass everywhere. "You really, have to see it to appreciate it," Hinegardner said. Right now, the train sits in his woodworking shop, but it won't be stowed away forever. Hinegardner has donated the model to the town of Shenandoah. "I spent a lot of time in my younger years in Shenandoah and was there when the old steam engines were running through that town," Hinegardner said. "The place for this is in the town of Shenandoah ... It's gonna be a kid lover." According to Town Council Chairman Charles Jenkins, the town is preparing somewhere for the train to be displayed. Doug Rudolph, owner of Rudolph Quality Construction, has donated a site and volunteered labor for the building. B & L Glass of Harrisonburg donated half of the Plexiglas required. That still leaves the town in need of an estimated $1,000 of materials for the building. "This project will provide a neat attraction for locals and visitors alike," Jenkins said. "So spread the word that The General needs a home." Hinegardner, 63, of Elkton,
See TRAIN, Page 24
Designer Based Model On Picture Of Train
Train FROM PAGE 23
estimates he spent somewhere between 1,800 and 2,000 hours building the train. His daughter, Tiffiny Mullens, helped. Not counting the cost of labor, important to Hinegardner, the project cost between $4,000 and $5,000. "[It took] six or seven months. I spent hours out there until 1 or 2 in the morning, cause once this thing got started, I couldn't hardly get away from it," Hinegardner, a superintendent for Harman Construction Inc. in Harrisonburg, said. Hinegardner not only built, but designed the entire project. He created his plans based on a picture of The General. He knew how tall the wheel was originally, but he had to piece the rest together based on that information and the picture. And everything on the train works. It has an engine that runs on gasoline with dual exhaust that runs up through the smokestack so it appears to really smoke. Hinegardner even laid between 30 and 40 feet of track so he could test the train. He wanted to lay more track, but the cost made it impractical. For 1,100 feet of track, it would cost nearly $8,000. "I undertake pretty much anything," Hinegardner said. "I like a challenge." The General Hinegardner said the idea to build a model of The General was more a spur of the moment decision. than anything else. "I just walked out in my shop one day and I just asked myself, "What are you gonna do this winter?" Hinegardner said. '"I'm gonna build a railroad engine." Hinegardner began researching trains at the library and came across the story of The General. The General even made a stop in Harrisonburg in June of 1962, the Civil War Centennial. The General is most widely known for its role in Andrews Raid. According to a Web site published by the University of Georgia, The General belonged to Georgia's Western & Atlantic Railroad. It ran from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Atlanta, and was a lifeline for the Civil War in that part of the South, the Web site said., Then on April 12, 1862, James Andrews, a Union spy from Kentucky, along with 19 other spies commandeered the train and attempted to run it to the North, destroying as much rail as they could and burning bridges along the way. Within 10 miles of safety, Andrews Raiders were captured and Andrews and six others were executed. Later, several of those men were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. Several films, including Disney's "The Great Locomotive Chase," immortalized the story. After a series of national and World Fair appearances, The General was retired to a museum in Kentucky. In the early 1970s it was moved to the Southern Museum of Civil War" and Locomotive History in Kerinesaw, Ga., where it is today. Contact Alicia Wotring at 574-6267
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From the Fall 2008 edition of the Town of Shenandoah Newsletter, we found the following two announcements.
Mr. Hinegardner built and generously donated his 1/3 scale model of this Civil War train to the Town of Shenandoah.
Mayor Lucas dedicated “The General” on Saturday, September 13 as part of the Art & Music Festival held on First Street in Shenandoah.
The real General locomotive came to Shenandoah on Monday June 24, 1963. It was enroute to Gettysburg Pa. as part of the centennial observance.
The “General” Came to Town in the Sixties. Many towns people flocked to the railroad station to see the old steam engine of yesteryear. Pictured are Left to Right are: (next to “General” steam engine) George Hurst, Clyde Thomas Jr., Woody May, Larry Thomas and Mark Armentrout. This picture was found in the book Shenandoah A History of Our Town And Its People, on page 197.
Page News and Courier Thursday June 20, 1963 page 1.
Page News and Courier Thursday June 20, 1963 page 3A.
The original General locomotive is currently on display at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kerinesaw, Georgia where it was placed on permanent display a few hundred yards from where it was stolen in 1862.
Follow the link below to learn more about the General at the Southern Museum’s website:
https://southernmuseum.org/visit/#general
Follow this link to watch short video about the General -
The General and The Great Locomotive Chase
Disney released a film in 1956 titled The Great Locomotive Chases that depicts the events of the Andrews Raid of 1862, in which Union raiders seized a Confederate train in north Georgia during the Civil War. The film is an adaptation of the written accounts of William Pittenger, a Union participant in the raid.
