"Sunrise at Campobello" and the Maine Central...

I just caught a clip of the 1960 film "Sunrise at Campobello", which is about FDR in the 1920s. Campobello is an island just off the coast of Maine, in New Brunswick. The scene I saw showed FDR heading to the mainland by boat. He is then put onto Maine Central coach "The Mayflower". There is a quick glimpse of a Maine Central engine in "speed" lettering, with the road number 519.

Does anyone know any history relating to the film? Was the scene actually shot in Maine? If so, where? And I don't see any sign of rails on the mainland.

Curious...

There was never a railroad in Lubec, which is the closest US mainland point to Campobello Island, but it wouldn't have been hard for FDR to take the Maine Central from either Eastport or Calais following a short auto ride. I bet there are some FDR biographies that would have details on that part of his life.

FDR was loaded into the train at Eastport. Reporters were misled into believing he would be on the head end of the train, but he was carried around some boxcars and quietly loaded on to his private car.
In the film, Ralph Bellamy played Franklin Roosevelt. The scene involved MEC 519, in speed lettering. The Consolidation was chosen because it was the last available locomotive in the Waterville roundhouse, having been saved for possible conversion as a snow melter. When the film was completed, 519 was towed back and stored. The locomotive was never fired for the movie. E. Spencer Miller called his friend, Nelson Blount and offered him 519 if he wanted it, otherwise it was to be scrapped. Blount jumped at it. He already owned 501, but was determined to save as many steamers as he could. And did!

I'm going to have to check my clip again... I thought the loco was shown pulling out of the station with the train... I suppose they could have had the front coupled to a diesel, and just dubbed in the "chuffing" sounds.

I see now that #519 is at Steamtown ( http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=940624 ) . What a difference... a shame there are no (that I know of) real New England locomotives active on the rails (I can be wrong, of course!).

Do we know if the scene was actually filmed in Eastport?

I took these photos off the TV... obviously, older TVs and digital cameras are not a good mix!




Note the steam... fake?

Jonelle-
IMDB lists Eastport as the site for the railroad and dock scenes. On a second point, there -- if I'm not hallucinating -- was a photo op at Conway a bunch of years or even decades ago for which a bunch of oil-soaked rain jackets were placed in a smokebox and ignited to produce the impression of an active steamer. Mebbe someone with better memory or better documentation can confirm or deny.

Did some poking around the web for images of Eastport. Today's coastline is nothing like it was "back in the day", when there were tons of wharfs and fishery/canning business. A shame to see all that business gone... Anyhoo, this is the only image I could find relating to a possible location of filming:

Jonelle,
The story I got a few years back was that MEC was going to steam up 519 for this movie, but it would have been too heavy for the Eastport Branch, so it was pushed by a diesel instead. The biggest steam power allowed there was the "60 ton" class which was all the small 10 wheelers. The 519 was classed as a 70 ton locomotive. The biggest diesel allowed down there at the time was a 44 tonner. The raincoat smoke mentioned earlier was done in Intervale, New Hampshire when the 501 was brought down to No. Conway.
Leverett Fernald

Was there direct passenger service to and from Eastport, or were riders switched to the Calais-to-Bangor trains at Ayers Junction?

I am looking at a 6/26/33 MEC timetable that seems to indicate there was a change of trains required at Ayers Junction. Two trains a day (except Sun.) covering the 15.7 miles between Ayers Junction and Eastport in 50-55 minutes.

Our organization would like to get any corroboration or information that FDR may have traveled the Calais Branch, of which we now lease 30 miles from the State of Maine, from Brewer to Hancock, Maine. We have heard anecdotally that FDR did travel to Campobello via the Calais Branch, but that later during WWII the travel route became very circuitous, via the CP across northern Maine. The later scenario is quite plausible given that it was no secret to the government that Nazi U-boats had been spotted off most of the east coast. Nazi spies had been landed or attempted to land at various times, with the most infamous landing in Maine occurring in November of 1944 on Hancock Point a mere 6 miles from the location of our yard at Washington Junction. I’m sure the secrecy of his movements was as only the military can do, so it is not hard to believe that there just isn’t much in the way of documentation about his itinerary in getting to Campobello Island.

As an aside, we have found photos of the trains that carried both President Benjamin Harrison and President William Howard Taft to our area, but nothing of FDR.

If anyone knows any additional information about FDRs travels to Campobello or could direct us to something factual it would be greatly appreciated, as we have looked into it, but no documentation of his travels seems to be readily available.
Leverett Fernald
Downeast Scenic Railroad

Leverett-
If you haven't already contacted the National Park Service at Hyde Park ( http://www.nps.gov/hofr/index.htm ), that might be a good starting point for either direct information or referrals. I assume you've already been in contact with the 470 Club for any resources or referrals they might have.

Another potential resource: http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/

jaymac wrote: On a second point, there -- if I'm not hallucinating -- was a photo op at Conway a bunch of years or even decades ago for which a bunch of oil-soaked rain jackets were placed in a smokebox and ignited to produce the impression of an active steamer. Mebbe someone with better memory or better documentation can confirm or deny.

I recall a photo which appeared in a Rail publication....I believe it was a Fall 1984 issue of Railfan / Railroad..... taken of Maine Central Alco # 501, at Crawford Notch Station in N.H., with smoke coming from the stack. The steamer was on its way to its new home, the Conway Scenic RR in North Conway, from the Steamtown Museum in Bellows Falls Vt. In 1984, Steamtown started the process of relocating the bulk of their collection to Scranton Pa. A Guilford ( Maine Central ) extra movement hauled # 501 to North Conway. The last regular MEC freight over the Mountain Sub. was Sept. 03, 1983.

I have a collection of Railfan / Railroad Magazines and will have to browse through it, to affirm the exact date of the photo I've mentioned.

Here is a link for the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, where the Roosevelt Summer Home is located. It contains a
FDR history of his many visits there, and mention of visitors to the area, that at one time, did arrive by boat and train.

http://www.fdr.net/home

bml1149 wrote: If anyone knows any additional information about FDRs travels to Campobello or could direct us to something factual it would be greatly appreciated, as we have looked into it, but no documentation of his travels seems to be readily available.
Leverett Fernald
Downeast Scenic Railroad

From the book....FDR, by Jean Edward Smith, page 187 states thus, http://books.google.ca/books?id=gvskicb ... ne&f=false