Name/Title
The General, Union Station Train ShedEntry/Object ID
2020.390.001Description
A black and white photograph showing three men sitting on a bench in Union Station in front of "The General" inside the Union Depot train shed. The steam engine sits on display behind metal fencing. Three men sit to the left of the photograph on one of the benches placed in front of the exhibition train. The smoke from the third man's cigar is obscuring the man sitting in the middle.
The General, built in 1855 by Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor in New Jersey, provided freight and passenger service between Atlanta, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, before the Civil War. It was stolen by Union Army spies in April 1862 in an attempt to cripple the Confederate rail network. Following the war, the locomotive was used for many years until it was retired in 1891 (modifications had been made while it was in post-war service including the replacement of its balloon stack with a diamond stack). The train finally made its way to Chattanooga in 1901 where it was displayed in the Union Station Train Shed until 1967 when it was removed for an exhibition in Kennesaw, GA. Following controversy over the ownership of the train, The General was permanently moved to Georgia instead of being returned to Chattanooga.
The photograph is printed on Kodak Velox paper and a stamp on the verso reads "The Photo Shop Rolls Developed 8 Prints 25¢ Box 218 Augusta, GA."Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
Gelatin Print - silver bromideSubject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Union Station, Chattanooga, Tennessee*Collection
Railroad CollectionMade/Created
Date made
circa 1940 - circa 1950Copyright
Type of License
No Copyright - United States