Emma Sweeney is one of the most unique pieces in the DRHS collection — not a working locomotive, but a full-size Hollywood prop built by Twentieth Century Fox in 1949 for the film A Ticket to Tomahawk, starring Anne Baxter, Dan Dailey, Walter Brennan, and a then-unknown Marilyn Monroe. Acquired by DRHS in 2011 and painstakingly restored over six years, she is now on permanent display at Santa Rita Park in Durango.
The Movie — In August and September 1949, Twentieth Century Fox filmed A Ticket to Tomahawk across the San Juan Mountains, using the real locomotive RGS 20 for track scenes and a custom-built full-size prop for off-track sequences. The prop — Emma Sweeney — was so accurate it reportedly fooled railroad experts. The film helped launch the tourism boom that saved the Silverton Branch from abandonment. Later, the model was transformed into the Hooterville Cannonball for the TV series Petticoat Junction before passing through several owners over decades. Read the full story →
The Model — Emma Sweeney began life as a full-size Hollywood prop built by Twentieth Century Fox for the 1950 Western A Ticket to Tomahawk, filmed in the Durango and Silverton area with a cast that included a young Marilyn Monroe. After decades in California — transformed along the way into the Hooterville Cannonball for TV’s Petticoat Junction — the model was donated to DRHS in 2011 and fully restored to her original movie appearance over six years. She is now on permanent display at Santa Rita Park in Durango, complete with elk antler headlight and the colorful Tomahawk & Western livery. Read the full story →
Restoration — When DRHS acquired Emma Sweeney from Amador County, California in 2011, she was missing dozens of wood, metal, and plastic components and bore little resemblance to her original movie appearance. Working from original Twentieth Century Fox studio drawings, DRHS volunteers spent six years rebuilding and repainting every detail — from the elk antler headlight to the Tomahawk & Western banner on the tender. See the restoration →
New Parts — A detailed look at the individual components fabricated by DRHS volunteers to restore Emma Sweeney to her 1949 movie appearance. Check out the new parts →
