A white wooden depot with green freight doors and elevated loading platforms makes a brief apperance in the film "The Color Purple". Whoopi Goldberg is seen passing a trackwork gang with the depot in the nearby background, for all of about five seconds towards the end of the movie. The credits at the film's end state that it was shot in Anson and Union counties in North Carolina encompassing the areas around Monroe, Wadesboro and Rockingham. This is ex-SAL and WSS territory. None of the depots I know to have been standing in that area in the mid-'80's look the part. Lilesville and Polkton come close, though. Can anyone help narrow down the nominees for best supporting station? Thanks!

-- Bob Venditti (bobvend@bellsouth.net), December 09, 2001

Answers

There are three MOW men working in Hamlet that were in the movie,LL Stoman,Charlie Ham,and one other whose name I can't recall.If you run up with them,they can tell you some interesting stories!!!

-- V.L.Lewis (sclrr@hotmail.com), December 12, 2001.

The depot was the Albemarle NC Depot on the Winston Salem Southbound Railway. There was also some filming done in Ansonville NC at the Ansonville house track. Theres a paved crossing there that was turned into dirt for the filming. The filming took a month as I was told. Some of my fellow co-workers were fortunate enough to work the train and have told some colorful tales about the experience.

Later Michael Ridenhour WSSB/HPT&D Engineer

-- Michael Ridenhour (michaelr4501@aol.com), December 11, 2001.

Bob, I can't actually help you with this depot, hopefully someone else will come up with an answer. The Movie companies are known to build complete depots for the movies. A station stands in Duffield, Virginia that was made by the film makers for the Sissy Spacek movie " Coal Miner's Daughter".It has a Duffield sign on it and has been preserved by a local rail historian and collector.

-- Dave George (deg111@msn.com), December 10, 2001.