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April 6, 2007

Old depot could house 4-D experience

By Erik Green

People in 3-D glasses could relive local Civil War history on the big screen in Dalton as they watch James Andrews and his Union raiders steal the train known as The General from the Confederates if David Pennington has his way.

Pennington is chairman of a citizens committee appointed by the Dalton City Council that is looking at ways to refurbish Dalton’s old train depot off of Morris Street.

Pennington hopes a 3-D movie with 4-D special effects — such as wind and smoke — in a 60-seat theater will be the answer.

In the movie, The General would scream down the tracks in the hands of Union soldiers bent on destroying the railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga. The film would have both live actors and computer animation working in sync as the story unfolds, along with 4-D effects like vibration, wind, water spray, aroma and smoke.

Pennington believes the movie, which would be created by Simworx of London, could help attract people and new businesses to downtown.

The train depot is being renovated with a $250,000 grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation. The city will fund the interior renovation at a cost of about $15,000, city leaders have said. Part of the building will house the Dalton Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Pennington said the movie project — from installation to opening night — would cost approximately $1 million, but committee members have yet to decide on a way to fund it.

Pennington mentioned bonds issued by the Dalton Downtown Development Authority, grants or private funds as a way to fund the project, but said the committee will not ask taxpayers for money.

“In order to attract young entrepreneurs, they want an entertaining downtown,” Pennington said, adding that larger cities like Atlanta have turned their eroded downtowns into destinations.

“We want to do that on a smaller scale,” he said.

Pennington said a similar movie has been a success in York, England, a town larger than Dalton, “but more economically depressed.”

He hopes to study the economic impact of a new 4-D movie in Kalamazoo, Mich., that features an air raid over Germany during World War II in hopes of finding ways of funding and promoting Dalton’s version.

People in the theater could smell the smoke from the train and hear the mighty steel wheels rumble down the tracks as their seats shake with the motion of the locomotive.

The 10-15 minute feature would end with the raiders being captured and the train going back to its rightful owners.

Pennington hopes that when the audience members walk out of the depot they might head across the street to a blues cafe that’s been discussed for downtown. They might walk over to Hamilton Street and choose from several different restaurants for dinner or spend some time and money at local shops.

“We want to get people excited about downtown,” Pennington said.

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