BRANCHVILLE – Weary and worn, travelers stood by the lonely railroad tracks waiting to escape the horror that loomed in the distance. The smell of smoke from distant fires burning tainted the cool country air. Sadness filled their Southern eyes, and fear gripped them as they longed for the sound of a locomotive that would grant them passage to North Carolina and away from the wrath of General Sherman and the Yankees that threatened utter destruction.

More than a dozen local residents answered movie director Christopher Forbes’ call for extras at the Branchville Railroad Station on Saturday for the filming of a major scene in the feature-length film, “Firetrail.”

An independent film based on the Civil War romance novel by Lydia Hawke, “Firetrail” has been in production since May and is scheduled to conclude in February 2007 at the Battle of Aiken. According to Hawke’s Web site, the film is tentatively scheduled to premiere in Augusta, Ga. in May.

Among the on-screen neophytes were Frank Simons III from Cross and Penny Batten from Dorchester who came out to support their friends, Charles and Joy Kizer of St. George.

“Charles and I are co-workers, and this was a birthday present to him,” Simons said.

Kizer is one of the main figures in “Firetrail,” as the best friend of lead actor Jim Hilton who plays Confederate Calvary Capt. Blake Winberry.

“They are filming the Calvary scene at my farm in St. George later this evening,” Kizer said.

Lin Laffitte, an actress from Estill in Hampton County, is cast in the role of “Judith Rogers.” She described the railroad scene they were filming in Branchville as a portion of the movie that depicts 1865 Columbia as people were fleeing the city in anticipation of the approach of Union troops.

According to Forbes, who also directed the docudrama “Battle of Aiken,” Branchville was a perfect location for this particular scene because of its central location and because of the old and new train stations which should lend themselves to digital creativity on the screen.

“Firetrail” is being filmed exclusively in the Palmetto State, and after an expected regional release in theaters in the Southeast, the film should be available on DVD sometime next year.

For more information about “Firetrail,” visit the author’s Web site at www.lydiahawke.us.

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