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  • Movie Magic: Auto Rims On Tracks

  • Discussion related to railroads/trains that show up in TV shows, commercials, movies, literature (books, poems and more), songs, the Internet, and more... Also includes discussion of well-known figures in the railroad industry or the rail enthusiast hobby.
Discussion related to railroads/trains that show up in TV shows, commercials, movies, literature (books, poems and more), songs, the Internet, and more... Also includes discussion of well-known figures in the railroad industry or the rail enthusiast hobby.

Moderator: Aa3rt

 #637077  by atsf sp
 
In two movies I recently watched, Get Smart and Octopussy both had the wheels blown out of the tire rims and went onto the railroad tracks and drove. Get Smart was a Explorer and Octopussy was a Mercedes luxury car. Could this really be done or is it just a fantasy of Hollywood?
 #637246  by Flat-Wheeler
 
Great question. Sounds like a terrific viewer idea for the next episode of Mythbusters. Get with the times, and watch them.... Wow, those are some old movies, man !
 #637354  by atsf sp
 
FlatWheeler wrote:Wow, those are some old movies, man !
I was talking about the new Get Smart and yes that Bond movie is old.
 #637365  by pennsy
 
Not that uncommon in the movies. George C. Scott drove such a vehicle on the tracks in one of his movies concerning a Flim Flam artist.
 #637418  by Mikejf
 
I would think in reality that the rims would not be able to withstand the beating of metal to metal, if the vehicle was the right gauge. And the overhang would make going through switches and over crossings interesting.
Mike
 #639655  by GSC
 
Just out of curiosity, I went out and measured the centerline of the front tires on my Ford Ranger pickup.

Only off by about an inch and a half, to have the centers of my rims match up with standard gauge rail! I think it could be done, but not for long, those aluminum rims would fall apart in no time. But it could be done, with my truck at least.

Wonder about my wife's Lincoln Navigator...
 #640708  by atsf sp
 
I'm thinking fanstasy but it might be fun to take the car and go down an abandoned ROW. :-D
 #679857  by Cosmo
 
GSC wrote:Just out of curiosity, I went out and measured the centerline of the front tires on my Ford Ranger pickup.

Only off by about an inch and a half, to have the centers of my rims match up with standard gauge rail! I think it could be done, but not for long, those aluminum rims would fall apart in no time. But it could be done, with my truck at least.

Wonder about my wife's Lincoln Navigator...
Older cars had harder steel rims.
IIRC, the "Willey's Jeep" was made in such a way as to allow for just such an operation. There was a photograph of just such a thing in an older issue of TRAINS, that is, an Army jeep being used as a switch engine!
 #679865  by RedLantern
 
They also did that in Back to the Future III with the Delorian, of course the tires were removed from the rims, not blown out.

The question would be a matter of if the wheel base matches the gauge, are the rims 4 feet 8.5 inches apart? Some cars may have the right wheelbase, but most probably wouldn't, especially since the trend of newer cars tends to be wider.

Before someone mentions Hy-Rail trucks, those use special rims where the tires are closer together, they are not stock rims, but are designed to hold the tires on the gauge. Hy-Rail trucks also aren't supported by their tires while on the rails, the guide wheels provide the majority of the support with the road tires simply holding enough grip to drive the vehicle.

I've seen work carts which use standard car rims, they're not powered, and the carts are built specifically to the gauge. If the hubs are directly over the rails, and the rims are strong enough to hold the weight, then the rims themselves should be able to work, but like I said before, your average passenger car most likely will not have the correct gauge.
 #681418  by Plate F
 
Someone sent me a link to the Back to the Future III clip on Monday. I couldn't help but lol, especially when the car set off the crossing gates. :)
 #682630  by donredhead
 
Having hiked many of old ROWS I would find old vintage cars in the unlikeyest of places in the woods. The Explanation from the neighboors is after the RR abandoned the tracks Teenagers would blow the tires off of junkers and take them for one last ride.Also in mountain rural areas in West Virgina and the Andonrondacks lightly used freight lines either with or without the Railroads permision people would make there own high railers out of japlopys(probaly so they dont miss the car when there is a train!) to get to hunting and fishing camps. This is documented by the Androndack Scenic Railroad
 #682741  by pennsy
 
Didn't they do that in the Flim Flam Man with George C. Scott ??
 #683063  by Marty Feldner
 
pennsy wrote:Didn't they do that in the Flim Flam Man with George C. Scott ??
No.

In that movie (worth watching in its own right), Scott's character lets most of the air out of the truck's four tires, then drives onto the tracks. The mostly deflated tires draped over the railhead- that's what kept the truck on the track. No rim riding involved.
 #687066  by Otto Vondrak
 
RedLantern wrote:They also did that in Back to the Future III with the Delorian, of course the tires were removed from the rims, not blown out.
The car was not riding on the DeLorean rims, Doc swapped out the stock rims for railroad wheels with flanges, not unlike what you'd see on a Fairmont speeder.

-otto-