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  • Railroads in the movies

  • 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

 #75989  by emd_SD_60
 
I got to add another one...
In Lethal Weapon 4 a Rio Grande GP40-2 has a prominent part, during the second train incident. Nice shot of the engineer throwing it into emergency, yet he still crashes into the bad guys' car... :-D

Here's the locomotive: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/drgw/drgw3134ags.jpg

 #77231  by michael_m_rubino
 
How about:

Magnum Force: Clint Eastwood Southern Pacific reefers near San Francisco

Midnight Run: Deniro & Charles Grodin Santa Fe trains and Amtrak Train

Enemy of the State: Will Smith & Gene Hackman Conrail Coal Trains and Conrail Yard

Rocky 2: Stallone Conrail Yard switcher when he is running in the morning.

Hunter: Steve McQueen LA area

JFK Kevin Costner Dallas, Texas

 #77305  by Benjamin Maggi
 
"The Taking of Pelham One Two Three"...

They DID remake it in I think 1998. It was a made for tv movie. I think I still have it on tape. It was okay, but it received mixed reviews. Locking to door wouldn't stop me if I was on a runaway train!

 #78320  by David Benton
 
"garfield" the movie , has a brief scene aboard what i thnk is a superliner , woth donong car scenes .
 #81812  by NHRDC121
 
The station scene in "Hello, Dolly" was shot across the river from West Point at Garrison, NOT Cold Spring.

 #81829  by emd_SD_60
 
My Cousin Vinny has a brief shot of a Chessie System GP9 running long hood forward leading a short train of grain cars.
 #82995  by Gilbert B Norman
 
A TV movie, presently making rounds of the various HBO channels, titled "Chasing Liberty" (plot: The President's daughter code named "Liberty" goes on a European "lam' with her Secret Service Agent falling in love with her; where do they dream these up????) has a few minutes of footage aboard a Czech train. Also some impressive scenic rail photography.

Also of interest: Tony Soprano's auto salesman girlfriend apparently resurrected from her suicide; the actress has a supporting role in this flick.
 #83061  by 2nd trick op
 
Columbia's 1955 screen-adaptaton of William Inge's classic, shot on location near the author's hometown of Independence, Kansas, but actually in Coffeyville.

Bill Holden, Kim Novak, Roz Russell, Nick Adams and a number of Mopac scenes, though regrettably all-diesel.

Inge had a unique understanding of the culture in which he grew up. This film did it justice.

 #83395  by Metalrailz
 
Aa3rt quoted,
Buster Keaton's silent classic "The General". Filmed in 1927 on a logging railroad in Oregon, this one includes some great shots of some truly vintage equipment. In this one, they REALLY DO wreck a locomotive when it crashes through a burning trestle

Art I rented this movie over the holidays, a masterpiece of its time. The wreck was unbelievable, I immediately went out an bought the DVD along with "THE TRAIN" starring Burt Lancaster. Thanks for suggesting a great classic to watch and own!! :-D

 #85252  by RSD15
 
I would like to add "Bad Day At Black Rock"the opening frames of a southern pacific dayligt passenger train with A and B F units through the desert are priceless.also "In The Heat Of The Night",GM@O passenger train,Mopac freight trains,chase through yard and fight in a round house. -------------------- charles

 #85287  by Aa3rt
 
Metalrailz wrote: Art I rented this movie over the holidays, a masterpiece of its time. The wreck was unbelievable, I immediately went out an bought the DVD along with "THE TRAIN" starring Burt Lancaster. Thanks for suggesting a great classic to watch and own!! :-D
You're welcome, glad you liked it. On the same topic, I'm suprised that no one has mentioned Disney's "Great Locomotive Chase" with Fess Parker. This was filmed in the mid-1950's IIRC and used some vintage equipment from the collection at the B&O Museum.

A little web-surfing yielded a couple of interesting sites. This movie was released in 1956 (that explains why it's been years since I've seen it :wink: ). One interesting fact that I was reminded of, is that the Medal of Honor was first awarded in 1863 to some of Andrews' surviving raiders.

Check out these links:

http://www.andrewsraid.com/disney.html

http://www.andrewsraid.com/disney1.html

http://members.aol.com/depot88/wvsw.html

http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/history ... first.html

Amazon.com does list this DVD in stock if anyone is interested.
 #88039  by NRGeep
 
Just caught 'Ray' with Jamie Fox's smoking performance as Ray Charles. I did notice one brief scene where Ray's band was traveling under a RR overpass allegedly in the "1950's" in a vintage looking bus, however the train traveling on the overpass (unknown location) is a double stack container train. Don't think they were around in the "50's". Other than that minor detail it was an amazing film about one of 20th century music's true innovators.

 #88298  by WNYRailfan
 
I was just watching the movie "Giant" with Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean (c. 1956). The movie starts out with a C&O steam engine and 4 passenger cars. Then midway through...it shows the passage of time and shows a F unit...F-3 or F-5 I think...it had 2 portholes on the side of it..may have been modified from its original F body.

The 7 Year Itch has some nice train shots and the interior of Penn Station.
Heck, who doesn't like the steam from the passenger cars blowing up Marilyn Monroe's dress.

I am a Buffalo Central Terminal fan...so Best Friends (c. 1982) and the Natural (c. 1984) both have short interior shots of the BCT.

Strangers on a Train is great as well. So is Silver Streak...nice crash scene and great comedy.

The new movie "Garfield" w/ Bill Murray has some interior shots of the Los Angeles station and platforms.
 #92314  by Komachi
 
Was flipping through channels the other night and caught the begining of "The Transporter" on HBO. There's a German built switcher (shunter) leading a cut of European style boxcars down a waterfront industrial area in the opening chase scene. Made me think of this thread, so I thought I'd add that and a couple of others...

"Wierd Science" Gary (Anthony Michal Hall) is driving the Ferarri with the blonde woman (I forget which one she is off hand... been a while since I've seen the flick)down a suburban Chicago road chased by the local police. He loses them by driving around the gates in front of an approaching Metra train (F40PH and some bi-levels).

"Go West" The Marx Brothers are at it again! Groucho goes west in search of his fortune and the usual antics ensue. It's been a while since I've seen this one too (and I'm a big Marx Bros. fan! Herasy!!!) and can't exactly remember the reason why, but he has to go back east in a hurry and takes a train (4-4-0 and wooden cars). I can't remember exactly how, but there's a scene where the train derails and ends up running around in circles (as if on a toy train setup) before straightening out again. They also run out of fuel for the locomotive and resort to hacking apart the cars (the horror!) to burn as fuel... rather humerous to see the train rolling along the next morning esentially flatcars with passengers sitting in their seats.


Also, came home from work yesterday morning (I work the graveyard shift) and AMC was showing "Emperor of the North." First time I saw it, and must say it was a good flick, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine = a great combination. Question though, can anyone else verify if one of the men in the roundhouse is George C. Scott? Didn't see his name in the credits and the listing on the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) doesn't list him either. Maybe it's just someone who looks like him.

And...

NHRDC121,

Thanks for the info. on the "Disaster on the Coastliner." Thought I'd responded earlier with my gratitude, but it appears that is not the case. My apologies for my delay.

 #92510  by Aa3rt
 
Komachi-It's been years since I've watched "Go West" but if you'll watch the railroad scene closely, you'll note that the train going in circles is a Heisler, hidden under boards and hay bales, etc. to disguise the absence of driving wheels on the previously depicted locomotive.
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