Trains in 'The Fabelmans'

[ADCX Rob]

Flintlock76

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ITp_xSaxE

 

[Flintlock76]

Just what kind of 2-6-4 isn't really important.  What IS important is the train wreck in "The Greatest Show On Earth" is the best train wreck ever filmed!  Wow!

Lady Firestorm once stayed up until 3:00 AM watching "GSOE" on the "Late, Late Show" just to watch the train wreck!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ITp_xSaxE

[trainlivebob]

Thanks, I learned about fireboxes today

[ADCX Rob]

trainlivebob

OK, I give, what do you see to convince you its a 2026?

The boiler casting is unmistakable.

El Fixes Things

The 2026 had a much larger dome, and three visible pipes running down the side of the boiler.

Nailed it, exactly.

[El Fixes Things]

Giving it a good look, I'd say the trailing truck isn't the thing to be soley looking at- for me, the biggst giveaway is the large sand dome- the 2025 had a smaller sand dome, with only one visible pipe running down the side of the boiler. The 2026 had a much larger dome, and three visible pipes running down the side of the boiler. A very clear tell, which is easy to spot with the angle and lighting in the image.

That said... it did take me a minute to figure out what might be a good tell. I don’t usually make a regular habit of disinguishing steam locomtive profiles in unfavorable lighting conditions 

-Ellie

[pennytrains]

The 2025 has the Belpaire firebox which at this angle would be easily recognized.

[trainlivebob]

OK, I give, what do you see to convince you its a 2026?

I thought it was the trailing truck, but both have 2 axles that year I believe.

[ADCX Rob]

Here is a link to the Roger Carp article about Lionel trains in The Fabelmans movie.

And the locomotive in question as pictured here:

Which, despite the efforts of Carp, he appears to have misidentified as a 2025 when it is very clearly a 2026(also the 1952 version) in this view. He got the tender correct.

I have not seen this movie yet, but are there other views of anything other than the pictured 2026 and the referenced 2056?

Of course, changing one number in the article, if it was a typo, corrects the whole thing.