Trains on TV from the '60's

[JRP]

Hi All,

For those of you old enough to remember the hit TV series "The Fugitive" (1963-1967) starring David Janssen, you may remember that it had a number of episodes that included trains and rail yards.   The "fugitive" traveled from town to town trying to stay one step ahead of the law while searching for the one arm man

and many times hopped a freight to escape.  In fact, the opening of each early episode had the fugitive on a passenger train that becomes derailed allowing him to escape. 

That train engine has a bright operating mars light as it heads right past the viewer.  

 

This show was produced several years before the days of Amtrak and corporate rail mergers, so you can still see older locomotives and box cars that ran during the 1960's.

Because the show was done mostly in and around Southern California, you will see loco's and many freight cars of different road names but mostly Southern Pacific and Santa Fe.

I've seen all of the 120 episodes on YouTube and have listed those episodes that have some great train shots in them.  They are shown with no commercial interruptions and some are in HD quality.  The first 3 seasons (90 episodes) were shown in black and white.  The forth and last season (1966-1967) was shown in color and in one of those episodes you'll see some great train viewing, all in color.

Just click the links below and it will take you to some of the better "train" episodes.  Just to the right of your "Fugitive" viewing screen is a list of most of the episodes that you can click and watch.  I added one that's not on this list ("The 2130") as it has some great train shots and, I believe, shows the old Altadena passenger station. 

It's fun to watch these trains as they were back then.  

 

Enjoy.

 

JRP

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u27j0KNqMYY&list=PLg6n0rq4xUl5alihRt9rY4uFVdrl8enYb

Title:  Angels Travel on Lonely Roads:  Part 2 shows trains in Soledad Canyon (SP) and the old Revenna freight station. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao38zfHZ1Kk&list=PLg6n0rq4xUl5alihRt9rY4uFVdrl8enYb
Title:  When the Bough Breaks:  Episode opens with trains and box cars

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v16fQ88HzBA&list=PLg6n0rq4xUl5alihRt9rY4uFVdrl8enYb

Title:  A.P.B.  Episode with lots of train action.   

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTYJRIWqwKs&list=PLg6n0rq4xUl5alihRt9rY4uFVdrl8enYb

Title: Echo of A Nightmare:  Episode with Santa Fe loco and slow moving freight.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ3SKnEWhzo

Title:  The 2130:  Episode shows Alco PA locomotive and Altadena passenger station on the ATSF line in the San Gabriel Valley east of Pasadena.   NOTE:  You will have to search the far right of your screen for all four parts of this episode as they are separated.  

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCVpPDOMUMk&list=PLg6n0rq4xUl5alihRt9rY4uFVdrl8enYb
Title:  Nobody Loses All The Time (in color):  Episode shows great shots of Santa Fe's "F" unit in warbonnet colors and the Los Angeles freight yards near downtown along the river.  

[jecorbett]

Good post. I wasn't a regular viewer of The Fugitive but did watch it off and on. My recollection is that it was one of the first shows that announced a series finale and I think it got blockbuster ratings for its final episode in which the one armed man was found and brought to justice. More typically, a show's season finale would be in the can before they found out it wasn't going to be renewed and so there was no chance for a dramatic conclusion like The Fugitive had.

[JRP]

Thanks.  If you like to see prototypes you will like some of these episodes.