Hey, how about 1975's "Murder On The Orient Express?" A great ensemble cast with Albert Finney as the definitive Hercule Poirot, an absolutely stunning Art Deco delight with magnificent sets and wonderful runbys.
My favorite part? When the express gets under way and "waltzes" out of the station to that magnificent score. The composer of the films music said he wanted to have the locomotive "dance" out of the station, and by golly he did!
It's not about railroading, but it's got the best railroading scenes you'll ever see:
La Bete Humaine, from maybe 1938. Apparently Renoir, the director, was a railfan, and he wanted to do it right. The scenes shot on and from the engine are terrific.
timz It's not about railroading, but it's got the best railroading scenes you'll ever see: La Bete Humaine, from maybe 1938. Apparently Renoir, the director, was a railfan, and he wanted to do it right. The scenes shot on and from the engine are terrific.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Murphy SidingIt shows the crew picking up(?) water on the fly from a track pan(?) between the rails.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
The engineer and fireman in that French film wear big, rather ill-fitting, goggles. Oddly, the fireman doesn't put his on until the engineer signals him to look out the window. When I look at old photos of American engineers and firemen they sometimes have goggles hanging around their necks, or up on their hats, but rarely are they shown wearing them. Was it common for steam train crews to wear goggles?
tree68 Murphy Siding It shows the crew picking up(?) water on the fly from a track pan(?) between the rails. Twice, even!
Murphy Siding It shows the crew picking up(?) water on the fly from a track pan(?) between the rails.
Twice, even!
"La Bete Humaine" stars the great Jean Gabin, the French version of Spencer Tracy.
Murphy Siding The engineer and fireman in that French film wear big, rather ill-fitting, goggles. Oddly, the fireman doesn't put his on until the engineer signals him to look out the window. When I look at old photos of American engineers and firemen they sometimes have goggles hanging around their necks, or up on their hats, but rarely are they shown wearing them. Was it common for steam train crews to wear goggles?
I may have been an optional thing. The only required attire for steam era crews (that I know of) was hats, they had to wear one.
Firelock76 Murphy Siding The engineer and fireman in that French film wear big, rather ill-fitting, goggles. Oddly, the fireman doesn't put his on until the engineer signals him to look out the window. When I look at old photos of American engineers and firemen they sometimes have goggles hanging around their necks, or up on their hats, but rarely are they shown wearing them. Was it common for steam train crews to wear goggles? I may have been an optional thing. The only required attire for steam era crews (that I know of) was hats, they had to wear one.
Johnny
Deggesty Firelock76 Murphy Siding The engineer and fireman in that French film wear big, rather ill-fitting, goggles. Oddly, the fireman doesn't put his on until the engineer signals him to look out the window. When I look at old photos of American engineers and firemen they sometimes have goggles hanging around their necks, or up on their hats, but rarely are they shown wearing them. Was it common for steam train crews to wear goggles? I may have been an optional thing. The only required attire for steam era crews (that I know of) was hats, they had to wear one. What, no shirt or pants required?
What, no shirt or pants required?
Nope, or shoes neither! Aw c'mon, you know what I mean!
There's a funny story about the hats. There was a turn of the 20th Century engineer on one of the Northeast 'roads, I forget which one, who absolutely hated wearing hats and was told to wear one, or else!
So, he ran the locomotive wearing a baby bonnet!
"Hey, you didn't say what kind!"
Firelock76The only required attire for steam era crews (that I know of) was hats, they had to wear one.
Hence, the story (I think it was in Trains) about a new, young fireman whose mother had carefully starched and pressed his hat. Had nothing to do with looks, though - it was starched and pressed so cinders wouldn't stick to it...
We've probably all seen Buster Keaton's "The General" but there is another film of his with a lot of railroad stuff and that's "Our Hospitality" which features an 1830 looking train, a Stephenson's Rocket type (which looks kind of fake) pulling three cars, a flatbed tender and two passenger cars that look like stagecoaches. It's well worth watching. The train can't outrun a dog!
54light15 We've probably all seen Buster Keaton's "The General" but there is another film of his with a lot of railroad stuff and that's "Our Hospitality" which features an 1830 looking train, a Stephenson's Rocket type (which looks kind of fake) pulling three cars, a flatbed tender and two passenger cars that look like stagecoaches. It's well worth watching. The train can't outrun a dog!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Good call, Firelock76."The Train" is chock full of railroad action and seemingly authentic detail. I guess it was based on a true story, too. The underground got wind of the Nazi art theft and kept rerouting the train around the outskirts of Paris until the Allies forced the Germans to flee.
"How do you answer that question?" If you listen closely, this question is asked and answered several times within the film. Very powerful.
This would make a good pairing with the more recent "Monuments Men", which lacks trains but tells a very similar tale of rescuing great art, also based on true events.
Oh sure Ken, I know the question's asked earlier in the film. As I recall Burt (as Labiche the Underground leader) want's nothing to do with stopping the train as in his opinion the artworks are nothing but inanimate objects not worth anyone's life. It's his fellow Underground members that bring him around, so much so that in the end HE has to stop the train single-handed and injured as well being the last man standing.
The question still remains however. One of the reasons it's such a great film.
Is it based on a true story? I don't think so, although I could be wrong.
Garfield (2004) Union Station and the scene were Garfield sneaks into the control room and starts throwing switches left and right, impending a train wreck definitely hit me. The Dash 8's were the highlight of the show, they aren't really used much compared to other locomotives.
The Amtrak scene is towards the end of the movie.
The Train
Firelock76Is it based on a true story? I don't think so, although I could be wrong
From Wikipedia
"The Train is based on the factual 1961 book Le front de l'art by Rose Valland, the art historian at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, who documented the works of art placed in storage there that had been looted by the Germans from museums and private art collections throughout France and were being sorted for shipment to Germany in World War II.
In contrast to the action and drama depicted in the film, the shipment of art that the Germans were attempting to take out of Paris on 1 August 1944 was held up by the French Resistance with an endless barrage of paperwork and red tape and made it no farther than a railyard a few miles outside Paris.[2]
The train's actual interception was inspired by the real-life events surrounding train No. 40,044 as it was seized and examined by Lt. Alexandre Rosenberg of the Free French forces outside Paris in August 1944. Upon his soldiers opening the wagon doors he viewed many plundered pieces of art that had once been displayed in the home of his father, Parisian art dealer Paul Rosenberg, one of the world's major Modern art dealers.[3]
2 "DVD enclosure booklet: The Train". MGM Home Entertainment
3 Cohen, Patricia and Tom Mashberg. "Family, 'Not Willing to Forget,' Pursues Art It Lost to Nazis". The New York Times, April 27, 2013, p. A1; published online April 26, 2013. Retrieved: April 27, 2013."
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
It looks like the efficient Germans never figured out how to navigate French bureaucracy.
I read in the Trains magazine "100 Best Train Movies" from a few years ago that Burt sprained his ankle playing golf and made so he was wounded in the film.
That's interesting DSchmitt, I didn't know that. Doesn't sound so exciting, held up by red tape, so no wonder the filmakers punched things up a bit.
I'll say this much, those French railroad officials who held up the train with a barrage of paperwork were taking one hell of a chance. They're lucky they didn't face a barrage of German lead! Or in the end, maybe the Germans had more important things on their minds, like getting away from George Patton.
Not that its critical to this list, but I didn't see Breakheart Pass with Charles Bronson. And I do agree with most of these thoughts - good movies and bad, but with trains!
The Muppets Take Manhattan is probably not a train movie (haven’t seen it) but it evidently has at least one train scene.
wanswheelThe Muppets Take Manhattan is probably not a train movie (haven’t seen it) but it evidently has at least one train scene.
"From Russia with Love" has a bit of railroad action/interaction.
One I enjoyed was SILVER STREAK. Not a great movie but as with many movies, good stunt work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e526IbNlQ98
And I vote THE LONE RANGER about the worst. I think the producers lost big $$ on it deservedly.
Scriptwise going into Chicago Union Station but the camera shot is on a flat car going into Chicago & Northwestern Staion. Bad ethnic jokes, many preposterous situations but a fun movie.
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