Favorite Train Movie

[Anonymous]

As far as toy train movies/shows go, none can compare, in my opinion, with the Joe McDoaks short from many years ago about the king of all toy train nuts (and one representative of many on this very forum, I imagine). That short film is THE all-time classic as far as I am concerned, and not to be missed by any toy train enthusiast AND his spouse.

[Anonymous]

i agrre with everybody all the train movies were great i think everybody is right

[Anonymous]

If we're going to talk about great TOY train scenes from movies, my favorite one comes from the 1934 Alfred Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much. The movie is about a couple whose teenage daughter is kidnapped by spies. There's a scene that takes place shortly after the daughter has been taken where the parents are in her room. The father is running a Hornby O gauge electric train on a large layout set up on the floor that includes elevated track, signals, a footbridge, a freight station and a crane. The scene opens with the following dialogue:

Mother: Is that train electric?

Father: Yes, 20 volts. Ah, it's the best present I ever gave the kid. She doesn't play with it very much now, though.

Mother: She never did. You never gave her a chance.

They then go on to talk about the situation at hand. The scene ends with the mother kneeling beside the father, looking down at the train and remarking, "Oh, darling, you've got Pullmans and coal trucks on the same train." The only problem with this statement is that for the brief moment where we do see the train, it consists of a Royal Scot locomotive and tender pulling a single Pullman car. But we don't see the train when the mother says this and the camera doesn't always show the father, so it's quite possible that he added more cars to it.

Another favorite toy train scene comes from the unbelieveably awful movie Nothing But Trouble from 1990 starring John Candy, Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd and Demi Moore. The movie involves some people being taken prisoner in the mansion of a judge in a weird town. There's a scene where everyone is seated around a long table for dinner. The judge flips a switch and up pops a Lionel layout that goes around the table. It has a train running on it that is pulled by a postwar Berkshire with a train of postwar rolling stock that includes a depressed-center flat car with toothpick containers, an LV hopper with condiments of some kind that you spoon out, a dump car with a simmilar load, a single-dome and a two-dome Sunoco tank car that have pumps on their domes for dispensing mustard and ketchup and the base and launching mechanism from a minuteman boxcar that shoots pickles. The train is surrounded by prewar and postwar accessories that include signals, light towers, a gateman, flagman, prewar bungalos and villas, station platforms, an early Hafner station and a Marx signal tower. The judge runs everything from a ZW. There's a scene involving a real train later on in the movie. You don't know what a bad movie is until you've seen it, but it's worth watching just for that incredible scene with the toy trains!

[Munster518]

Talk about Toy Trains, the movie "Clockers" was about a kid that is having problems in school and goes home to work on this lionel Layout. The movie is basically centered around that layout, and what a layout it is. I think Spike Lee directed that film, maybe someone could help me out on this one?

-John

[overall]

For toy trains:

Arthur, with Dudley Moore and;

The Addams Family.

George

[Anonymous]

How did I forget about Holiday Affair form 1949 with Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh? Not only does this movie have lots of toy train scenes, but a Lionel set plays a central role in the plot. The train in question is made up of ATSF F3 diesels pulling Madison heavyweight cars, which have had their "Santa Fe" and "Lionel Lines" lettering changed to "Red Rocket Express". A great Christmas movie.

[garyseven]

Real Trains:
North by Northwest.

Roger Thornhill: "In the world of advertising, there's no such thing as a lie. There's only expedient exaggeration. "

Toy Trains:
The Day the Earth Stood Still

Klaatu: "Your choice is simple. Join us and live in peace or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you. "

[ottergoose]

Iron Will (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110157/) isn't really a train movie, but it is based on a dogsled race sponsored by James J. Hill, and has some great shots of equipment from the Lake Superior Railroad Museum (http://www.lsrm.org/index_2.htm).

[Anonymous]

A few have listed Buster Keaton's the General as a fave.The version I bought from Amazon has a new music score by the Alloy Orcherstra ( produced by Image Entertainment). It's a mix of contemporary and vintage themed incedental music with the occasional musical sound effect and is a terrific fit. It is doubled with Steamboat Bill Jr. That's the one with the falling house wall. 

The other Buster train movie is "Our Hospitality", this also has a good sound score. (by Kino Video) Buster inherits property in the South and travels aboard a weathered Stephenson's Rocket copy he had built specifically for this film. Yep, he was one of us. I read recently he was a railfan. It's mate on the DVD is Sherlock Jr. which has a Santa Fe steam passenger and a SP freight train.  

The B&W reproduction on all of these are very high quality and worth the purchase price.

Rob

 

[Anonymous]

Oh man, I totally forgot "Back to the Future 3" With Dr Emmit Scotts immortal line" You must forgive the crudeness of my modelwork".

 "track 29" Christopher LLoyd plays a surgeon who has trains of all scales all over his house. He also is active in the national association and does a great sermon/speech about the difference between us and the UNbelievers. Warning, it is a very very wierd movieand is NOT for the kiddies. I have it on VHS and haven't seen it on DVD.

The original British version of "the Ladykillers" with Sir Alec Guinness and a very young Peter Sellers. Lots of British postwar steam and a robbery in one of the London depots. On DVD

"Hard Days Night" Beatles in a BR 2nd class (?) coach. Good interior shots ifyou need to finish those Ratio kits yo have for some reason. 

The original RKO version of "Silver Streak" has besides lots of footage of the CB&Qs Pioneer Zephyr some steam and freightcars. When I last saw it there was a Q Mike and some Q composite gons in the Denver Yards (?)

[Texas Chief]

Laz, I love the theme music to "Molly Mcguires", but I haven't seen the movie in many years. Is it available on DVD?

Dick

Texas Chief

[yallaen]

I'd have to ditto everyone else with Silver Streak as a comedy..

But..what about October Skys? The movie about the kid from high school, whose father is a coal miner in the 50's. He starts building model rockets. Turns out he eventually goes on to the Space Shuttle program. Anyway, they need money for some parts, so the kid and his friends start taking apart a "abandoned" spur track.

Oh, and what about Stand By Me? Love that running on the bridge..

 

[Kooljock1]

Doesn't anyone else remember "Disaster On The Coastliner": starring Lloyd Bridges, Raymond Burr and William Shatner?

It was supposed to take place in California, but the train wrecked in Old Lyme or Saybrook CT on the New Haven shoreliner route!

 Jon

[lionelsoni]

I remember it as one of the most absurd movies I have ever seen.

[Anonymous]

North by Northwest---I can't imagine a better time than sitting across from Eva Marie Saint and having cocktails and dinner in the diner of the 20th Century (unless, of course, it is followed up by a rendevous in the bedroom compartment!). I'd like to see Southwest Airlines compete with that!

[Stewartville]

My Favorite movie was the Polar Express as it got me back into model trains after being away for 45 years. I am now retired and building a layout of 210 sq. feet or seven 4x8 sheets of plywood. It is lots of Fun.    Stewartville

[laz 57]

Just saw KING KONG and lots of 3rd Ave. Trolleys.

laz57

[dwestrich]

Runaway Train is great.  There's some good RR scenes in Matewan.  My 4 y.o. son is addicted to "Lots & Lots of Trains" and the I Love Toy Trains videos.

 I found the animation in Polar Express creepy.  Doesn't hold a candle to the excellence of the book.

Which could be another thread:  which train book do you like most?  Not how-tos or hardcore railfan, but books with trains.  Illustrated (especially kids') or otherwise?

 First post, btw.

[Craignor]

1) Polar Express-awesome first scene as the PE pulls up out fromt of the boy's home. Great animation...and awesome sound too.

2) Batman Returns-Lex Luther's awesome layout and the destructon of said layout.

3) Kelly's Heroes- "...I've been workin on the railroad..."

4) From Russia with Love-Sean Connery with the babe in the sleeper cabin, and the kick#ss fight, with the bad guy going out the window.

[JimM]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Allan Miller

I can't begin to count how many times this question has been asked on various forums, but my answer is always the same: "Emperor of the North," aka "Emperor of the North Pole." There has been no train movie made, in my opinion, that better combines a fictional story with the factual realities of prototype railroading. I can't even think of a close second.

Allan,

I completely agree. I have been tryng to buy a copy (VHS or DVD) for months now. The copy I made from TV years ago has just stretched beyond belief. Anyone know where I can buy a new copy?

Thanks.

 

Yes, it is available on DVD $9.99 I did a quick Google search, and there were others selling it too, but I just picked these by random. I have never seen it...

My favorite movies are The Polar Express, and The Train.

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7807938&st=Emperor+of+the+North&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1532252

http://www.hermanstreet.com/store/movies-emperor-or-the-north-445581.html?ttreng=1&ttrkey=emperor%20of%20the%20north

I am surprised no body mentioned the train movie Murder on the Orient Express?

Jim

[Brutus]

Here is an excellent resource when trying to find dvds:

http://www.dvdpricesearch.com/

Enter the title and you will get to pick from a list of movies (if the titles are similar).  Once you get to the one you want, click on compare and see who has it and how much.  I've bought from dvdempire, amazon, amazon.uk, amazon.de, yesasia, hkflix, and deepdiscountdvd.  ddd usually has the best price since shipping is free.

Lots of great movies, guys!  The Titfield Thunderbolt is a personal favorite.