Trains in movies

[Anonymous]

How could you people forget White Christmas?

Even though the train supposedly going to Vermont is really a Santa Fe train between Los Angeles and San Diego, it still is a classic.

See you around the forums,
Daniel

[Craignor]

Folks,

Check out the French Connection 2, you will see several scenes of GG-1 passenger consists moving thorugh NYC.

Some pretty cool scenes, and not a bad movie![:)]

Gene Hackman...Roy Schrieder

[Mr Mekanik]

Keith & FJ and G, about a train channel. There is a cable/satellite is called DYI. I have seen a program dedicated to hobbies. Remote control planes, cars and other hobbies. check it out.
"Stay On The Tracks"

[Big_Boy_4005]

I'm often confused[%-)][%-)][%-)][;)]I haven't seen all of the Twilight Zone episodes, but I did see the one where the guy was on the train on the kid's layout, and that was the around and around reference. The line about next stop Willoughby was just dumb luck. I guess I should be on the lookout for that episode.[swg]

[Kooljock1]

Now does anyone remember this little nugget from the early 80's? It was an episode of Amazing Stories involving a boy and his grandfather. The boy had a floor layout including a Post War #675 pulling the Chessie Steam Special cars.

At the end of the show when the boys grandfather dies, a full-sized steam train and cars plows through the living room wall and stops to pick up grandfather and take him to heaven.

Earlier in the show, the boy and his grandfather walked the abandoned ROW where the boys house had been built.

Jon [8D]

[spankybird]

HI Jon,

What a memory!!!! Now that I read it, I do recall it. I also seem to remember the conductor call out “Next stop, Willoughby” at the end.

Hopefully I can just live in a simpler way of life. There as been several articles written about this in the local newspapers. Rod Stewart did travel thru Ohio and stop in Willoughby about the time when he did this program. It was also pointed out, that at that time, there was only one Willoughby in the US.

Lucky me.

tom

[Kooljock1]

Big Boy,

You're confusing episodes of The Twilight Zone. The one you're thinking of involves a couple who had to much to drink one night, and woke up on a huge train layout.

The Willoughby episode features an over-worked ad-executive who gets on the New Haven at GCT, and starts hallucinating about a lovely early 20th Century town the train stops in. He is asked by the conductor if this is his stop each evening as his train pulls in. Finally to escape the hactic "grey flannel suit" world he lives in, he gets off in slower, simpler Willoughby.

The next scene shows the NH conductor standing at the foot of the embankment next to this guys' body, saying: "I don't know, he just shouted "wait conductor, I'm getting off", and he jumped off the train!".

As a final note, the vehicle taking away his body belongs to the Willoughby Funeral Home.

Jon [8D]

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by spankybird

Ok all,

How many of you remember the Twilight Zone series, the one call “Going to Willoughby”. And where do I live, Willoughby, Ohio.
tom

Tom, was that you in that episode???[:p][(-D][(-D][(-D][swg]
There's no escape!! Around, and around, and around, and..........Next stop Willoughby!!

[pennsy_fan]

I think TM Videos has wrapped up toy train movies pretty well. Not to mention Thomas the Tank Engine. However , I suppose somebody could come up w/ a fresh idea on toy train movies......................

[guilfordrr]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G

How bout model trains as a "movie?"

Cool idea. Very cool idea. Ideas for a movie, anybody? Post them!!!!!!!

Anyone heard about the "Polar Express" kids movie coming out this Thanksgiving?

[FJ and G]

How bout model trains as a "movie?"

CTT's May04 issue highlights a beautiful layout that will run on Court TV, depicting the tragic swamp wreck of the Amtrak train about 10 years ago.

[spankybird]

Ok all,

How many of you remember the Twilight Zone series, the one call “Going to Willoughby”. And where do I live, Willoughby, Ohio.
tom

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G

Elliot,

Please don't mention live steam or small trains you can ride on. I get fits of jealousy.

The weirdest short story I ever read, which would make an interesting movie, was by mark twain, about a train that got stuck in a snowdrift and the passengers turned into cannibals. I can't recall the title.

Don't worry Dave, when you find out what they cost, you'll consider switching to prewar, its cheaper.[:p][;)][:D]

The Mark Twain story sounds like all of the elements of Donner Pass blended together. Snow and trains yes, snow and canibalism yes, but not all three elements at the same time.

Wow Sask!

what a list!!! I had a couple of those, but that's amazing!![:0][:D]

[Anonymous]

Note: I've added a few more titles onto this list since Ifirst posted it.

Well, let's see. I can think of some toy trains in movies and TV besides the ones already mentioned. Since I'm only 17, my childhood wasn't that long ago and I can remember toy trains on some kids shows. I've always had a very good memory and am very keen at spotting trains where others wouldn't.

Movies:
A Holiday Affair: In this Christmas movie, a Lionel set plays a very important part. It conatins Santa Fe AA F3's with Madison cars all with "Red Rocket Express" decals put over the original markings. At the beginning of the movie, a very large department store display layout is seen with that train as well as a steam passenger set running on it.

A Christmas Story: At the beginning, a department store toy display is shown and there are Lionel trains running in it. There are at least two postwar Lionel steamers pulling very long frieghts (gotta love that magne-traction) as well as a prewar M-10000 and Hiawatha. The movie is supposed to take place in the 50's, though, so it wouldn't make much sense to have trains from the 30's in a store that sells new merchandise.

Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss: This was the sequal to "A Christmas Story" where the kids are older. In this movie, Ralph wakes up after a nightmare and sits up in bed. There's a short clip showing the wall opposite to him that he's staring at. Sitting on a shelf are two Lionel O27 passenger cars and a floodlight tower. Another thing to note is that in this movie there's another brief clip showing the end of a train with a BN extended-vision caboose on it. BN didn't come until 1970!

Throw Momma From the Train: There's a very brief scene in this movie showing Danny DeVito running some postwar Lionel trains on the porch of his mother's house. There's a larger steam engine, like a hudson or berkshire maybe, running around and oval of track pulling a 3-dome Sunoco tank car and a maroon LV hopper car. There's also a gateman and crossing gate, which aren't hooked up. DeVito pushes down on the crossing gate to make the bell ring. There's also some other cars and I think even some orange Lionel boxes sitting around, too. Also in the film is a park train and an Amtrak train pulled by an EMD switcher.

Jingle All The Way: Arnold Schwartzenegger breaks into his neighbor's house so he can steal a Turboman action figure from under his Christmas tree. There's a 2 second clip showing an Ives standard gauge train running underneath the tree with a whistle blowing (all while the neighbor's supposed to be gone). The engine is a 4-4-2 that looks just like a Prosperity Special (really!) pulling blue passenger cars.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks: This is an old Disney movie that I liked as a kid. In part of the movie the main characters are in a mansion that the owners have left due to an unexploded bomb in the yard (it takes place in WWII). The house has a nursery with toys and there's a 5 second clip showing some Marklin gauge 1 trains and accessories. I'm not sure where this movie was filmed, but being that it's Disney, I wonder if the trains perhaps came from Ward Kimbel's collection. Speaking of old Disney movies, I can recall noticing another tinplate train (probably Marklin or Bing) on a shelf in Marry Poppins.

TV Shows:
Sienfeld: In one episode, Jerry is dating a girl who has a huge toy collection she inherited from her father. Jerry ends up drugging her so he can play with the toys. Included with the toys are 2 green Lionel standard gauge passenger cars, an early Lionel standard gauge caboose and a Marx signal tower.

Matlock: In one show (perhaps more), you can see the fuzzy image of a prewar Lionel crane (not sure if O or standard) in the background in Ben Matlock's office. Also, in his office in other shows can be seen a G scale engine in a glass display case that looks like an old Colorado & Southern narrow gauge engine.

Murder in Small Town X: This was the only reality show I ever liked. In it, the contestants had to solve a murder in a strange town. One of the suspects had lots of toys in his house. While some contestants are investigating inside while he's gone, a 2 second clip showing a plastic Lionel 2-4-2 pulling a yellow Chessie (I think) gondola (no tender!) is shown. What idiot leaves their trains running while they leave the house? Or runs them without a tender for that matter? In a later episode, the inside of this guy's house is shown again and you can catch a glimpse of a slope back tender and some O27 track sitting on a table.

The Red Green Show: In one episode, Red shows how you can have operating windsheild wipers on all your car windows. He mounts wiper blades onto all the windows that can pivot and have the ends sticking up above the roof of the car. He then takes a postwar Lionel diecast steam engine and using duct tape (the handyman's secret weapon) sticks a long wooden brush onto the front of it. There's a piece of plywood with an oval of track on the roof of the car. As the train runs around, the brush handle hits the wiper blades and makes them move. A novel idea perhaps, but I wouldn't want to try it in the rain or with the car actually moving!

Touched By An Angel: In one show, the plot deals with a kid who loves trains that ends up befriending and helping a mentally handicaped man who also loves trains. Featured is a very nice layout with an MTH NYC husdon set running on it.

Dennis The Menace: It's the old black and white show from the 60's that I'm talking about. In one show, there's a soap box derby with an electric train as the prize. Dennis' dad makes a $50 bet with a rival father over who's kid's car will win the race. Mr. Wilson accidentally ends up going in the race and winning. Because he didn't qualify, the other kid won the train, which was an HO set with an F-unit, reefer, gondola and caboose. Dennis' car won, though, so his dad won the bet. With the $50, Dennis gets a Lionel Santa Fe Alco PA passenger set with lots of track, tunnels and plasticville buildings. I think it would have cost more than $50 back then.

The New Addams Family: I haven't seen the original show yet. The trains Gomez crashes are all Lionel NYC Flyer sets. There are never any actual derailments, the trains always just fall into a hole below a collapsed bridge. Hopefully there's a soft landing or someone underneath catching them. Often an engine will pull cars without a tender. In one show, Lurch opens a safe containing other engines. It's really quick and far away, but I could make out a Commodore Vanderbilt and Rio Grande F3's. In another show, it's made to look as if some huge trains (that go up to a persons waist) are running in the house. An image of a Lionel set running across the screen is shown to make it look like this. I wish Lionel really did make trains like that! In the credits it's mentioned, "Trains Provided By Lionel Trains".

My Home Town: This was a show aimed at pre-teens. I never really watched it much, but I did see one episode that was worthwhile. In it, the kids in the show are stealing something from an antique store. One of them distracts the onwer by pretending to want to sell a Lionel MPC set. He says that he wants $3000 for it so that he can be there a while and dicker on the price while the others steal whatever it is they want. The cops end up catching them and the sherif sets up and runs the train at the police station. It has a green Southern 2-4-2, CN hopper, Republic Steel gondola, UP flatcar and ATSF caboose.

Polka Dot Door: This was a kids' show I used to watch. In one show a train collector came and showed a whole bunch of prewar toy trains. The only ones I can remember specifically are a Blue Comet and some trolleys. I wish I could remember more or would have taped it!

Kitty Kats: Yet another kids' show, with puppets of cats and dogs. I could remember there being a Marx train in one once when I was young and I couple years ago when I noticed when the show was on TV, I decided to keep checking for that episode. Before long it came on and I was able to get a good look at the train. There was a small layout set up with 4 Marx 6" cars sitting on the track, not coupled together. They were a NYC wedge tender, UP cattle car, a tank car painted over black and a NYC 556 caboose. Also on the layout were a platic Marx crossing gate and signals, plus some extremely undersized houses and trees. The engine was never on the layout, but was always held by a dog puppet. It was a CP-type engine that someone had vandalized by putting steel wool in the smokestack to look like smoke and some big ugly round things over the marker lights (to look like eyeballs perhaps?).

Stupid Cartoon (can't remember name, sorry): I watched it once when I was perhaps 10 and didn't like it. The show I did watch had something to do with nerds disappearing. However, there was one good thing about it. There was a scene with a talk show host (he was interviewing the Pope if I remember correctly) who said some lines that blew me away. It went something like, "Well we'll get to you in a minute, but first I want tell about something that happened to me the other day. My son and I were going over to Wearhouse Hobbies in Winnipeg-if you're ever there, say hi to Don, he's the one with the Canadian Pacific layout in his window-to buy some HO track. Wait a minute, maybe it was the Lionel O gauge track." Then he disappeared. This upset me for 2 reasons: 1) I thought this was supposed to be about nerds disappearing. This guy seems alright to me, 2) I was really getting into this story and never got to find out what happened. There actually is such a store in Winnipeg.

Commercials:
KFC: There's a KFC commercial that's been shown around the holidays. It shows a store display which includes a plastic Lionel 2-4-2 running by itself with no tender or cars. What's this thing with people not using tenders!? You hear ooing and ahing and then you see that it's actually coming from a family who's looking inside a KFC restaurant.

Progressive Auto Insurance: There's that one commercial where there's a waitress and the customers are bidding against each other on how high they will tip. Behind one guy's table, you see two shelves with O gauge trains on. One has a a K-Line Texas Special set and the other has an SP Daylight set. You can only see the last few cars on both.

Well, that's what I can think of for now. Am I totally obsessed or what? Oh well, I guess all of us are!

Also, check out this link about Lionel trains in movies. Many are ones that we've mentioned in this thread already, plus others. http://www.toytrainrevue.com/hollywd.htm

[Big_Boy_4005]

OK guys Lionel layouts in the movies!! Beside Nothing But Trouble, which I mentioned earlier RISKY BUSINESS. This one also had some "action" on the EL.

How about an old Steve McQueen movie, HUNTER. McQueen plays a bounty hunter, and his character's hobby is collecting old toys. I haven't seen this one in a while, but I think there was a scene with a prewar layout set up on the floor. There was also a scene when he busts into a house to catch a guy, and theres an MPC layout on the floor. That one wasn't pretty because in the ensuing fight the train gets it. OOPS. This movie also has a chase scene on the EL. Who ever made that liked trains.

I can think of a few more, but its your turn now.[swg]

[Anonymous]

The Tim Conway movie was "Billion Dollar Hobo".

- Lou

[spankybird]

The other day I started to watch a movie with Tim Conway in it. He was to take over his uncles business, who was owner - CEO of a toy train business. Before Tim could take over, he had to come up thru the ranks, including being a Hobo and riding the rails.
I had to leave and wasn’t able to watch it.

Anyone know the name of it?

Anyone else see it??

tom

[FJ and G]

I saw Arthur, who I believe is dead now. I was with 2 girls and must have missed that scene but I've heard about it before.

[pennsy_fan]

There is a lionel layout in the movie "Aurthur" , starring Dudley Moore, on a shelf @ the top of his bed. I need to watch that again although its a short scene. I believe its a hudson. Anybody else see that movie?

[FJ and G]

Elliot,

Please don't mention live steam or small trains you can ride on. I get fits of jealousy.

The weirdest short story I ever read, which would make an interesting movie, was by mark twain, about a train that got stuck in a snowdrift and the passengers turned into cannibals. I can't recall the title.

[Anonymous]

The Cassandra Crossing?

[lionelsoni]

See http://www.worldrailfans.org/Movies/RailwaysOnTheScreen.htm

[Big_Boy_4005]

Now you guys have got the movie thing going, don't let me sidetrack you while I do a quick trains and golf thing responding to Dave, since it was me that brought up golf in the first place.

The local live steam club opreates on an 11 acre parcel of land which is next to a golf course. Later this summer that course will be hosting a national pro event, I'm not sure if it will be televised or not. One end of the layout is near one of the tee boxes. I wonder if the guys will blow their whistles MORE that weekend!!!!![:-,][:-,][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][swg]

[Kooljock1]

cnw1995,

How can you mention "A League of their Own" without mentioning the big LIONEL billboard out in the outfield? A scale hudson even!

Jon [8D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G


One of the best TV shows I've seen actually starred one of the Fab 4, Ringo Starr, in the Thomas the Tank engine series.

I used to watch it w/my daughter when she was younger, hoping that the train aspect would rub off on her. It didn't.

Dave V.

I always loved that show as a kid! Later on George Carlin replaced Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor. Believe it or not, I actually met George Carlin at a train show when I was about 5 years old. He had a British OO layout and was really friendly. He asked me what my favorite Thomas story was and stuff. Unfortunately, the thought of asking for an autograph never entered my mind at that age. I do have a picture of his layout, though.

With the talk of PBS, no one has mentioned the special "Great Scenic Railroad Journeys", which was on a couple months ago. It was a 2-hour special that talked about various tourist railroads and was sponsored by Kalmbach.

[cnw1995]

I like being surprised by vignettes of trains in movies where I don't expect them - the train trestle scene in 'Stand By Me'; the Nebraska Zephyr in 'A League of Their Own'; a Southern steam engine and train in 'My Dog Skip' (The train runs in front of the main character - you just see 'Southern Serves the South' on the side of boxcars over and over again); a few steam trains in "Fried Green Tomatos'; the train wreck in 'The Fugitive'; Rick being stood up by Ilsa at the station in 'Casablanca' - lots of those sort of goodbye scenes - and of course, the myriad scenes of trains being destroyed in various Japanese monster movie - Godzilla, Rodan, et al. I saw 'Von Ryan's Express' a few weeks ago on AMC - Frank Sinatra and a bunch of POWs escaping to Switzerland on a stolen train...

[FJ and G]

I was just rereading these replies and laughing.

On the train this morning a serious-looking gent was reading a thick book on the short game of golf. I joked to him that I'd hate to see the size of the book on the long game of golf.

If a thick book could be written on hitting a tiny ball on the greens, then surely we could get some encyclopaedias on model railroading and some full-length motion pictures.

One of the best TV shows I've seen actually starred one of the Fab 4, Ringo Starr, in the Thomas the Tank engine series.

I used to watch it w/my daughter when she was younger, hoping that the train aspect would rub off on her. It didn't.

Dave V.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Pennsy_fan's right, I've been a little side tracked here, Let's talk MOVIES!!!

The following is my post from the Trains Magazine forum topic that I mentioned earlier, and provided a link for. That topic is in its 8th page, and has a ton of great movies listed. Some are well known, and others obscure.

---

Hey all you Silver Streak fans ( Wilder and Pryor), has anyone noticed that through the entire movie you only see one side of the train? It doesn't make the movie any less great though.

I also love Emperor of the North, I taped it off cable, and put it on when there's nothing else to watch. I've damn near worn that tape out.

Sask Tinplater mentioned Buster Keaton and an American Flyer train that served food. There's another movie that borrowed that idea. Nothing But Trouble, staring Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd, Deme Moore, and John Candy has a great scene featuring a Lionel train that comes up out of a long oval dining table. A tank car was turned into a mustard dispenser, and a 1960's rocket launcher hurls little pickels at Taylor Negron. The scene only lasts a little over a minute, so a DVD copy may be the best way to enjoy this one.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Switchback, with Danny Glover. This is a real good suspense film, and has a great mountain railroad sequence.

As for Under Siege 2, I agree that the wreck at the end is rather cheesy, but there's another piece of Hollywood that was rather unrealistic. Did anyone see Steven Segal slide open a window and climb out?

Beside being a train buff, I'm a movie buff too. Its a bonus when the two are combined.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Last night I visited the website for our local PBS station and reviewed the next month's line up. WHAT A DULL LOAD OF BLAHHHHHH !!!! Pretty much childern's programs from 6AM to 5:30 PM. My kids are 9 and 11, and that stuff is pretty much beneath them.

The evening prime time schedule ain't much better, mainly arts with a little science and nature thrown in. Late night is mainly very old british stuff (I suspect they don't have to pay much for that) and then they rerun stuff til 6AM.

I checked PBS.org and found only one train related item. The American Experience on the building of the Transcontinental Railroad done By Ken Burns. I know the story fairly well, but I do like Burns' style and will watch.

I checked a number of local PBS stations around the country, and only found a couple that were showing Tracks Ahead. I'm not sure how many seasons of the show have been produced, but I have only seen a couple.

The bottom line is I think I've given up on PBS. For my family's needs it has out lived it's usefulness, sorry.