I have always assumed that American passenger equipment and Canadian passenger equipment is the same. In the move "Narrow Margin," the sleeping cars on the train have open sections. I thought that this is never used anymore. Granted the film is about twenty years old. I know that some American lightweight sleeper cars had open sections, but they didn't last too long until they were converted.
Will
You assume the film is correct. Did they film it on an actual, in service railway car? Did they film it on a historical or museum car because they could get access? Did they film it in a set left over from 20 or 30 years before? Did they film it in the US? A lot of films set in the "US" are filmed in foreign countries. It could be the script called for open sections, so they found a car with open sections. Authors post on the Trains forum fairly frequently trying to rationalize some bizzare plot device.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Actually, that movie took place in Canada, if I remember right. Back around that time, Travels on PBS did a two-part show on a train trip across Canada, and there were open sleeper sections on the one train back then.
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
Hi Will,
You make a false assumption about lightweight sleepers with open sections being converted to other accommodations. Many lightweight sleepers that combined sections with private rooms remained in their original configurations through the 1960s, or until they were retired.
So long,
Andy
Andy Sperandeo MODEL RAILROADER Magazine
Will,
VIA does still run sleeping cars with open sections, although in each car one of the sections has been converted into a shower.
I believe the film used actual VIA equipment, although the train was pulled by a BC Rail SD-40 repainted into VIA colours!
When i took Via Rail's Canadian from Vancouver to Banff around 1980, I was in an "upper" open section because I gallantly gave my then-girl friend the lower. Our car was a smoothside lightweight and I could kick myself for not noting the car number or taking a picture of it. (I did get a shot of the F units at Revelstoke).
Changing out of my clothes was a real adventure (I am 6'8" tall). I can only imagine what it looked like standing in the aisle watching the heavy curtains get poked. I am surprised the folks with roomettes didn't stand in the aisle just to get a laugh at our expense.
By morning we were well into the Rockies. That was when I realized that shaving with a razor was perhaps not the best idea. But the breakfast and the scenery made it all worthwhile!
Dave Nelson
According to the "special features" section on the DVD, most of the interior scenes were created on a sound stage using real the Canadian passenger cars as the model. Again, according to the notes, the re-creation of the interiors into a film production friendly environment was focused on being true to the prototype.
Lastly, Anne Archer was used as is, without the need for a prop substitute. Sweet.