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Famous Roads In TV Shows...

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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Friday, July 6, 2007 1:14 PM

My favorite was the Civil War movie that takes place in Virginia, so naturally the railroad they used was the Virginia & Truckee. 

Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]

Enjoy

Paul 

If you're having fun, you're doing it the right way.
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Posted by leewal on Friday, July 6, 2007 1:03 PM

The most out of place piece of railroad equipment I've ever seen on TV was on an old "Mission Impossible" episode.  They were in a rail yard in some eastern European country and there in the back ground was a Norther Pacific box car.  That must have been some interchange track.

Walt Hughes

Cincinnati, OH

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Posted by twhite on Friday, July 6, 2007 1:01 PM

 ranchero wrote:
i recall seeing an "I love Lucy" episode where they travel to LA using union pacific

Yes, they did.  Probably UP's CITY OF LOS ANGELES that ran from Chicago to LA using UP's old Los Angeles and Salt Lake route from Salt Lake City to LA.  UP has run into LA since the early part of the 20th Century. 

My favorite, though, is Alfred Hitchcock's 1950 masterpiece STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, which somehow manages to show SP's "Coast Daylight" pulling into the passenger terminal in Washington D.C.  Now, THAT'S  a whopper, LOL! 

Tom

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 6, 2007 11:45 AM
Just curious, did the film producer have to pay licensing fee to the U.P. back then.  
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Posted by CNE Runner on Friday, July 6, 2007 11:02 AM
Does anybody remember the show "Casey Jones" on Saturday morning during the late 1950s? The star of the show was Alen Hale Jr. as Casey (prior to his Gilligan's Island stint). Recently I won (on eBay) a two DVD set of most of these episodes. What a fantastic show! At 62 I still enjoy the action and mystery. OK, it is a little hokey...but much more realistic than others of that era. When the opening credits and song came on I found I could still remember most of the words!! I would strongly suggest that you look for a copy of this set and plan on several hours of railroad enjoyment. Why aren't they making shows like this today?

 "Keeping my hand on the throttle...and my eyes on rail."

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Posted by csmith9474 on Friday, July 6, 2007 10:30 AM

During the late 70's and early '80s when I was a kid, I remember a lot of the series that were filmed in the LA area showed some good SP action. I didn't have a real appreciation for it at the time, but I always liked seeing the trains. The trains weren't necessarily part of "the action", but they would be in the background.

Smitty
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Posted by joesg on Friday, July 6, 2007 8:19 AM

I have a movie addition for this list , White Christmas, filmed in 1954 Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera Ellen.  While escaping from a Sheriff with a bad bill for back rent. They board a train leaving southern Florida, Via the Santa Fe lightweights, through The desert, complete with cactus. Before ending up in Vermont, on some old heavy weight cars. I don't remember the markings on the cars.

Also The movie, It happened to Jane, Now on DVD. I first saw it in the late fifties It has a lot of shots of NH equipment and facilities and really beautiful shots of an 2-8-2 both inside and out.

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Posted by calledkevinalot on Friday, July 6, 2007 1:29 AM

loathar is right...

The movie is called "Tough Guys" and starred Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster...

Keith

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Posted by calledkevinalot on Friday, July 6, 2007 1:25 AM
Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" features extensive New York Central passenger train shots, both interior and exterior!
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Posted by loathar on Thursday, July 5, 2007 11:19 PM
 steam618lover1 wrote:

 Steam618lover1

         Hi Guys, I can't remember the name of the movie to where two old guys decieded to steal the most gorgous steam locomotive in the world the 4449, they where in there 70's one of the actors was kirk douglas, and one other, they were going to steal it and take it to mexcio, was that movie filmed on the southern pacific railroad mainline, does anyone know the movie's name????  Earl

    

Tough Guys

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092105/

 

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Posted by DougF on Thursday, July 5, 2007 11:16 PM

 

 

I remember an episode of "McMillan & Wife" in which a murder took place on a non-stop train from LA to Frisco.  They got on a Santa Fe stainless car and during the trip were pulled at various times by Warbonnets, SP daylight steam, Pennsy GG-1, and NYC E's.  I'd like to take that trip sometime to just to see the engine changes at speed.

Doug

 

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Posted by steam618lover1 on Thursday, July 5, 2007 9:41 PM

 Steam618lover1

         Hi Guys, I can't remember the name of the movie to where two old guys decieded to steal the most gorgous steam locomotive in the world the 4449, they where in there 70's one of the actors was kirk douglas, and one other, they were going to steal it and take it to mexcio, was that movie filmed on the southern pacific railroad mainline, does anyone know the movie's name????  Earl

    

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Posted by wm3798 on Thursday, July 5, 2007 5:52 PM

I recall the production "Separate But Equal" shooting some depot scenes at Union Bridge, Maryland on the old WM.  The line was home to the Maryland Midland's tourist train at the time, and stood in for a sleepy southern town.

Sidney Poitier starred as Thurgood Marshall.

I also remember seeing a Silverliner in PRR heraldry in a scene from the old sitcom "That Girl" with Marlo Thomas.

Lee 

Route of the Alpha Jets  www.wmrywesternlines.net

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Posted by Georgia Observer on Thursday, July 5, 2007 5:22 PM

The "I Love Lucy" show you were referring to is episode #1050/132 which originally aired October 31, 1955 entitled "The Great Train Robbery."  The Ricardos and the Mertzes left Los Angeles on The City of Los Angles.  UP must have cooperated big time on the episodes because the RR and its' passenger service gets LOTS of favorable publicity.

    Speaking of the The Andy Griffith Show,  In it's last season Andy and Helen finally get married and leave Mayberry by train for their honeymoon (Season 8, Episode 26).  The show was being filmed in color by that time so there is no doubt which railroad is providing passenger service to the North Carolina.  Yes, Good ol' Union Pacific.  They board an armour yellow (presumably) pullman.  Movie producers occasionally go for some authenticity in their railroad scenes.  The TV producers never do.

 The Georgia Observer

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Posted by gn goat on Monday, July 2, 2007 10:25 AM

"Lunch with Casey" was one of my favorite shows, but don't forget "Axel and his Dog" on 'CCO. Carmen the nurse is one of my friends.

the goat       

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Posted by wjstix on Monday, July 2, 2007 8:59 AM
 steinjr wrote:

 tweet wrote:
A little off topic but when did the show "Lunch with Casey" air & was it just a local program.  I'm 42 & don't recall hearing of it so it may have been a little before my time.

 Local TV show from the Twin Cities in Minnesota

 http://lunchwithcasey.com/

 Smile,
 Stein, who grew up in Norway, but has a wife who grew up in Minnesota

 

It ran from about 1955-1975 in the Twin Cities. If you're from Seattle, there was a local clown on TV there in a similar show for years, he was originally "Joe the Cook" on the Casey show. BTW Roger Awsumb who played Casey played college football with Walter Mondale and several other guys who went on to successful local TV careers. 

Stix
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Posted by Wayzata Modeler on Monday, July 2, 2007 8:26 AM

 

Lunch with Casey - growing up in Minnesota - this was a MUST see for a children at noon furing the 60's.  Casey's buddy Roundhouse Rodney added to the fun.  Show included the some of the old cartoon favorties:  Hercules, Felix the Cat, etc.

Ahhhh memories........

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Posted by Medina1128 on Monday, July 2, 2007 8:01 AM

When I was a kid, I watched EVERYTHING with a train it:

Iron Horse - western series; Von Ryan's Express - WWII movie; The Great Train Raid - Disney movie, starring Fess Parker ( I used to dream of stealing that train and riding all around the country in it.. LOL); Wild Wild West; Petticoat Junction; The Cassandra Crossing; Shenandoah (Strother Martin was the engineer - "Why, you can't burn my train.. "); Murder on the Orient Express; Silver Streak. I recall the opening sequence of the Fugitive, and it looked like a model railroad when the passenger cars 'bounced' off the track (don't remember which season it was from). I had model trains ingrained in my from my youth; a Marklin layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood; my grandfather's Lionel layout in his basement; one year my brother and I BOTH got Lionel trainsets for Xmas.

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Posted by potlatcher on Monday, July 2, 2007 7:34 AM

Ok, this isn't from a TV show, but a railroad scene in the movie Groundhog Day, with Bill Murray, was filmed at Illinois Railway Museum with their BN-painted SD-24.  IRM has a length of trackage that they usually run electric interurban equipment on, and if you look carefully in the movie, you can see the wire over the tracks.  Also, a scene in A League of Their Own was shot at the IRM depot.

Tom

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Posted by steinjr on Monday, July 2, 2007 7:04 AM

 tweet wrote:
A little off topic but when did the show "Lunch with Casey" air & was it just a local program.  I'm 42 & don't recall hearing of it so it may have been a little before my time.

 Local TV show from the Twin Cities in Minnesota

 http://lunchwithcasey.com/

 Smile,
 Stein, who grew up in Norway, but has a wife who grew up in Minnesota

 

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, July 1, 2007 11:00 PM
A little off topic but when did the show "Lunch with Casey" air & was it just a local program.  I'm 42 & don't recall hearing of it so it may have been a little before my time.
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Posted by CPRail modeler on Sunday, July 1, 2007 10:32 PM

i recall that in The Outsiders, a BN locomotive was used for that train/car collision.

there was also The Kids who saved summer which showed a WP F-unit early in the movie

These were both movies.

GWR fan, those pics are cool. saw that part of the movie too. I think the guy in the movie was being chased by the GP30.

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Posted by Tracklayer on Sunday, July 1, 2007 10:13 PM
 Great Western Rwy fan wrote:

You are correct,2 years ago I rode the Great Smokey Mountains RR,And The Wrecked trains were still there,Here's some photos I took.

That is just too cool!... Thanks GWR fan.

Tracklayer

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Posted by loathar on Sunday, July 1, 2007 4:44 PM
 tcwright973 wrote:

The scenes from the "Fugitive" were filmed on the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad in North Carolina. I believe the wrecked engine is still there. Their web site lists five movies shot on their line as well as other videos, etc.

Tom

That's what I was thinking of. Thought it was California.(Doh!)

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Posted by mr moto on Sunday, July 1, 2007 4:13 PM
Western Pacific caboose #754 was retired in 1956 and donated to Traveltown in Los Angeles's Griffith Park (ironic considering this is the Andy Griffith show we're talking about).  Lots of shows have been filmed there along side the equipment also.  They just need to make sure they don't pan the camera out to expose all of the other equipment parked there.
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Posted by ranchero on Sunday, July 1, 2007 8:17 AM
i recall seeing an "I love Lucy" episode where they travel to LA using union pacific
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Posted by Great Western Rwy fan on Sunday, July 1, 2007 8:15 AM

You are correct,2 years ago I rode the Great Smokey Mountains RR,And The Wrecked trains were still there,Here's some photos I took.

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Posted by tcwright973 on Sunday, July 1, 2007 2:25 AM

The scenes from the "Fugitive" were filmed on the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad in North Carolina. I believe the wrecked engine is still there. Their web site lists five movies shot on their line as well as other videos, etc.

Tom

Tom

Pittsburgh, PA

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Posted by Tracklayer on Sunday, July 1, 2007 1:56 AM
 wjstix wrote:
 Tracklayer wrote:

I was watching an old episode of the Andy Griffith show the other night where Andy went down to the railroad yard and caught a hobo climbing down out of a box car. As they walked along talking, I noticed they were standing along side of a silver and orange Western Pacific caboose #754. The only problem with that is Western Pacific never ran as far east as North Carolina... A W.P. box car I can understand but not a caboose. I'm sure the reason for this was because they shot that scene at some local railroad museum there near Hollywood.

Tracklayer 

Unlikely a railroad museum was used - more likely a WP line was near the area they usually shot in, and they just contacted WP and contracted to use some of their equipment. Remember that show was filmed in the sixties, both WP and cabooses were very much alive and kicking !! 

BTW around the same time, our local lunchtime kids show (Lunch with Casey) filmed some of it's opening/closing credits at the CGW yard in St.Paul.

The reason I thought it might have been a museum was because the caboose was wood sheathd (I've got one in N scale just like it) and the box cars were wood braced. But, I guess they could have still been in service in the mid 1960s (?)...

Tracklayer 

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Posted by wjstix on Sunday, July 1, 2007 1:14 AM
 Tracklayer wrote:

I was watching an old episode of the Andy Griffith show the other night where Andy went down to the railroad yard and caught a hobo climbing down out of a box car. As they walked along talking, I noticed they were standing along side of a silver and orange Western Pacific caboose #754. The only problem with that is Western Pacific never ran as far east as North Carolina... A W.P. box car I can understand but not a caboose. I'm sure the reason for this was because they shot that scene at some local railroad museum there near Hollywood.

Tracklayer 

Unlikely a railroad museum was used - more likely a WP line was near the area they usually shot in, and they just contacted WP and contracted to use some of their equipment. Remember that show was filmed in the sixties, both WP and cabooses were very much alive and kicking !! 

BTW around the same time, our local lunchtime kids show (Lunch with Casey) filmed some of it's opening/closing credits at the CGW yard in St.Paul.

Stix

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