Best And Worst Movies With a Train

[Anonymous]

I am a little ticked, because two of my favorite movies (and the favorites of many other warm blooded American action fans) did not make the list for "8 great movies with a train scene" they are (drum-roll please), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which features the Cumbres and Toltec in the opening chase scene when Indy is a teenager. the second is James Bond in Goldeneye, this one isnt even on the list of 400 movies on Trains' website, I mean, what is there not to love about Bond commandering a soviet T-72 tank, driving it through a tunnel, and turing a soviet missile train into a screeming fireball by shelling it? ahh, the memory of that missile train screeming down the track, brakes in emergancy, and the engine looking like a flaming arrow--- good times.

[Anonymous]

James Bond 007 has been on several trains. From Russia With Love, there is a fight in the sleeper compartment in what was once Yugoslavia. At the end of Live and Let Die OO7 takes the slow romantic route home from New Orleans.

However, Night Passage is my favorite western. Jimmy Stewart singing The Bullfrog Line along with another of my favorite actors, Audie Murphy, is the turning point in the movie. Jimmy Stewart also sings Follow the River too.

[Anonymous]

one of my favs was A comedy / adventure called Silver Streak which featured Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. Lots of good shots of the train. Anybody know the history of the engine and or film to share ?

[edblysard]

A vote for the worst, "Runaway Train" John Voight, and Julia Roberts little brother. Any one with the brains of a gnat would have pulled the big red handle that said Emergency brake, or with a little more thought, pushed the big red button labled emergency fuel cut off. If trains could run away that easy with someone on board, we would all be in a world of hurt...

[RudyRockvilleMD]

I also saw Silver Streak, and i roared laughing, even though the end was not plausible. If I recall the locomotive got separated from the rest of the train bbefore crashing into the bumper post in a stub end station. It seems to me when the locomotive lost its train the loss of air inots braking system should have rapidly applied the brakes; am I wrong? I took my two kids, who were pre-teens, and a friend of theirs to see it, and they also enjoyed it.

The Trains article mentioned the "Grey Ghost" as one of the better train movies. I agree. I saw that movie while flying back from LA. I thought it was ironic that they should show primarily a train movie in in-flight entertainment. I don't know who the stars of that movie were, but as far as I am concerned the real star was ex CPR 3716.

[Anonymous]

In that movie the enginer did put the train into "emergency" then the brake shoes burnt off.

[dknelson]

I agree with the article that "The Train" with Burt Lancaster is one of the best ever. Yes the trains are French but these are some of the best steam shots, derailments, and last minute changes of route ever filmed.
Another good one is Disney's Great Locomotive Chase mostly for the equipment -- the acting is pretty minimal.
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

besides, what railroads sandwiched a FP7 in between freights? wouldn't it be on one end of the engines?

[Anonymous]

oh yeah, also isn't there a switch that allows someone to override the Lead cab control thing, (sorry, its early and i can't think of the appropiate term), that they could have used to controll the engine that they were in, put it into dynamic braking in run 8, moved to the next engine, and done the same thing- the dynamic braking power of 3 SD-40s (i think) in run 8 would be more then enough to overpower 1 idle FP7 and one running SD-40.

[Anonymous]

What was the criteria the magazine staff used to select the movies?

I noticed that the award-winning Japanese movie "Poppoya" (in English Railroad Man) made in 1999 did not make the list, however, this is an execelent railroad themed movie that appeals to all types of audiences. It has a good story and features various types of trains throughout the movie - steam, diesel cars and snowplow on one of Japan's 42" gauge branchlines. The movie starred Ken Takakura and had the music done by Ryuichi Sakamoto. There were a number of foreign movies on the list, so why did this one get over looked? (For more in on Poppoya, do a search on it in google.)

Also why did "The Great Escape" not make the list? During the break out in Germany, there were a number of train scenes with steam locomotives. Some quite exciting.

Tom

[Anonymous]

how about the movie "Switchback" i think the railroad scenes in that were pretty realestic. What mainline was that movie shot at? anybody know?

[Anonymous]

That article was for the most part well done, However, I must take exception on a couple of points. The movie "Emperor of the North" was mistakenly referred to as "Emperor of the north pole". Perhaps the editors were preoccupied with thoughts of Christmas. If that were the actual title, then they might have cast Santa Clause as the engineer, with some plot that the reindeer were for some reason, "out of service", and Santa had to commandeer a feight train to save Christmas. It also puzzled me that they ranked that movie as one of the ten best, and then also ranked it as one of the ten worse. Aside from getting the title wrong, and being ambivilant about its quality, I for one think it is an all time classic. I mean come on, Sierra #3 doing her thing, old vintage rolling stock, great scenery.
I'll take that over "E.T." any day!
Todd C.

[Anonymous]

I still don't know why "This Property is Condemned" was not mentioned. After all, those Reader RR engines, Natalie Wood and a realistic railroad story line? What more could you want? gdc

[Anonymous]

Anyone care to sit in the director's chair for a moment, and come up with a past and present train model that will best serve a truly great action scene on board a train - to help set up the scene, I would say that the action takes place on the beautiful location of the Oregon valley and mountain region. State reasons why particular train is being used e.g train's particular features etc. Let's see if we can best those Hollywood directors!

[Anonymous]

I don't know the "line" that was used, but they
were on the D&RGW over the Rockys.

[Anonymous]

Another Bond movie with a train was Octopussy, in which he had a fight on top of a circus train which had a bomb in the stunt cannon.

One mystery film they left out was "Murder She Said," in which Miss Jane Marple, played by Margaret Rutherford, investigates the murder of a woman strangled on a train which was passing hers on a parallel track. It wasn't the best Agatha Christie film made, but it had some great shots along British Railway's Western Region (formerly Great Western Railway).

[PaulWWoodring]

While on the subject of Jimmy Stewart, let's not forget the 1972 film "Fool's Parade", filmed in part on the B&O around Parkersburg, WV with SR #4501, playing the role of a B&O Q Mike.

[Anonymous]

Near the end of Switchback they are in Gore canyon, which is on the Moffet line just west of Kremmlin, Co. Earlier in the film Danny Glover and the Doc. are eating in the Wondervu Cafe which is a great place to eat if you Railfanning the front range tunnel district.