Technical Problem with "Runaway Train Type Movies"

[trainfan1221]

One of the things I like about these movies as a train fanatic is picking out all the inconcistencies. There are several, including a pretty good film called "Disaster on the Coastliner." Runaway Train was pretty good, but its hard when you realize that the female character was supposed to be some kind of railroad employee and seemed relatively clueless.
One thing I like is the way horsepower ratings are always exaggerated on diesels. I have seen a 3600hp RS3 on CHiPS, and there was a movie about a runaway ski train where they were saved by a new super locomotive, a GP40, which had I believe 8600hp. I guess they really beefed that one up.

[Anonymous]

And how about "The Fugitive" with Harrison Ford when the train crashed into the over-turned bus. It was filmed on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in North Carolina and took a lot of work to setup the crash and everything. Been a long time since I've seen it, but it seemed to be fairly realistic.

[csxengineer98]

QUOTE: Originally posted by HighIron2003ar

I recall that "True" runaways are really things to fear. Alot of technology goes to prevent them. There is a bit of too much "Hollywood" in some of these movies.

I too recall the runaway desiels in ohio a few years back, the only problem they had to worry about is "Is the coupler open on that runaway engine?"

On areas where trains threaten to runaway the railroad takes trouble to install derails and procedures for communication in case of trouble. Of course these are not really visable in the movie.

The GG1 with the passenger train into Washington Station was a true runaway. I believe that they actually built a temporary platform over the sunken engine to accomodate the people for several days.

they built a platform over it for the President of the US...something with him giveing a speach or something thier.... later that GG1 was cut into pieces...taken back to altoona...reasembled..and put back into service....
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

Steam engines used there valves to everse the steam so steam would build uo presuere and slow down the train

[dehusman]

By the way, steam engines don't have dynamic brakes.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

I recall that "True" runaways are really things to fear. Alot of technology goes to prevent them. There is a bit of too much "Hollywood" in some of these movies.

I too recall the runaway desiels in ohio a few years back, the only problem they had to worry about is "Is the coupler open on that runaway engine?"

On areas where trains threaten to runaway the railroad takes trouble to install derails and procedures for communication in case of trouble. Of course these are not really visable in the movie.

The GG1 with the passenger train into Washington Station was a true runaway. I believe that they actually built a temporary platform over the sunken engine to accomodate the people for several days.

[csxengineer98]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Randy Stahl

If there are so many technical problems with a runaway train how come the CSX had one not so long ago. I remember another locomotive chasing the runaway to grab it and slow it down and I remember something about the police shooting guns at the EFCOs trying to shut it down (yea right). I also remember the engine # was 8888
Randy

yes i remember that day very well too.... i got a call from my inlaws asking me if csx pays goast engineers the same as liveing ones.... also got a funny email about 2 days later with a pic of csx 8888 in the side of a milk car....
csx engineer

[csxengineer98]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Guilford350

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainfinder22

1. Why does not anyone ever think of using the Dynamic Brake?

You can't fully stop a train using dynamic brakes but they will get you down to about 10-12 Mph which, then, you could probably jump off safely.

But hey, afterall its just a movie.[:)]

that is not 100%... depending on if thier is small terrain diffrances such as a gentel hill.. going up it..you can bring the train to a stop with Dynamics... also on a level hunk of rail road..you can damn near bring it to a stop... to within a mile per hour or 2...i do it all the time...but the slower you go in speed...the less affective your dynamics are...
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

All this makes me wonder, how are locomotives or for that matter, trains designed to react in a collision? Are cabs or frames somehow assimetrical to deflect a collison to one side or the other? Are cars also designed this way?

[Anonymous]

A few years ago a New Jersey Transit morning commuter train was a "runaway." The overworked engineer fell asleep. Too bad. He was killed along with a few passengers when it ran into another commuter train.

Happened in the Jersey swamps just west of the Bergen Tunnels. A real b*tch for emergency personnel to get to the crash site.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Mark, the movie with Danny Glover was called Switchback. Good movie, also starring R. Lee Ermey, Dennis Quaid, and Ted Levine. Ted Levine played "Buffalo Bill" in Scilence of the Lambs.[8D]

[cpbloom]

CSX 8888, the SD40-2 that could.

[tree68]

Ever notice that people don't usually use "Hollywood" and "realism" in the same sentence very often?

[lonewoof]

Not railroad related -- but along same lines -- "CSI" last night had poor lady poisoned by drinking "glass cleaner" made of "distilled water, hydrofluoric acid" (it showed the label). Hydrofluoric acid ETCHES glass. Ever wonder how they get the "frosting" on the inside of light bulbs?
And villian used the digital clock in a car as a bomb trigger. I hate to think what it would take to accompli***hat. Easier to build you own clock (MUCH easier!)
Artistic license...

[spankybird]

Or a runaway Bus or Boat, (like in speed [?])

[railman]

yeah I'll use my expert opinion, and say, in the words of so many others,

it's Hollywood.

Be happy they used a train. Runaway truck movies would just be pointless.

[Anonymous]

We have the same problem with a movie about any subject we have intimate knowledge of. My job is an upstream oil and gas consultant and I know the ins and outs of wells, drilling, field operations, etc. When I see a movie relating to an oil field I usually turn it off because it is in no way representative of the real world. I am sure airline crews and railroaders have the same problem.

[tree68]

I thought I saw Camas Prairie mentioned in the credits, too.

Firefighters have the same type of discussions about the movie "Backdraft." For one thing, where there's fire, there's usually smoke...

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CliqueofOne

A real Runaway. http://www.cwrr.com/Lounge/Feature/runaway/index.html

I just have to add, I found this account absolutely chilling.

[Anonymous]

Difficulties, Smifficulties, we don't need no stinkin' difficulties!!!

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Randy Stahl

So CSX was able to overcome the technical difficultys , why can't it be done by others?
Randy

Here is the Trains article about it. It looks like it must have been May 14, 2001.

http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/076ddrhw.asp

[Randy Stahl]

So CSX was able to overcome the technical difficultys , why can't it be done by others?
Randy

[Anonymous]

If I remember correctly, this happened a couple of years ago and the train was headed south out of Toledo, Ohio. Eventualy, somebody was able to board the train and stop it.

[Randy Stahl]

If there are so many technical problems with a runaway train how come the CSX had one not so long ago. I remember another locomotive chasing the runaway to grab it and slow it down and I remember something about the police shooting guns at the EFCOs trying to shut it down (yea right). I also remember the engine # was 8888
Randy

[Train Guy 3]

It's a movie..... they are too lazy to get all the facts straight. It would cost them too much to. Besides, if train movies didn't have plot holes and errors we couldn't have fun sitting around picking them out.[:)]

[zardoz]

Anyone know how they did the scene in "Runaway Train" where the units crashed through the caboose? It sure looked real.



On a side note, as rail enthusiasts, we see the logical and factual flaws in railroad movies. I would be willing to bet that a movie about most any other job, equipment, or scenario that we see are just as riddled with errors (i.e. airline disasters, police, military operations, etc).

[CliqueofOne]

A real Runaway. http://www.cwrr.com/Lounge/Feature/runaway/index.html

[Anonymous]

Actualy I thought that many scenes in "Runaway Train" were very realistic. I believe that South Buffalo Railroad is in the the Credits. Fron the Dispatching to shoots of the freight trains it was not half bad.

[Anonymous]

I just watched Silver Streak (again) on AMC, (America's Most Commercials.) It's not bad as far as run-away train flicks go. Yep. The train should have gone into emergency and stopped quicker, but then there'd be no crash scene. And the train is coming east on the Rock Island (stopped at Rockdale, outside of Joliet) and the train is shown entering CNW's Madison Street Depot in Chicago. But the shot outside the train director's office shows the south leads to CUS, and the conductor's uniform was almost dead-on save for the silly watch chain worn on the coat instead of the vest. The dining car waiter was convincing. I thought the part of the Porter, played by Scat man Caruthers, was OK, but at the end, when he takes a swig and says, "Hello Chicago!" I felt was insulting to the craft. But hey, it's a movie. A comedy at that. I believe Amtrak was approached for filming, but declined, hence Canada.
Mitch

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainfinder22

1. Why does not anyone ever think of using the Dynamic Brake?

You can't fully stop a train using dynamic brakes but they will get you down to about 10-12 Mph which, then, you could probably jump off safely.

But hey, afterall its just a movie.[:)]