Best Railroad Movies (topic rehashed)

[rixflix]

Hiya gang from captain video aka rixflix
I've been filling in my railroad vhs collection lately and it's been an adventure!!! Having
good luck with Amazon new/used and Railroad Video Productions. Amazon is pretty
crazy though. My last order of 13 films came from 11 different sellers, cost mostly between 2 and 10 dollars each and total freight was about 45 dollars.
Some of these flicks give good movie but bad or minimal train.
Some give bad movie with good train.
Some are beginning to end awful.
Some are plain marvelous.
I think you will like a couple of these, though.

LA BETE HUMAINE (The Human Beast) directed by the legendary Jean Renoir is a
beautifully shot, disturbing story of a French engineman's life on and off the rails. Can a
violent temperament be inherited?
I am here to tell you that the French can railroad!!! The opening sequence shot from the steam locomotive's cab of the LeHavre express, at speed, over impeccable right-of way
will put mist in your eyes. Very atmospheric railroad scenery features LeHavre (ocean pier?) terminal,
engine and coach yards, yard office, dormitory and of course STEAM.
This one has joined the films I'm wearing out, like "The Train", "Emperor of the North", and
"Danger Lights". [tup]

OUR HOSPITALITY usually comes with "Sherlock Jr." in VHS. This Buster Keaton film is
sooooo funny!!! Buster heads south from New York in 1830 to claim his inheritance but
doesn't know he is the last member of a family nearly extinguished by another in a feud
Well the pretty passenger he's falling for is from that other family and complications
ensue.
The "steam cars" is a train with those old stagecoach on flanged wheels affairs that goes so slow that Buster's dog follows him all the way to Tennesee or wherever by
running along under the last coach. In one scene: (a)hillbilly throws rocks at engineer
(b)engineer throws firewood at hillbilly (c)hillbilly saves himself some log splitting
Meanwhile the track gets worse and worse and the track gags get better and better.
Rails hump up over large logs and the train goes over like a dinghy over a wave. Where
the tracks are zig-zagged in a short distance, the engineer nonchalantly pulls them into
a sort of alignment like they were toy train tracks. There are numerous other delights in
this film, a perfect companion to the classic "The General ". [tup]

TOUGH GUYS has Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as new ex-cons trying to adapt to
a society they've been away from for thirty years because they robbed The Flyer. They
don't do well in the retirement home and ice cream stand respectively, and decide to try
another train heist. It's the last run of the Flyer and daylight engine 4449. Sadly though,
4449 gets only a little play at the end of the flick. While it's never bad seeing and hearing
these two actors, this movie has a sort of half-hearted made-for-tv feel to it. Ya know what I mean vern? [tdn]

SOME REALLY BAD MOVIES WITH (HOWEVER MANY)TRAINS IN THEM:[tdn]
THE BILLION DOLLAR HOBO:tim conway...need i say more?
BROADWAY LIMITED:die hard pennsy fans can glimpse steam. can you follow the plot?
END OF THE LINE:geep is ok rolling through endless waves of cliche and absurd plot.
THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS:a little prsl and septa action and nicholson is ok
PAPA'S DELICATE CONDITION:not all jackie gleason films are good. minimal trains.
FROM THE TERRACE:i'm from reading+2124's in this'un+o'haras good short bad long.

Even drunk I can still spell and parse heeheeeeeee!!! No kidding, in catholic grade school i never lost a spelling bee. By 4th grade they would send me up against the 8th
graders and i'd clean their clocks!!! The boys would cheer me on because these affairs
would always come down to me and a few girls. And then just me. Lousy prizes though,
like statues of Jesus or Mary and scapulars. Remember scapulars? A picture of Christ
on an itchy cloth patch on a string that you put around your neck. Under your t-shirt and
over your heart. I put mine in the darkest spot in my bureau so Jesus wouldn't see me
playing with myself.

Blessed be Jean Shepard in all his Works!!!
And also Long John Nebel and John Gambling and all the WOR crew from the 50's and
60's. Remember this:"When everything is done and served, the grackle is a noble bird."

See ya later people
Captain Video aka Rixflix

[Anonymous]

What about RUNAWAY TRAIN with John Voight? This is one of my favorites.
Two convicts in an Alaskan prison escape their inhumane jailers, trek across the icy Northeast wilderness, and board a speeding freight train.

[Anonymous]

What about RUNAWAY TRAIN with John Voight? This is one of my favorites.
Two convicts in an Alaskan prison escape their inhumane jailers, trek across the icy Northeast wilderness, and board a speeding freight train.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

yea I seen that that is odd one day acouple weeks back I was watching monk
the guy whos afraid of every thing Espessially germs anyway at the end monk and the hot chic try to save this guys life while his car is stuck at a RR xing the wierd part is where monk throws a switch and a WP pass train misses them the WP pass train
was a consisit of F7 ABBA and 5-7 cars now my question is when did WP start runnin
passenger trains and F-7's again I could belive amtrak BNSF or UP but not WP [2c]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

yea I seen that that is odd one day acouple weeks back I was watching monk
the guy whos afraid of every thing Espessially germs anyway at the end monk and the hot chic try to save this guys life while his car is stuck at a RR xing the wierd part is where monk throws a switch and a WP pass train misses them the WP pass train
was a consisit of F7 ABBA and 5-7 cars now my question is when did WP start runnin
passenger trains and F-7's again I could belive amtrak BNSF or UP but not WP [2c]

[techguy57]

Don't know if it was mentioned earlier but there are some nice train sequences in the movie Broken Arrow, with John Travolta and Christian Slater. Its not the best movie but the last 15 or 20 minutes happens on a freight train.

Mike

[techguy57]

Don't know if it was mentioned earlier but there are some nice train sequences in the movie Broken Arrow, with John Travolta and Christian Slater. Its not the best movie but the last 15 or 20 minutes happens on a freight train.

Mike

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

Or eerily prescient....

LOL! I was thinking the same thing,....I.E. "Darn! They finally did it! UP sucked up EVERYTHING!!"

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

Or eerily prescient....

LOL! I was thinking the same thing,....I.E. "Darn! They finally did it! UP sucked up EVERYTHING!!"

[Anonymous]

Another movie that, while not a train film per se none the less features a lot of railroad footage is:

The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) by Disney. A depression era movie about a girl who travels cross country by train "hobo style" to be with her father. Allong the way the girl picks up an unlikely companion and protector - a wolf (played by a dog). The movie also features an excellent train wreck scene that is very convincing. Film critic Leonard Maltin in his 2003 movie reveiw book gives it 3 stars and a positive recomendation.

As for short but good train scenes in non railroad films, be sure to check out the following:

The Fugitive (1993) with Harison Ford. Features an excellent train wreck scene ussing real railroad equipment including a high nose GP30 and a U25B!

Blue Thunder (1983) with Roy Scheinder. The movie is about a high tech police helicopter but the director must have been a train buff considering how many times trains are mentioned or shown in the film. For example in the movie, Roy Scheider playing police chopper pilot Frank Murphy meets a friend in a railroad museum, the conclusion of the movie has Murphy landing his high tech helicopter in front of a moving freight train pulled by a pair of GE 70 ton switchers, and just before the credits roll you hear a voice over of a telivision report summing up the movie and then mentions for his next news story "a high speed bullet train that maybe comming to southern California, maybe".

Superman (1978) with Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, and Ned Beatty. Young Clark Kent outruns what appears to be a repainted Canadian Pacific passenger train being pulled by an F7. Lex Luther's hideout is in New York's Grand Central Terminal, Lex Luthor even usses a New Haven FL9 to dispose of a New York detective who had followed henchman Otis to the entrance of the secret lair. Finally don't miss the scene where Superman saves an Amtrak train with a SDP40F triple header pulling heritage equipment including a Northern Pacific dome car (look closely for the NP emblem durring the interior shot of the dome when the train is threatend by a rock slide).

Francis Joins the Wacs (1954) Staring Donald O'Connor and Francis the Talking Mule. Fifth movie of Francis the Talking Mule series wich inspired Mr. Ed the Talking Horse TV Series. This movie opens up with early 1950's railroading on the Southern Pacific, includes vintage diesels in the Black Widow paint scheme, Pullmans, and SP frieght cars. Plus an interesting scene involving a water plug for filling steam locomotive tenders.

[Anonymous]

Another movie that, while not a train film per se none the less features a lot of railroad footage is:

The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) by Disney. A depression era movie about a girl who travels cross country by train "hobo style" to be with her father. Allong the way the girl picks up an unlikely companion and protector - a wolf (played by a dog). The movie also features an excellent train wreck scene that is very convincing. Film critic Leonard Maltin in his 2003 movie reveiw book gives it 3 stars and a positive recomendation.

As for short but good train scenes in non railroad films, be sure to check out the following:

The Fugitive (1993) with Harison Ford. Features an excellent train wreck scene ussing real railroad equipment including a high nose GP30 and a U25B!

Blue Thunder (1983) with Roy Scheinder. The movie is about a high tech police helicopter but the director must have been a train buff considering how many times trains are mentioned or shown in the film. For example in the movie, Roy Scheider playing police chopper pilot Frank Murphy meets a friend in a railroad museum, the conclusion of the movie has Murphy landing his high tech helicopter in front of a moving freight train pulled by a pair of GE 70 ton switchers, and just before the credits roll you hear a voice over of a telivision report summing up the movie and then mentions for his next news story "a high speed bullet train that maybe comming to southern California, maybe".

Superman (1978) with Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, and Ned Beatty. Young Clark Kent outruns what appears to be a repainted Canadian Pacific passenger train being pulled by an F7. Lex Luther's hideout is in New York's Grand Central Terminal, Lex Luthor even usses a New Haven FL9 to dispose of a New York detective who had followed henchman Otis to the entrance of the secret lair. Finally don't miss the scene where Superman saves an Amtrak train with a SDP40F triple header pulling heritage equipment including a Northern Pacific dome car (look closely for the NP emblem durring the interior shot of the dome when the train is threatend by a rock slide).

Francis Joins the Wacs (1954) Staring Donald O'Connor and Francis the Talking Mule. Fifth movie of Francis the Talking Mule series wich inspired Mr. Ed the Talking Horse TV Series. This movie opens up with early 1950's railroading on the Southern Pacific, includes vintage diesels in the Black Widow paint scheme, Pullmans, and SP frieght cars. Plus an interesting scene involving a water plug for filling steam locomotive tenders.

[Anonymous]

Don't know if I saw scanning through the list an oldie(10 years +} and not so goodie called "The House on Carroll Street" starring Kelly McGillis (wow}. The plot is pretty bad but its saving grace is the last 15-20 minutes of a chase thru GCT.

There are scenes of Kelly running on the tracks with an old retired Electric coming at her and then a chase through the upper floors prior to its renovation.

Doubt if it is available on DVD so keep your eye out for a late nite TV showing.

[Anonymous]

Don't know if I saw scanning through the list an oldie(10 years +} and not so goodie called "The House on Carroll Street" starring Kelly McGillis (wow}. The plot is pretty bad but its saving grace is the last 15-20 minutes of a chase thru GCT.

There are scenes of Kelly running on the tracks with an old retired Electric coming at her and then a chase through the upper floors prior to its renovation.

Doubt if it is available on DVD so keep your eye out for a late nite TV showing.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

It's just that nobody ever told the good folks of Mayberry that there were actually living in California, not NC.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

It's just that nobody ever told the good folks of Mayberry that there were actually living in California, not NC.

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

Or eerily prescient....

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

Or eerily prescient....

[Anonymous]

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

[Anonymous]

not a movie, but just a strange oddity I saw on TV, on the Andy griffith show there is an episode where someone comes to town via train, and the motive power is a UnionPacific E unit, and the cars say Union Pacific on their side as well...odd for north carolina.....

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

QUOTE: Originally posted by techguy57

I hadn't even thought about war movies but Enemy at the Gates has a handful of nice train scenes. It is an excellent movie to boot.

Mike

That movie is a VERY GOOD MOVIE if you like war movies. However, I really didn't care for the fate of the little boy. [:(] [V] Soft-hearted Jim here.

If he hadn't killed the kid they way he did, you wouldn't have hated Ed Harris' Nazi Coloniel character as much and rooted when he gets his comeupance. Not quite as pure evil as Ralph Fiens in "Schindler's List", but pretty dam close.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

QUOTE: Originally posted by techguy57

I hadn't even thought about war movies but Enemy at the Gates has a handful of nice train scenes. It is an excellent movie to boot.

Mike

That movie is a VERY GOOD MOVIE if you like war movies. However, I really didn't care for the fate of the little boy. [:(] [V] Soft-hearted Jim here.

If he hadn't killed the kid they way he did, you wouldn't have hated Ed Harris' Nazi Coloniel character as much and rooted when he gets his comeupance. Not quite as pure evil as Ralph Fiens in "Schindler's List", but pretty dam close.

[Anonymous]

Steven King has a good movie called somtimes they come back
about two boys walkin down the track and a group of teens hasslin them
theres a part where an old steamtrain kills the punks the 20 years later the ghost train kills them again after they came back from the dead[8D]

Also If you get RFD.TV they usualy have a program called Trains & locomotives shows a lot of steam locos Like The NKP bershire # 765 The N&W 611
the RDG 2101 AT&SF 2925 UP 3985 challenger C&NW 4005
CB&Q 5632 SLSF 1522 & A WP F-7 ABBA & GN 844 [8D]

[Anonymous]

Steven King has a good movie called somtimes they come back
about two boys walkin down the track and a group of teens hasslin them
theres a part where an old steamtrain kills the punks the 20 years later the ghost train kills them again after they came back from the dead[8D]

Also If you get RFD.TV they usualy have a program called Trains & locomotives shows a lot of steam locos Like The NKP bershire # 765 The N&W 611
the RDG 2101 AT&SF 2925 UP 3985 challenger C&NW 4005
CB&Q 5632 SLSF 1522 & A WP F-7 ABBA & GN 844 [8D]

[AntonioFP45]

Hello!

If I may chime in with: The Train. Excellent plot and acting. Burt Lancaster is top of the line![4:-)]

Did anyone mention the 70s classic version of: The Silver Streak with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder? The star of the movie was the streamliner itself! Great shots of it. [8D] I wonder if those CP F units used in the movie are still around.

[tdn]Worst train movie: The Cassandra Crossing. BAARRRF! Ironically with Burt Lancaster! This time Burt is the "hidden enemy". I found the whole movie depressing, though Burt's character reminds one of things that go on "behind the scenes in government" when decisions have to be made that wind up killing people whose faces you can't see. [V]

I'm 40 and I've never seen North by Northwest. Since I can never catch it when it comes on tv, I'm going to buy it next time I see it at Target or Wal-Mart. Heard it has some very good shots of streamliner action.[:D]

[AntonioFP45]

Hello!

If I may chime in with: The Train. Excellent plot and acting. Burt Lancaster is top of the line![4:-)]

Did anyone mention the 70s classic version of: The Silver Streak with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder? The star of the movie was the streamliner itself! Great shots of it. [8D] I wonder if those CP F units used in the movie are still around.

[tdn]Worst train movie: The Cassandra Crossing. BAARRRF! Ironically with Burt Lancaster! This time Burt is the "hidden enemy". I found the whole movie depressing, though Burt's character reminds one of things that go on "behind the scenes in government" when decisions have to be made that wind up killing people whose faces you can't see. [V]

I'm 40 and I've never seen North by Northwest. Since I can never catch it when it comes on tv, I'm going to buy it next time I see it at Target or Wal-Mart. Heard it has some very good shots of streamliner action.[:D]

[stantaras]

Runaway Train by the far the best .
It has the rawest footage,nuts and bolts feel of any train movie add to the fact it was filmed in the winter [I think it was Alaska ] and a really gritty performance by Jon Voight.
The scene where Voight gets his hand mangled between couplers makes you wince in pain.
Loved it.

[stantaras]

Runaway Train by the far the best .
It has the rawest footage,nuts and bolts feel of any train movie add to the fact it was filmed in the winter [I think it was Alaska ] and a really gritty performance by Jon Voight.
The scene where Voight gets his hand mangled between couplers makes you wince in pain.
Loved it.

[jeaton]

Jim, Thanks for the correction. I saw that movie relatively recently on TV (maybe AMC) and I then realized the wreck scene was probably done with models. However, for a kid, the movie achieved the goal of suspension of disbelief.
Jay

[jeaton]

Jim, Thanks for the correction. I saw that movie relatively recently on TV (maybe AMC) and I then realized the wreck scene was probably done with models. However, for a kid, the movie achieved the goal of suspension of disbelief.
Jay

[Anonymous]

jeaton-

That 50's movie was "The Greatest Show on Earth" with Jimmy Stewart and Charlton Heston(not Burt Lancaster). Great movie, even though the wreck scene was done with models.[8D]