Best Railroad Movies (topic rehashed)

[AztecEagle]

The Movie Based On A Stephen King Novel was 1986's "Stand by Me".

[AztecEagle]

Don't Forget The HBO Movie "Truman"With Gary Sinise("Forrest Gump';"Apollo 13";"CSI New York.).as President Truman.one Great Scene of Frisco 1522 Pulling The BN Business Train.Also,"The Simpsons"Have Sometime Featured Trains In An Episode or Two.Examples:Reverend Lovejoy Has A Layout in His Basement.In One Episode,He's Operating His Model Trains when He Gets A Call From Ned Flanders.the Call Annoys Him So Much That He accidentally Wrecks His trains.Another Episode Involves Homer's Plans to Build Bart A Treehouse.Bart asks Him "Dad,Aren't You Going To The Lumberyard?",to Which Homer Tells Him"Bart,Wer'e Going To nature's Lumberyard!!"..So Homer Takes Them To A Stretch Of Tracks Outside of Town.Homer Starts removing The Ties When A Passenger Train (Pulled By FUnits in ATSF"Warbonnet"Colors no Less!!)Comes By!!The Train Jumps The Tracks,Turns Around Completely Around in MidAir And Lands Rightside Up!!

[AztecEagle]

Don't Forget The HBO Movie "Truman"With Gary Sinise("Forrest Gump';"Apollo 13";"CSI New York.).as President Truman.one Great Scene of Frisco 1522 Pulling The BN Business Train.Also,"The Simpsons"Have Sometime Featured Trains In An Episode or Two.Examples:Reverend Lovejoy Has A Layout in His Basement.In One Episode,He's Operating His Model Trains when He Gets A Call From Ned Flanders.the Call Annoys Him So Much That He accidentally Wrecks His trains.Another Episode Involves Homer's Plans to Build Bart A Treehouse.Bart asks Him "Dad,Aren't You Going To The Lumberyard?",to Which Homer Tells Him"Bart,Wer'e Going To nature's Lumberyard!!"..So Homer Takes Them To A Stretch Of Tracks Outside of Town.Homer Starts removing The Ties When A Passenger Train (Pulled By FUnits in ATSF"Warbonnet"Colors no Less!!)Comes By!!The Train Jumps The Tracks,Turns Around Completely Around in MidAir And Lands Rightside Up!!

[ZephyrOverland]

Here are some other films that are not necessarily railroad films but have railroad scenes in them which haven't been mentioned in this thread:

Some Like It Hot - The scene when the leading actors walk down a train platform to catch their train - in the background a train announcer calls out the departure of the "Florida Limited" and then the announcer announces the stopping points - unfortunately the cities that are announced are more appropriate for a New York-Florida ACL train than a Chicago-Florida train. Also, nice shots of the interior Pullman and the driving wheels of the steam engine, although from the looks of it, the engine must be a switcher.

The Palm Beach Story - There are great station/train scenes, including the interior of Pennsylvania Station (a studio mockup), and the train gates of Pennylvania Station where Claudette Colbert is trying to get on board the "Advance Florida Special" (even the train sign looks authentic) without a ticket to get a divorce and find a temporary boyfriend in Palm Beach. She feels that she needs to leave her inventor husband whom she loves but feels needs his space in order for him to be successful.. Eventually, the members of "The Ail and Quail Club", a private group that had the use of a private car (a lounge sleeper) that was attached to the end of the train, offer to pay for her ticket. (You can hear the hum of a GG1 as the train leaves the station.) Eventually, Colbert had to flee the car in borrowed pajamas because some of the club members started a skeet shooting competition in the lounge, destroying the art-deco interior. Colbert runs through the diner and ends up in a conventional Pullman in an empty upper berth, over the berth of Rudy Vallee, playing one of the richest men in America (she even used his face as a step ladder in trying to get into the berth!). At this time the train crew cuts the private car off the train into a siding because of the groups roudyness. The next morning finds Colbert without any day clothes because she left them in the private car. Vallee and a porter start a clothing drive for Colbert, but she dosent approve of any of the articles. While Vallee waits for her in the diner, Colbert arrives in the car with an outfit consisting of a pajama top styled to be a blouse and a Pullman blanket acting as a skirt, with the Pullman logo on her posterior. It's a hilarious film and there some brief shots of their train being pulled by a streamlined PRR K4.

The Thin Man - Not sure the exact films in this series, but one of the films end with the main characters going west on the Sunset Limited - great scene of the Observation Car, complete with drumhead. The next film in the series starts out with the characters arriving in San Francisco, again on the Sunset Limited.

Without Reservations - This film, with Claudette Colbert and John Wayne, follows the main characters from when they meet on a New York Central train leaving New York. Colbert is an author going to Hollywood to have one of her books turn into a film and John Wayne is a soldier on leave. They interact on the train but she does not tell him who she is. They arrive in Chicago "between trains" and while she is scheduled leave on the Chief while Wayne is supposed to leave on another Santa Fe train she ends up missing her train and ends up leaving Chicago on Wayne's train. And so on.....

The Women - Small scene that takes place in an obervation lounge, but obviously too wide to be a real passenger car.

The Major and the Minor - The movie begins with Ginger Rogers trying to pass off as a 16 year old in order to get on a train for half fare. There are some interersting scenes of wartime affected passenger train travel.

Three for Bedroom C - I came across this film after I was inroduced to Sunset Boulevard with Gloria Swanson. I initially assumed she would have a pick of plum roles after Sunset Boulevard, but why she did this film is beyond me. Nothing more than a B grade story and writing. The only good thing abvout this film are the interior and extrerior scenes of the Super Chief while the main characters travel to LA.

Swing Time - Early in this Astaire/Rogers film, the Astaire character just misses his train, the "Standard Limited", (complete with Observation car and drumhead), and ends up hopping a freight to the big city.

White Christmas - Great exterior scenes of a Santa Fe train (the San Diegan?) and a Southern Pacific train (the Klamath?), even though the main characters are traveling from Miami to Vermont. Also, some decent intrerior scenes of a diner-lounge and a Pullman.

A League of Their Own - Some interior and exterior shots of the Union Railroad Museum's Nebraska Zephyr.

[ZephyrOverland]

Here are some other films that are not necessarily railroad films but have railroad scenes in them which haven't been mentioned in this thread:

Some Like It Hot - The scene when the leading actors walk down a train platform to catch their train - in the background a train announcer calls out the departure of the "Florida Limited" and then the announcer announces the stopping points - unfortunately the cities that are announced are more appropriate for a New York-Florida ACL train than a Chicago-Florida train. Also, nice shots of the interior Pullman and the driving wheels of the steam engine, although from the looks of it, the engine must be a switcher.

The Palm Beach Story - There are great station/train scenes, including the interior of Pennsylvania Station (a studio mockup), and the train gates of Pennylvania Station where Claudette Colbert is trying to get on board the "Advance Florida Special" (even the train sign looks authentic) without a ticket to get a divorce and find a temporary boyfriend in Palm Beach. She feels that she needs to leave her inventor husband whom she loves but feels needs his space in order for him to be successful.. Eventually, the members of "The Ail and Quail Club", a private group that had the use of a private car (a lounge sleeper) that was attached to the end of the train, offer to pay for her ticket. (You can hear the hum of a GG1 as the train leaves the station.) Eventually, Colbert had to flee the car in borrowed pajamas because some of the club members started a skeet shooting competition in the lounge, destroying the art-deco interior. Colbert runs through the diner and ends up in a conventional Pullman in an empty upper berth, over the berth of Rudy Vallee, playing one of the richest men in America (she even used his face as a step ladder in trying to get into the berth!). At this time the train crew cuts the private car off the train into a siding because of the groups roudyness. The next morning finds Colbert without any day clothes because she left them in the private car. Vallee and a porter start a clothing drive for Colbert, but she dosent approve of any of the articles. While Vallee waits for her in the diner, Colbert arrives in the car with an outfit consisting of a pajama top styled to be a blouse and a Pullman blanket acting as a skirt, with the Pullman logo on her posterior. It's a hilarious film and there some brief shots of their train being pulled by a streamlined PRR K4.

The Thin Man - Not sure the exact films in this series, but one of the films end with the main characters going west on the Sunset Limited - great scene of the Observation Car, complete with drumhead. The next film in the series starts out with the characters arriving in San Francisco, again on the Sunset Limited.

Without Reservations - This film, with Claudette Colbert and John Wayne, follows the main characters from when they meet on a New York Central train leaving New York. Colbert is an author going to Hollywood to have one of her books turn into a film and John Wayne is a soldier on leave. They interact on the train but she does not tell him who she is. They arrive in Chicago "between trains" and while she is scheduled leave on the Chief while Wayne is supposed to leave on another Santa Fe train she ends up missing her train and ends up leaving Chicago on Wayne's train. And so on.....

The Women - Small scene that takes place in an obervation lounge, but obviously too wide to be a real passenger car.

The Major and the Minor - The movie begins with Ginger Rogers trying to pass off as a 16 year old in order to get on a train for half fare. There are some interersting scenes of wartime affected passenger train travel.

Three for Bedroom C - I came across this film after I was inroduced to Sunset Boulevard with Gloria Swanson. I initially assumed she would have a pick of plum roles after Sunset Boulevard, but why she did this film is beyond me. Nothing more than a B grade story and writing. The only good thing abvout this film are the interior and extrerior scenes of the Super Chief while the main characters travel to LA.

Swing Time - Early in this Astaire/Rogers film, the Astaire character just misses his train, the "Standard Limited", (complete with Observation car and drumhead), and ends up hopping a freight to the big city.

White Christmas - Great exterior scenes of a Santa Fe train (the San Diegan?) and a Southern Pacific train (the Klamath?), even though the main characters are traveling from Miami to Vermont. Also, some decent intrerior scenes of a diner-lounge and a Pullman.

A League of Their Own - Some interior and exterior shots of the Union Railroad Museum's Nebraska Zephyr.

[Anonymous]

I recently bought and watched, Money Train. I am not sure how accurate the subway scenes were, but I thought it was an interesting movie.

Hey Adrian, pass the popcorn, please. [:D]

[Anonymous]

I recently bought and watched, Money Train. I am not sure how accurate the subway scenes were, but I thought it was an interesting movie.

Hey Adrian, pass the popcorn, please. [:D]

[Anonymous]

This isn't a movie, but has anyone seen the new Motorola commercial? It has a guy displaying his new hip cell phone that has all sorts of new things on it while a band is playing and riding on one of the German ICE trains. Shows several brief but good shots of the train. I've seen this commercial several times tonight on Comedy Central, so if you haven't seen it yet and want to you might try watching on there for a bit.

[Anonymous]

This isn't a movie, but has anyone seen the new Motorola commercial? It has a guy displaying his new hip cell phone that has all sorts of new things on it while a band is playing and riding on one of the German ICE trains. Shows several brief but good shots of the train. I've seen this commercial several times tonight on Comedy Central, so if you haven't seen it yet and want to you might try watching on there for a bit.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by adrianspeeder

There was one the other night where two guys were rumblin in a backshop. one dude had another dude on a main generator and was lettin him have it. Then they were goin at it in the cab of an old alco century which moved out the back door of the cab where the engine should have been, cept the engine was gone and they were using the handrails on either side like a wraselin ring. The bad guy got sishcobobed on somethin stickin out of the electrical cabinet.

Adrianspeeder

Gee, I missed that one. [;)]

Sishcobobed huh, sounds really bad. [;)]

<I would make a comments about veggies but> [;)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by adrianspeeder

There was one the other night where two guys were rumblin in a backshop. one dude had another dude on a main generator and was lettin him have it. Then they were goin at it in the cab of an old alco century which moved out the back door of the cab where the engine should have been, cept the engine was gone and they were using the handrails on either side like a wraselin ring. The bad guy got sishcobobed on somethin stickin out of the electrical cabinet.

Adrianspeeder

Gee, I missed that one. [;)]

Sishcobobed huh, sounds really bad. [;)]

<I would make a comments about veggies but> [;)]

[adrianspeeder]

There was one the other night where two guys were rumblin in a backshop. one dude had another dude on a main generator and was lettin him have it. Then they were goin at it in the cab of an old alco century which moved out the back door of the cab where the engine should have been, cept the engine was gone and they were using the handrails on either side like a wraselin ring. The bad guy got sishcobobed on somethin stickin out of the electrical cabinet.

Adrianspeeder

[adrianspeeder]

There was one the other night where two guys were rumblin in a backshop. one dude had another dude on a main generator and was lettin him have it. Then they were goin at it in the cab of an old alco century which moved out the back door of the cab where the engine should have been, cept the engine was gone and they were using the handrails on either side like a wraselin ring. The bad guy got sishcobobed on somethin stickin out of the electrical cabinet.

Adrianspeeder

[rixflix]

Sid, the town's sheriff in "Matewan", has replaced Fearless Fosdick as my favorite cop.
John Sayles "Eight Men Out", a film about the Black Sox scandal, features many of the actors he directed in "Matewan".
Rix

[rixflix]

Sid, the town's sheriff in "Matewan", has replaced Fearless Fosdick as my favorite cop.
John Sayles "Eight Men Out", a film about the Black Sox scandal, features many of the actors he directed in "Matewan".
Rix

[Anonymous]

Gotta put in a good word for End of the Line here. The plot does drag some and the humor is a little too Disneyfied, but it's actually not a bad way to spend 90 minutes. Decent premise about laid off railroad workers in Arkansas. It's on budget-line DVD now so check the $5 bins.

My all time favorites are: Runaway Train, Emperor of the North, The Train, Matewan, and Danger Lights. I just bought Danger Lights on DVD and the first ten minutes are incredible, footage of real steam railroading in 1930 that could almost be a documentary. Watch it for the raw, authentic railroading scenes not the melodrama. Filmed on the Milwaukee Road. I know Runaway Train gets mixed reviews from railfans but I think it's one of the best. Love the winter railroading scenes in Alaska. The Train gets my vote for best WWII movie ever. Matewan is about coal mining and miners trying to form a union, not primarily about trains, but it's one of the best.

Two I haven't seen mentioned: Flashback, 1990 starring Kiefer Sutherland and Dennis Hopper. It's a comedy about an aging hippie and an FBI agent, and large parts of it take place on a fictional passenger railroad in California and Oregon. The soundtrack tends toward 1960s-70s rock songs about trains, but the humor probably isn't for everyone. Also, The Train Killer, a Hungarian movie from 1982 which you might be able to find on budget-line DVD (I actually bought mine for $3 in a truck stop.) It's set in Hungary and Austria just before WWII and is about efforts to catch a terrorist who is derailing trains. Neither of them are great cinematic achievements, but they're worth seeing.

[Anonymous]

Gotta put in a good word for End of the Line here. The plot does drag some and the humor is a little too Disneyfied, but it's actually not a bad way to spend 90 minutes. Decent premise about laid off railroad workers in Arkansas. It's on budget-line DVD now so check the $5 bins.

My all time favorites are: Runaway Train, Emperor of the North, The Train, Matewan, and Danger Lights. I just bought Danger Lights on DVD and the first ten minutes are incredible, footage of real steam railroading in 1930 that could almost be a documentary. Watch it for the raw, authentic railroading scenes not the melodrama. Filmed on the Milwaukee Road. I know Runaway Train gets mixed reviews from railfans but I think it's one of the best. Love the winter railroading scenes in Alaska. The Train gets my vote for best WWII movie ever. Matewan is about coal mining and miners trying to form a union, not primarily about trains, but it's one of the best.

Two I haven't seen mentioned: Flashback, 1990 starring Kiefer Sutherland and Dennis Hopper. It's a comedy about an aging hippie and an FBI agent, and large parts of it take place on a fictional passenger railroad in California and Oregon. The soundtrack tends toward 1960s-70s rock songs about trains, but the humor probably isn't for everyone. Also, The Train Killer, a Hungarian movie from 1982 which you might be able to find on budget-line DVD (I actually bought mine for $3 in a truck stop.) It's set in Hungary and Austria just before WWII and is about efforts to catch a terrorist who is derailing trains. Neither of them are great cinematic achievements, but they're worth seeing.

[rixflix]

Let's see.....desert island must haves.

The Train
The General
La Bete Humaine (hate left hand running)
The Emperer of the North
Sigourney Weaver

If only one:::

Ta-da!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sigourney babes I know you follow this forum closely and I hereby propose a trip,

E.M. Frimbo would approve!!!

Rix

[rixflix]

Let's see.....desert island must haves.

The Train
The General
La Bete Humaine (hate left hand running)
The Emperer of the North
Sigourney Weaver

If only one:::

Ta-da!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sigourney babes I know you follow this forum closely and I hereby propose a trip,

E.M. Frimbo would approve!!!

Rix

[adrianspeeder]

I got a good pic from a car show i went to. hehehe. Anybody want to see it?

Adrianspeeder

[adrianspeeder]

I got a good pic from a car show i went to. hehehe. Anybody want to see it?

Adrianspeeder

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ChuckCobleigh



On the other hand, there is one mention above of "End of the Line" with Wilford Brimley in 1988, where the RR is going to close the shops somewhere in Arkansas, so Brimley and another worker grab an engine and head for the corporate HQ in Chicago. Great sequence where they are rolling barrels of diesel to the empty engine to get going again. Not the greatest movie in the history of cinema, but still an entertaining hour and a half, or so.

The yard that was "St. Louis" in the movie was actually North Little Rock. One other item of funny interest is the fact that (you would have to be local to know it though) one of the buildings the train passes in the movie is a "Gentlemen's Club" in real life. It might not have been then but is now. It has been years since I have seen the movie. It was fimed around Central Arkansas.



Adrian [:)]

I am not getting "Old" just older. [;)]

I need some more fingers and toes to "add" it all up though. [;)] [8D] [:D]

BTW, you little devil [;)] , in your latest pic of you and "the woman" you sure are wearing a BIG SMILE on your face. Awww, the joys of being young. [;)] [:D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ChuckCobleigh



On the other hand, there is one mention above of "End of the Line" with Wilford Brimley in 1988, where the RR is going to close the shops somewhere in Arkansas, so Brimley and another worker grab an engine and head for the corporate HQ in Chicago. Great sequence where they are rolling barrels of diesel to the empty engine to get going again. Not the greatest movie in the history of cinema, but still an entertaining hour and a half, or so.

The yard that was "St. Louis" in the movie was actually North Little Rock. One other item of funny interest is the fact that (you would have to be local to know it though) one of the buildings the train passes in the movie is a "Gentlemen's Club" in real life. It might not have been then but is now. It has been years since I have seen the movie. It was fimed around Central Arkansas.



Adrian [:)]

I am not getting "Old" just older. [;)]

I need some more fingers and toes to "add" it all up though. [;)] [8D] [:D]

BTW, you little devil [;)] , in your latest pic of you and "the woman" you sure are wearing a BIG SMILE on your face. Awww, the joys of being young. [;)] [:D]

[ChuckCobleigh]

In reviewing the posts on this topic, I cannot believe that nobody has mentioned the all-time goofiest train sequence in "Go West" with the Marx Brothers from 1940. The tender runs out of wood so the brothers are dismantling the passenger cars to feed the fire, then the train sort of free-lances off of the track.

On the other hand, there is one mention above of "End of the Line" with Wilford Brimley in 1988, where the RR is going to close the shops somewhere in Arkansas, so Brimley and another worker grab an engine and head for the corporate HQ in Chicago. Great sequence where they are rolling barrels of diesel to the empty engine to get going again. Not the greatest movie in the history of cinema, but still an entertaining hour and a half, or so.

[ChuckCobleigh]

In reviewing the posts on this topic, I cannot believe that nobody has mentioned the all-time goofiest train sequence in "Go West" with the Marx Brothers from 1940. The tender runs out of wood so the brothers are dismantling the passenger cars to feed the fire, then the train sort of free-lances off of the track.

On the other hand, there is one mention above of "End of the Line" with Wilford Brimley in 1988, where the RR is going to close the shops somewhere in Arkansas, so Brimley and another worker grab an engine and head for the corporate HQ in Chicago. Great sequence where they are rolling barrels of diesel to the empty engine to get going again. Not the greatest movie in the history of cinema, but still an entertaining hour and a half, or so.

[adrianspeeder]

Whats the matter Jim, gettin' old? Ahh to be young again...Oh wait, I am.[:D][:D][:D][:D]

One thing that bothered me about the Under Seige movie is that the passenger train and world was saved, but what about the crew of the freight that went over the bridge?

Adrianspeeder

hemi?

[adrianspeeder]

Whats the matter Jim, gettin' old? Ahh to be young again...Oh wait, I am.[:D][:D][:D][:D]

One thing that bothered me about the Under Seige movie is that the passenger train and world was saved, but what about the crew of the freight that went over the bridge?

Adrianspeeder

hemi?

[Anonymous]

I thought of another railroad movie the other day and now can't remember what it was to post about it. [:(]

[Anonymous]

I thought of another railroad movie the other day and now can't remember what it was to post about it. [:(]

[Anonymous]

Trip66 [:)]

Welcome to the forums. [:D]

I know you will enjoy them. [8D]