Good movie, "Suddenly!"
The "Black Widows" are cool, but what really surprised me was the rifle the assassin played so well by Sinatra was going to use, a German G-43 semi-automatic rifle. It's been called "Hitler's Garand." *
It's very unusual to see those rifles in any films, including war films.
* After the American M-1 rifle of WW2 fame, also called the "Garand," after it's inventor John C. Garand.
I always enjoyed seeing those SP Black Widows in the old Frank Sinatra movie "Suddenly".
And the CGI T-1 in the movie "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" was a pleasant yet unfortunately brief surprise.
It's possible Casey Jr.'s based on "Emma Nevada," but if that's the case it's very loosely based. "Emma's" a 2-6-0, Casey's a 2-4-0.
Just how much of "Emma" Walt Disney might have seen is questionable. Ward Kimball purchased "Emma" in 1938 for scrap value and began restoration that year, the engline wasn't fully operational again until 1942. "Dumbo" came out a year earlier.
All speculation on my part. Where there's NO speculation is the fact Walt was a railfan from way back, hence his insistance of live steam railroads at Disneyland and later at Disney World.
Anyway, here's the whole "Emma Nevada" story.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_Flats_Railroad
Having seen the "Emma Nevada" up close several times, the resemblance may be fair at best. The coach behind Casey Jr strongly resembles Ward's C&C (SP ng) coach.
Ward Kimball's engine "Emma Nevada" was the model for Casey Jr. Walt Disney is suposed to have said "Make it like your engine, Ward".
SD70DudeThe water tank is closer to the firebox so the water can be preheated before being added to the boiler!
And the coal is more accessible to be used in the stove that no doubt goes with the short-wheelbase archbar truck on that passenger car...
Must be a wishful attempt at design improvement.
The water tank is closer to the firebox so the water can be preheated before being added to the boiler!
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Penny Trains Why, and better yet HOW, do people keep putting tenders on backwards!?!?
Why, and better yet HOW, do people keep putting tenders on backwards!?!?
Yeah, that's a head scratcher, ain't it?
I guess Lionel didn't mind as long as the name was recognizable!
"Ahhhh-- you're a native Space-Time-rrr..."
Could work.
Of course the original song was NOT very flattering to native New Yorkers... or, in fact, male New Yorkers...
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Another Buster Keaton classic is "Seven Chances" where you see vintage Los Angeles streetcars, trains, even a steam-powered railroad crane. Buster is being chased by thousands of women in wedding gowns through the dusty streets of 1920s L.A. Great stuff!
54light15 Buster Keaton's One Week- oh yeah! As classic as they get. Regarding Maigret, I am only familiar with the series with Michael Gambon. There's trains in several episodes and lots of old Citroens, my favourite car.
Buster Keaton's One Week- oh yeah! As classic as they get. Regarding Maigret, I am only familiar with the series with Michael Gambon. There's trains in several episodes and lots of old Citroens, my favourite car.
The Michael Gambon series was excellent. This Maigret was the original French-Belgian production with subtitles that ran many years, 1991-2005, with Bruno Cremer in the title role. Citroens, Peugeots. Renaults etc. + trains.
Anyone notice the firebox flash in Casey Jr.'s cab when he's working hard?
Nice little attention to detail there!
And just to show you how much trouble Lionel was in during the 60's even Gomez Addams couldn't get the public interested in Lionel products!
But there was still some true believers out there, thank goodness!
The late, great, cartoonist Walt Kelly of Pogo fame was an animator on Dumbo. He was a train buff too like Disney and Kimball. I wonder if the giraffe car was the inspiration for the Lionel giraffe car. Must have been.
I also like the attention to detail on the outside-braced wooden elephant car.
And the squared journal boxes, even if they don't have lids!
With respect to Dumbo, do note that the car behind "Casey Jr" is modeled on the Carson & Colorado car that Ward Kimball bought in the late 1930's. Ward and several other folks were very familiar with railroading.
Ok so it's TV, not a movie, but this has to be the absolute best use of model trains on screen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kS-vk9mPR8
And here's an interesting take, the engine is sentient and a character in the film, and some significant scenes take place onboard. Note how the Engineer carefully takes slack to start the obviously overtonnage train:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBTLH1rud5k
And at the end he forgets to bail off when setting the brakes, causing the slack to run in.
This is a little off the topic, and I know it's been mentioned before, but in the 1957 movie, "The Black Scorpion", a train is attacked and wrecked by the monster.
If you watch in slow motion, you can see the tender has "Lionel Lines" on it:
Here is the short clip from the movie. The train wreck starts about 5:40.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Yeah I know, couldn't resist. Would perhaps wreck the tune but maybe make it ok for Physics class, or bring it into a whole new perspective.
My apologies regardless.
MiningmanOut there... somewhere in Space-Time
Vince, it's a song reference.
In the French TV series "Maigret" one episode entitled 'First Class Murder' takes place entirely on a halted train and station (a restored 1940s steam-powered train).
"Sandy Becker? Sonny Fox?"I grew up in the NY Tri-state area starting from the mid-1960s (having not existed before then) and I had no idea who those people were till I looked it up. If anything I was a Sesame Street kind of kid till the widespread adaption of 'syndication' on the 'independants' like WOR, WPIX and "Metromedia NY, 5". Yay Gumby, Scooby-Doo, Mr. Ed, and so on. OK, I also watched Mr. Rogers from time to time, and you can guess why...Someone mentioned there are lots of movies wherein a train plays an important plot point, which is very true. What immediately comes to my mind is a century old film of Buster Keaton's, "One Week", wherein a newlywed couple attempt to build a self-assemble 'kit' home with sabotaged instructions. While the first train that passes by doesn't really play a major part...
Out there... somewhere in Space-Time
54light15Overmod, you obviously grew up in or near New York City.
Yaah ... where did all the yesterdays go? ...
The brochure "Steam in the Movies" published by "Steam Railway" has this to say: "The story of a public schoolmaster. Includes a scene shot at Sherbourne station in Dorset (renamed Brookfield for the film) with an 'M7' tank engine and a short train. ..."
Best wishes from Germany, take care, Helmut
Sandy Becker? Sonny Fox? Overmod, you obviously grew up in or near New York City.
There are so many films that feature trains like Brief Encounter, The Lady Vanishes or The French Connection that while not being train movies, trains are key to the plot.
Deggesty I never saw all of "Danger Lights," but what I did see caused me to wonder how the train could get to Chicago from the electrified section in such a short time. Now I know.
I never saw all of "Danger Lights," but what I did see caused me to wonder how the train could get to Chicago from the electrified section in such a short time. Now I know.
The movie is available from the Internet Archive site.
I got a chuckle watching that sequence, seeing the train leave Miles City, then heading westbound through Lombard (~300 miles west of Miles City) and somehow managing to arrive in Chicago a few short hours later.
My dad told me about filming of the pushing contest in the movie. Not sure if he saw it or heard from who saw it.
chutton01Last year I was watching a lot of Sherlock Holmes online, notably the really good 1980s/1990s set of series staring Jeremy Brett, as well as the 1940s movies starring Basil Rathbone.
But did you listen to any of the radio programs with Rathbone and Bruce?
I'm afraid that, for me, no one since Rathbone has come anywhere near capturing the rational character of Holmes. Brett was like Bob McAllister trying to follow Sandy Becker or Sonny Fox. The modern version reminds me a bit of Marlon Brando trying to play Captain Bligh...
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