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Back To The Future - Part 3 comes to mind as a big one. They use a steam train to push the DeLorian to 88 mph with Presto Logs! Another one would be Best Friends with Goldie Hawn & Burt Reynolds, An Amtrak Train arrives into Buffalo Central Terminal, I'll mention that one since I'm from Western NY!
Posts: 113 | From: Buffalo, NY | Registered: Sep 2002
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I like the 2 James Bond movies that have some footage on trains -- "From Russia With Love" has scenes on the Orient Express, and "Octopussy" has a scene on a train in some country in Asia, I believe.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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I'm particularly fond of Double Indemnity, with Fred Macmurray on the rear platform of a steam train from Los Angeles to San Francisco (the Lark maybe?). Of course there are also The Lady Vanishes and Strangers on a Train--both excellent.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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No contest, Uncle Buck! It's "The Emperor of the North Pole", with Lee Marvin as the wily hobo hero, Ernest Borgnine as the sadistic freight conductor, and Keith Carradine as the phoney wannabe. Authentic, non-stop action! Bloody, savage fights on moving trains! Scalding accidents! An unforgetable ending scene! As a former hopper of trains myself, I love this movie, own it, and watch it periodically. Number 2 favorite: "The Train", with Burt Lancaster saving French art from the retreating Nazis in WWII.
Posts: 37 | Registered: Oct 2002
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I am surprised that no one has mentioned "Von Ryan's Express" with Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard. I aslo like the orignal "The Lady Vanishes" from 1939? not the remake with Sybil Sheppard. There was another good train movie from the 1930's with Robert Armstrong and Louis Wolhiem. I can't remember the name of it.
Posts: 57 | From: Huntersville, NC USA | Registered: Nov 2001
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How about "Narrow Margin" with Gene Hackman? I believe a large chunk of the movie takes place on a Via Rail Train somewhere in Western Canada, great movie!
Posts: 113 | From: Buffalo, NY | Registered: Sep 2002
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Second on "Narrow Margin" (Gene Hackman and Ann Archer). The surprises came freqently, and the final chase on top of the train was a real winner. I thought it was shot on BC Rail. It was also a remake of a 1950's flick with Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor (same title) with a similar (but not completely identical) plot
Posts: 87 | From: Snowmass, CO USA | Registered: Jun 2003
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The Railrodder with Buster Keaton. Okay so not really a train but still one of the great railroading movies.
Posts: 34 | From: Camillus NY USA | Registered: Jul 2003
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how about an oldie also called silver streak. it was about the the original burlington zepher trying to get medical supplies from chicago to denver on time to save someones life.
------------------ The Copper Country Limited [Milwaukee Road] and the Peninsula 400 [CNW} still my favorites
Posts: 175 | From: FENCE WI USA | Registered: Oct 2000
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Made such an impact I can't even remember the title, but used SARTC for "Salinas" and other O.C. footage!
Posts: 216 | From: San Carlos, CA, USA | Registered: Jul 2000
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i forgot about the the first superman movie with c. reeve when he saves what i believe is the coast starlight by using his body in place of a broken rail in the earthquake scene.
------------------ The Copper Country Limited [Milwaukee Road] and the Peninsula 400 [CNW} still my favorites
Posts: 175 | From: FENCE WI USA | Registered: Oct 2000
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The Gene Wilder "Silver Streak," Unclebuck44. Haven't seen the other one. And "Orient Express" isn't out on DVD, darn it.
Posts: 58 | From: Owensboro, KY USA | Registered: Apr 2002
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The Gene Wilder "Silver Streak," Unclebuck44. Haven't seen the other one. And "Orient Express" isn't out on DVD, darn it.
Posts: 58 | From: Owensboro, KY USA | Registered: Apr 2002
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I have a 1992- or 1993-vintage video about the AMTRAK Surf Line (route of the Pacific Surfliners) produced by Video Rails -- in the video, they obviously feature the old "San Diegans" with the F40PH's, but they also document where a scene in a movie called "Triple Indemnity" was filmed with an actor "falling off the train" as it crossed one of the lagoons down by Oceanside -- of course, they made up a train for the movie, but I am wondering if anyone has seen this movie "Triple Indemnity" -- if so, who stars in it? Is the movie any good? (is it worth finding a video of and watching?)
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Can't recall the name of the movie. I was watching it late one night on TV. Two passenger trains: one was a std. pullman of 30's/40's era and the other was a streamliner of the 40's/50's era. The movie might have been made in the 1940's or very early 50's. Joan Crawford was one of the main characters. It seems the story line involved characters on both trains with close schedules which were traveling in the same direction. It was filmed in black and white. I wish I could remember more. It was a good display of rail travel 50 or 60 years ago. That's why I enjoyed it. Did a search on google, but couldn't find the name of the movie. The scenes shifted from one train to the other. I was very tired so I never watched the whole film.
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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maybe superman is elgible because there was also a scene earlier in the movie with a teenage superman racing a passenger train on the kansas praire.also all the scenes underneath grand central station like when the cop gets killed by a new haven deisel.
------------------ The Copper Country Limited [Milwaukee Road] and the Peninsula 400 [CNW} still my favorites
[This message has been edited by irish1 (edited 07-10-2003).]
Posts: 175 | From: FENCE WI USA | Registered: Oct 2000
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Well it doesn't involved Amtrak, but I like Union Pacific, that was a cute old movie. Some fun steam shots. I would rather see a movie called Santa Fe since my great gramma grew up on the ATSF work trains.
Posts: 139 | Registered: Oct 2002
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Perhaps stretching a bit - there's "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3". It's about a subway train, but it is a train and I thought an exciting movie. And I have even grown fond of my 5 year old's Thomas the Tank Engine adventure: Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Model and steam and animated trains.
Posts: 300 | From: Denver, CO USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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Whats the so-so flick some bad guys hijaced a train, all I remember are the high nose locos and the one last bad guy who redeemed himself and died when they derailed the train. he was like standing on the cab with his arms out. some nice shots of trains in it. no wait was there a high nose?? there was an f series unit on the consist in this movie.
Posts: 139 | Registered: Oct 2002
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To Vincen47 - many years ago there was a film called "Honeysuckle Rose," starring Willy Nelson, and there was a scene of an AMTRAK train racing along a road across the prairie -- I believe the train was the Texas Eagle.
Also it seems that in one of the better recent movies (maybe "You've Got Mail"?) there were scenes of AMTRAK trains.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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that movie was called runaway train with jon voit and eric roberts and a very good looking rebecca demornay in alaska. i believe there was also a movie by the same name with ben johnson about a ski train with no breaks coming down the mountain. one movie with alot of amtrak was called DISASTER ON THE COASTLINER with william shatner about an l.a. san fran train being hijacked with the vice-presidents wife on board. not bad if your a train lover.
------------------ The Copper Country Limited [Milwaukee Road] and the Peninsula 400 [CNW} still my favorites
Posts: 175 | From: FENCE WI USA | Registered: Oct 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Ira Slotkin: Perhaps stretching a bit - there's "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3". It's about a subway train, but it is a train and I thought an exciting movie.
I really like this one, too. It's very technically accurate.
Another train film I have a soft spot for is a '50s B-movie called "The Rebel Set," in which a gang of beatniks and other ne'er-do-wells robs an armored car while changing trains in Chicago on a trip between L.A. and Newark. I've only seen it as an episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" some years back, which should tell you that it's definitely not the best train film ever made. (For example, the scenes involving the armored car that are supposedly taking place somewhere near Chicago were apparently shot in the mountains around L.A.)
Posts: 112 | From: North Hollywood, California | Registered: Mar 2002
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Since I was a movie buff (movie theater manager, even) long before I was a train buff, I should have had something to contribute early on, but I just couldn't think of any!
Now, I think my favorite movie with a train is Trading Places, wherein two rich guys turn Dan Aykroyd into a street bum and they take Eddie Murphy off the streets and turn him into a rich guy. An Amfleet train (with European style compartments) plays a significant role leading towards the climax.
I especially loved a cameo by Franken & Davis as baggage handlers arguing over whose turn it was to drive the cart.
Regarding the Superman scene, it was brief, but it was clearly an Amtrak train he rescued. It couldn't have been the Coast Starlight, though, because it was out in the desert.
Out of curiosity I just played back the Superman scene on my DVD, and noticed it had a mixed consist of Hi-Levels, two Heritage sleepers, and a vista dome bringing up the rear! The dome car had Phase I paint. I could make out the pointless arrow. I think the rest of the train was Phase II, but it was kinda blurry.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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Regarding the Superman scene: there is a little town of Cerrillos, New Mexico (just west of Lamy on the SWC) that boasts being a filming location for both Superman and "The Young Guns". The Superman scene looks exactly like Cerrillos to me.
I'm sure this was supposed to be California in the film (earthquakes in New Mexico?), but this was a better place to film. High speed track. Off the Santa Fe mainline.
The #3 and #4 both pass thru Cerrillos at high speed about the same time in the afternoon. Good spot for train watching. Great scenery in the area. There is talk BNSF wants to abandon this line from Kansas to Belen, NM, which would reroute the SWC thru Amarillo - far less scenic!
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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One current and I believe the latest with an Amtrak is "Double Take", starring Eddie Griffin and Orlando Jones.
Posts: 547 | From: St. Louis, MO, USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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How about the "Greatest Show on Earth"? That features a huge derailment of Ringling Brothers, Barnum,Bailey Circus Train.
Posts: 6 | From: Topeka, Kansas, USA | Registered: Aug 2002
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I believe the "ski train" movie was called "Runaway" and was shot on the D&RGW, which became the "Sierra Pacific" for the film. I also think it was made for TV. Ben Johnson was the engineer who had a heart attack, putting the train out of control. I can't remember much about it, except that it was pretty far-out.
Posts: 87 | From: Snowmass, CO USA | Registered: Jun 2003
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At the end of the film "Rainman" Dustin Hoffman catches the late lamented Desert Wind back to Chicago from California. You can hear the station tannoy announce it as the Desert Wind and call all the stops, but it is slightly spoiled by Hollywood license as the Amtrak carriages seen are clearly single level when the Desert Wind was Superliner by then.
Posts: 395 | From: england | Registered: Sep 2002
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