Large Scale Central

Favorite train movie.

General Discussion
#1

Mine would be, “The Train” with Burt Lancaster starring as a French Railroad Engineer working for the French resistance in an attempt to stop or slow down the Nazi war machine that was using French rail and the French people.

Second would be, “Runaway” with John Voight. About two escaped prisoners that get on a train that has a dead engineer. The scenes were pretty cool as were the prime movers.

Third would be, “Von Ryan’s Express” with Frank Sinatra, as a pilot shot down over occupied Italy, that is sent to a prison camp and leads prisoners on a grand escape from the Nazi’s by, commandeering a train. The movie was actually pretty good.

I also liked “Silver Streak” with Richard Pryor.

“Unstoppable” was okay too.

What is your favorite movie with trains or about trains?

Stacy

#2

Emporor of the North . By fare. Can you ride Shack`s Train ? " A # 1 "

#3

“The General” with Buster Keaton. :wink:

#4

These are movies WITH trains, but I’d choose High Noon, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Stand by Me.

#5

I have to give a tie to “The General” and “The Train”. One a comedy and the other an adventure and both were great.

My next favorite was set on a train during the Civil War and starred Charles Bronson in what I consider his best role. Sorry I can’t remember the name of the movie. Maybe someone can help me out.

Just as a note to Milwaukee Road steam fans, check out “Danger Lights”. A simple plot but lots of Milwaukee Road (Chicago, Milwaukee, St.Paul & Pacific) 1930s train action.

Movie I would love to see if someone were to produce it: Colorado Midland based on Morris Cafky’s book. A real and true documented adventure with a bit of humor as well. The railroad’s battle with snow during the winter of 1897 or 1898 is an epic in itself. A great story and all true.

#6

I like Bad Day at Black Rock – 1955 – staring Spencer Tracy and Robert Ryan. The movie was filmed on the old “Jawbone Canyon” branch of the Southern Pacific in the Mojave Desert. There are great shots of a streamliner pulled by vintage F units in the “Black Widow” paint scheme.

#7

I’d like to see someone make a movie of the superhuman efforts to survive the Wellington Disaster on top of Stevens Pass, when the avalanche took out the train.

#8

I have a memory of a movie scene I saw as a kid that I’m wondering if anyone might know what it’s from. The scene is mostly shot in a caboose and involves two steam trains racing toward each other at night with the one train trying to reach a siding before a head on collision. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I would like to watch the whole movie if I knew what it was.

Patrick

#9

The Train

Titfield Thunderbolt

Union Pacific

Unstoppable

The General

Our Hospitality

Silver Streak

Emperor of the North

Denver and Rio grande

#10

Richard Smith said:

My next favorite was set on a train during the Civil War and starred Charles Bronson in what I consider his best role. Sorry I can’t remember the name of the movie. Maybe someone can help me out.

Breakheart Pass

#11

Richard , I think the movie you are thinking of is called “Run of The Arrow”… It was set at the end of the Civil War… I am gonna see if I can find it since I like Civil War movies…

Travis

#12

The above movie can be found on youtube…full version. It starred Rod Steiger as the lead character…

#13

European:

The Train - wartime b/w SNCF as already described

Trains Closely Observed - wartime b/w set in what then was Czechoslovakia and subtitled in English

Von Ryans Express

United Kingdom:

The Railway Children

Titfield Thunderbolt

(not stictly movies but there are also some great British Transport Commission made films, usually b/w plus many the BBC have done).

United States:

Big choice for non American viewers in lots of western type movies featuring the D&RGW and others.

#14

Unstoppable. I like 3:10 to Yuma too. Not a lot of train action but what is there is cool.

Terry

#15

I guess I should start watching movies. I don’t think I have seen any of the above lol… I cant sit for more then 20 minutes :wink:

#16

The Station Agent (I think), about a social misfit who inherits a RR station and trys to fit into the community.

#17

I had forgotten the Station Agent, it was enjoyable. I also remember something about a railroad in Maine, I guess, having to close and there was no way to get potatoes,or whatever to market. It all ended well, just like any good fairy tale.

#18

There is an old 1930’s movie called “Danger Lights”. Lots of old steam action, but very dark.Our hero has to take the train boss to the hospital to save his life.

It’s a serious movie, but hysterical because our hero takes the steam engine and runs the whole train by himself!

#19

[youtube]http://youtu.be/jLNBe42hb44[/youtube]

#20

I’m not a movie watcher, like Shawn, it’s hard for me to watch anything longer than a sitcom. But a close friend of mine has the SP daylight cars that were movie prop in the movie “Tough Guys” With Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Charles Durning, Alexis Smith.

I had a youtube link for the ending scene showing the train robbery and train getting destroyed, but I guess youtube took it down.