587: The Great Train Robbery. (MOVIE)

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I doubt any of you have heard of this movie, as this was an independent film. I was browsing at the local video store looking for some Jackie Chan Movies to watch, and as I was searching, I found a movie called…

“587: The Great Train Robbery”

…It was a pretty decent movie, however, it is quiet corny. About two kids who take a steam locomotive from a scrap yard to the “Steamcity Railroad Musuem” in Kansas City. Dispatching was a laugh to “203 eastbound, request to throttle up” “203 eastbound, roger that, throttle up, 70 MPH for the next 120 miles.” How many Kids does it take to throw a switch? In this movie, 2 12 year olds on one switch, and 1 11 year old for another. Also, how could you not know that there was a Large Mainline Steam Locomotive sitting in a scrap yard for the past 4 years, and not even notice? It seems like this movie was made for kids. They run the engine light the ENTIRE Movie, not even a caboose.

Here is the motive power used in the movie, its all from the Indiana Transportation Musuem, the steam locomotive in this movie is Nickle Plate Road 2-8-2 Mikado #587, and one of ITM’s “Monon” FP9’s that was brought to the musuem from the Milwuakee Road. At the opening shot of the film is the Roanoke Three, the three Norfolk and Western Steam Locomotives that have not yet been scrapped by the Virginia Scrap Iron and Metal Co. that was recently featured in TRAINS Magazine. They did have one small clip of a Manifest train, and from what I saw, they used some BCOL, UP, UTLX, TTX, SP, EEC, and SP equipment.

Special Credits to this film goes to

Indiania Transportation Musuem, The City of Indianapolis, CSX Transportation, Lionel LLC., Bachman Trains, and of course, The Crew of the NYC&STL 587.

The film was shot in 1999, and I would rate the film a 3 out of 5 stars.

2

Hmmm sitting for X# of years in a scrapyard?..Musta been summer vacation to come up with the thousands of labor hours needeed for the task…did they remember to remove, replace, repair all the bearings, check for frozen bearings, joints, on the piston rods and brake system, clean out the rust buildup inside the boiler, firebox and cylinders; inspect the boiler, boiler tubes, and firebox for cracks, rust, damage; Did they remove, turn the pistons and cylinders to good metal and then provide new cylinder rings for the pistons; air pressure test the boiler, and replace all the brass handles, knobs and fittings that are the first things to be salvaged off old locomotives? How did they manage to fill about 20,000 gallons of water into the tender tank, use grandpa’s garden hose? Hosabout a few TONS of coal into the tender?

Yeah I know, its a kids movie, but Jezzess Crust in a Padded Box! If you’ve ever seen what it takes to resurect a locomotive from the dead…

Maybe if they showed what would have really happened if they fired up a derelect locomotive, asuming they managed to fill the rusty boiler…lets see, build up a really really big fire, wait for the water to boil and the pressure to build and then we’ll take this babay out on main li…
KABOOM!!!
[}:)][:D]

3

Well, I admit, I am going to go out and try and find the movie. Be great one to watch with the family. I have a 6 year old son who I bet would enjoy the heck out of this movie.

I am haveing enough of a logistics issue tryng to de mothball my 1988 Land Cruiser. After sitting for 3 long years of unplanned storage. I cant imagine how much work would go into a old steam locomotive…

But admit, sure does make for a nice day dream doesnt it?

Thanks for the tip on the movie!

4

The only thing the hogger said that they would need to do to get her running again is put some wood and water in the tender…so what do they do?

They gather twigs and small logs (fireplace wood) put it in the tender, and the hooger goes and gets a garden hose with a HAND PUMP…Then later in the movie, when they try to put MORE water in the tender, the take 5 gallen buckets and HAND FILL the tender…And they do it in a matter of Minutes!

I wonder what would happen if they actually had to rebuild a locomotive, lets give em a small common engine, and not a 2-8-2 Mike.