Those who have seen this movie know that the time-traveling DeLorean car was mounted on rail wheels and pushed to 88 MPH by a steam engine. Apparently the engine, Sierra Railroad No. 3, was built by the Rogers Works in 1891 (though the film took place in 1885), and has been at the Sierra Railroad in northern California for some time. It and that tourist line, have been used in several Western movies and TV shows over the years, including Petticoat Junction in the '60s. But before it became a movie star engine, what railroad was that engine used for? When was it retired?
Well as big as a BTTF fan I am i unfortunalty don’t have any information on the engine’s prior use. But while were on the subject of BTTF, did anyone notice there was no device used to keep the front wheels from turning left-to-right. The DeLorean would have went off the rails.
SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! You weren’t supposed to notice![8D]
Well, auto rims would be a dual flange, and I guess they decided that would be enough to hold it on the rails. It might work.
And why would the stack explode? wouldn’t the boiler be first?
Remember: Hollywood
I also noticed that standard couplers were used. The year was supposed to be 1885, IIRC. I thought I remember reading that standard couplers came into use in 1889, prior to that it was link and pin.
huh, I never thought of that
What about the diesels that slammed into the DeLorean? What railroad line was used and what company’s locos were used?
Last time I saw it I know I recognised the diesels, I don’t remember though. I think it may have been lease units.
I don’t know what the switchers were, but they had a million lights on the front.
Adrianspeeder
If a train slammed into a car on the tracks, wouldn’t the train stop??? In the movie
the train just goes on about it’s business as if nothing happened. And this is after it
has demolished a DeLorean. Dave
I’ve been subscribing to a Back to the Future messageboard as well, and apparently the place where the DeLorean was smashed by a diesel freight train was on a branch of the former SP in Oxnard, Ca. I know I haven’t seen that livery before, at least not in this area: yellow with a blue lengthwise stripe. Maybe they just painted them that way for the movie so no real railroad would get bad publicity, not stopping after smashing into a car on the tracks and all.
In the movie the steam train was on the old Central Pacific. What year did that become part of the UP?
i’ll have to fie up the dvd when i get back home and see what the lettering on the side of the switchers is. i know if you play itstep by step you can see some lettering.
the name on the sides of the switchers is Valley Central Railway. they are ex Southern Pacific locomotives of some type, but i cant tell which kind.
maybe Alco or FM
here is a picture (if it works)
Would the roadbed be commonly sand like that?
Actually, I thought the train not stopping after the car was smashed up was pretty reasonable. Can you imagine how much time would have been spent while the police investigated? The crew would go on hogs, the freight wouldn’t get delivered, cost to the railroads in the $ Thousands… Hey, it’s just a extension of the fantasy!
The units look like ex-SP Alco S-1’s and the Holloywood Everywhere would do that to make it look like dirt. Figures that Hollywood would use switch engines for a road freight.
I think Sierra 1 came directly to the Sierra, but am not sure. At any rate, they sure have had it a long time because I think it made Black and White movies.
Maybe there’s a freight yard nearby (in the movie universe, not the real one; in real life apparently those tracks serve a nearby military base).
either late 1800’s or early1900’s[8D]
i thought they were next to a RRxing in the movie this shows a field whats the deal is this the same train or another one
a little while after that movie was made they talked about it on tv the loco going off the cliff was a model they said its easyier to replace than a real steam loco
you would think they were rite
but on the Tv show MONK they showed a F7 A-B-B-A set of western pacific
loco’s pullin a WP passenger train also some thing wierd was the swith on the mainline was unlocked[8D]