I know we’ve all seen movies that centered around trains, but I watched a movie that had some interesting train shots in the background: In The Heat of the Night. Gulf Mobile and Ohio and some MoPac Geeps (as far as I could tell).
I don’t recall seeing railroad commercials on TV in the past, but for about the last year CSX has been running commercials on the financial networks. For the last few months, these spots have been showing up more and more on the regular network channels and just a few days ago I caught a Norfolk Southern commercial during either the Sunday or Monday night NFL game. Jamie
GE has a series of commercials highlighting different lines of business - sometimes you see windmills, sometimes it’s desalination plants, sometimes it’s GEVO locomotives.
–Randy
I caught this in the classic Sci-Fi movie Them! from 1954.
Can anyone tell me what it is?
Tom
S-4?
David B
Took these photos in the Florida keys eight months ago.
Railroad bridge converted to automobile bridge after 1938 hurricane. Some times cars would knock off each others driver mirrors the bridges were so narrow.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=flaglers+railroad&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8
In Key West is a building which is a reproduction of the old train station that was wiped out.
Rich
Ah yes, the classic “Giant Ant That Ate The Boxcar Full Of Sugar” sequence in that terrific movie. Frankly, I’ve wondered that myself, because the locomotive isn’t really on screen that long to identify it. I THINK it’s an EMD S-2, but I can’t really say for sure.
Neat railyard sequence in that film, though.
Tom [:)]
It is an Alco S-2, builder #70066, built Dec. 1943 and retired November 16, 1971.
Mark
Trains where you least expect them
In my rear view mirror 2 seconds after I crossed what I thought was an abandoned track!
No horn, no bells, crossing signals didn’t activate. 2 seconds sooner and I would have been wearing an SW’s front coupler!
That’s why school busses have signs saying “this vehicle stops at all railroad crossings.” In my 1950s school-bus days, the driver also opened the entry door every time to have a clear view to the right.
Mark
I have seen trains in the background in several movies, sometimes you just hear them. I of course have to be anal and pick out mistakes, like I did in one movie that was supposed to take place in either the 1940 or 50s, not even sure. But there was one scene where a couple of guys are fleeing and a train stops barely avoiding them. Despite the time frame set, and the fact that you never see more than the fuel tank on the engine, I could tell it had to be GP35 or later, not the decade the film was set in. I’m sure others would have noticed too…
Thank you, Mark!
Tom
The “Garfield” movie has quite a bit of model trains in it. In fact, it was Garfield watching Jon play with his model railroad that gave him the skills to operate the Amtrak system and save the day.
Speaking of movie errors, I was watching a movie that took place in the 1890’s and at the end a very well done period train rolls off into the sunset on welded rails. Oops. No welded rail in 1890.
(Watching out for trains where you least expect them is a good way to stay alive out on the tracks. I’ve been working with the railroads long enough to see two men killed by being careless…)
My only time I actually got a record with the authorities was for walking along the tracks. A Conrail security officer stopped us and wrote us up, but said it would only be on our records til we were 18. That was 25-30 years ago, I think I finallt told my mom last year… Anyway i bring this up because the officer, who actually was really good about it, told us of a recent scene he was at after a person got hit. And he described how they used plastic bags to collect what was left of him. I never forgot being told that. It is a good idea to watch for the trains, or stay off the tracks altogether. I saw a guy last night walking along the NJTransit tracks by me. He was on a section where there is no easy way to get off to the side fast, and a train was coming in both directions. He managed to disappear just in time, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he didn’t know how stupid he was being.
sorry to get a little off-topic, but they’ll do that even if it’s not a school run, like when the bus takes us to our football games, usually it has to cross the RR tracks that are about a block from our school. it’ll stop and the coaches will yell at usa to quit our cheering. I’ve got an old MR issue that had an article about a layout that was built for a movie.
tangerine-jack -I have that movie. yes, in fact, the whole climax takes place at a train station (baggage room though)
If you are on a school bus being transported to a football game for your school…THAT IS A SCHOOL RUN! If the bus is occupied by only the driver, it still has to stop at RR Crossings as required by law.
Don Z.
Ok you Southern Pacific foamers, i’ve got one that was produced in the early thrities, plot goes like this: Corrupt eastern RR resorts to strong arm tactics in their attempt to force a less prosprous and honest rival out of business. Kicker is the whole film was shot at the Los Angeles General Shops and Taylor yard with great pacing action alongside F class 2-10-2’s in the San Fernando Valley! No East coast action here. I’ll have to dig it out of hiding as I don’t recall the tiltle at the momment, advanced age you see…
Dave
ALCO–of course. Just goes to show you how much I know about diesels, LOL! Thanks, Mark.
On the same ‘unexpected’ movie topic–SP 4-6-2 #2440 which is used in the incredibly brutal train robbgery sequence in that takes place both under and just after the opening credits of Warner’s superb Raoul Walsh directed 1949 Jimmy Cagney gangster film WHITE HEAT. No trains after that, but HOLY COW is that one GREAT movie!
Tom
Dave:
Not sure, but it sounds as if it might be HURRICANE EXPRESS, which was originally produced as a 12-chapter Serial, then condensed into a feature film. It was an early John Wayne film, and I remember a lot of action centered around those SP 2-10-2’s.
Tom
Ooooooo! You got “written up!” [(-D] I bet I got “written up” at least a dozen times for walking or riding my mini bike next to the tracks. It was the same butt head railroad detective every time. My Dad, (who was friends with the Mayor and literally every cop in town) had a little talk with this jerk and he finally left us alone after that.[:-,]