You can tell that the executive producers of that movie werent train guys. There is a scene where they show what is supposed to be either a CSX or NS track that has (what appears to be) UP SD 70s at the point of the train. Sorry just had to point that out.
That would not really be unrealistic at all – with the lease and run-through agreements, I see UP trains here in Arizona with CSX, NS, Ferromex, BNSF and engines from other roads in the lead quite often.
There was a cartoon in MR in the 50’s of an engineer being held up by a cowboy robber in the middle of the desert after he climbed down off a GG1. The caption of a guy whispering to his date was, “I don’t think this movie is going to be to realistic”. I think you will find that everyone who knows anything about any aspect as Hollywood portrays it finds it unrealistic and or senstaionalized and not the way it is in real life.
Considering the events in the movie took place in 1970-71, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and SD-70’s would all be out of place !! [}:)]
Eric, I think you just got owned times three.
XD!
I didn’t know that they had SD70s in the 1970s.
That is what I was sayin. Read it my post and the title. I said It looked like an SD70.
These two notes are in the “goofs” section at imdb.com for the movie “we are marshall”.
- Anachronisms: There is a scene with a train in the background. One of the freight cars has the CONRAIL logo on it. CONRAIL was not formed until 1976.
Anachronisms: In the same scene where the Conrail train car is seen, there is also a CSX train car seen. CSX didn’t come into existence until 1980.
You’ll find that an executive producer doesn’t give a flying you-know-what about an out of era train so long as it doesn’t hurt the bottom line. These sorts of things are the responsibility of continuity managers, props and set deck folks. It is certainly possible that someone screwed up, or the bean counters decided it wasn’t worth the money to get trains that looked right given how few people would actually notice.
I just caught about thrity seconds of Mission Impossible last night. Only reason I stopped flipping channels was because it was a shot of the TGV. When they got in close they had digitally edited out the catenary. On to the next channel.
Well be fair, how else are you going to have a 4 seat helicopter flying over it while chasing the pschyciatry expert also know as Tom Cruise running on top of a 120 mph train racing thru a tunnel under the English Channel that has only a couple of feet in rather tight clearences on all sides, what did they guy on the GG1 above say?[;)][(-D]
Are you sure the EuroStar isn’t running on third rail when it heads into the Chunnel? I seem to recall reading somewhere that it switches between catenary and third rail in places.
I have a video showing the Chunnel during construction, and they were stringing catenary wire through it. Maybe trains can operate either way.
I re-watched “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen a couple of nights ago. They’re supposed to be traveling by train from Florida to Vermont. So what trains are they on? First, the Santa Fe Super Chief running through desert terrain, and then a Southern Pacific Black Widow set pulling Daylight coaches. All Hollywood does is use stock footage without giving a hoot whether or not its the least bit realistic.
Plus I don’t think the TGV goes though the tunnel anyway…[D)]
Nobody, except railfans and modelers,could tell the differnce to them it looks the same.
Ooo, ooo! I know another! In 3:10 to yuma, That Reader engine’s air commpressers were WAY too loud.
I remember a modern stack train crossing what is supposed to be a 1940’s bridge totally destorying and wrecking any last shred of careful credibility built up with careful camera work and props.
'nuther screw up for ya…
In the recently released “I’m Not There” opens with one of the main Characters hopping a freight train thats being pulled by either a F40 or F45 (head on shot, hard to tell), except that its supposed to be the 1950’s.