# Favorite Train/Transportation Movies



## Garethe7

I love Silver Streak. Which I believe is technically the Southwest Chief. And who can forget the classic well-done ending of the crash through Chicago's Union Station. I can watch it over and over again, especially when I have an upcoming trip.

Post your favorites.


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## SarahZ

_North by Northwest_ - I love everything about this movie, but I especially love the part where you can hear the Michigan train stops announced (in the background) over the PA in LaSalle Street Station.


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## the_traveler

Silver Streak also! 

BTW: The ending was shot in Toronto - with some Hollywood magic thrown in.


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## Garethe7

I heard about that....I cringe every time I see the great shot of the "Kansas City" skyline. Hard to believe they couldn't send out a second unit to get the real thing, they could have done it in 1/2 a day. My favorite scene was in the beginning when he couldn't close the partition while Scatman Crothers was showing him the room. I read somewhere that that scene was one of the reasons Amtrak did not grant permission to use their name, they were afraid people would think the partition incident was a widespread problem. It's too bad, the advertising they could have had all these years.

I know that scene in North by Northwest, and since I lived on the south end of Chicago, LaSalle was the station we always traveled through. Not overly grand, but a lot of history to it.


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## the_traveler

Actually my train movie is the one I'm watching right now - out my Roomette window!


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## SarahZ

I'd never heard of _Silver Streak _until now, but that cast makes me want to check Netflix tonight.

I also like the train scenes in _Trading Places_ and _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_.

I think I'm due for a "silly movie" night.


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## benjibear

SarahZ said:


> _North by Northwest_ - I love everything about this movie, but I especially love the part where you can hear the Michigan train stops announced (in the background) over the PA in LaSalle Street Station.



You can never go wrong with an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Another good Hitchock movie, an earlier work, is _Strangers on the Train_. It is a great movie because it starts out on a train and ends at a carnival, my two biggest interests.

Another great movie is _Von Ryan's Express_ which is about escaped WWII prisonners of war taking over a train in Italy.


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## SarahZ

benjibear said:


> SarahZ said:
> 
> 
> 
> _North by Northwest_ - I love everything about this movie, but I especially love the part where you can hear the Michigan train stops announced (in the background) over the PA in LaSalle Street Station.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can never go wrong with an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Another good Hitchock movie, an earlier work, is _Strangers on the Train_. It is a great movie because it starts out *on a train and ends at a carnival, my two biggest interests*.
Click to expand...

Mine too! Thanks for the heads-up.


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## the_traveler

SarahZ said:


> I'd never heard of _Silver Streak _until now, but that cast makes me want to check Netflix tonight.


Never heard of Silver Streak?  That's grounds for expulsion from AU!  
It is a great movie about a train trip from LA to Chicago on "Amroad". It stars Jill Clayburne, Gene Wildman, Richard Pryor and Scatman Crothers. Gene Wildman's character gets thrown off the same train 3 times (by thugs), but somehow beats the train and reboards it!

You must see it, as it's one of the funniest railroad movies around!


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## SarahZ

Netflix doesn't have it on Instant View, so I'll have to see if I can find the DVD. I bet I can get it off Amazon for a couple dollars.


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## Dave Van

Silver Streak too.......It was just re-released on DVD and BR...pass on the BR as it's just a copy of the DVD.

_Runaway train_ is cool....a bit dry

_Unstopable_ is fun if you ignore some of the impossible things....I like that they did wreck real trains and not CGI it.

_ Emperor of the North is brutal....but good...._


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## trainman74

"Airplane!" -- not just one of my favorite transportation movies, but one of my favorite movies of all time.

(It's a parody of an earlier movie called "Zero Hour," which shows up on TCM from time to time.)


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## Devil's Advocate

In my experience train movies often struggle to inspire repeated viewings, let alone serious critical acclaim, although I have enjoyed watching a few rare gems such as the aforementioned North by Northwest and Runaway Train from time to time. In my view the true sweet spot involves movies with memorable train scenes woven into dramatic plots that stretch far beyond the rails. Depending on your perspective this can include everything from major Hollywood blockbusters like The Fugitive to relatively unknown sleepers such as Switchback.



benjibear said:


> You can never go wrong with an Alfred Hitchcock movie.


Never say never.

Although he helped create several theatrical masterpieces Alfred Hitchcock's body of work also had it's share of mistakes and missteps, some of which did not age well over time.



SarahZ said:


> Netflix doesn't have it on Instant View, so I'll have to see if I can find the DVD. I bet I can get it off Amazon for a couple dollars.


$3 SD rental, $4 HD rental, $10 SD purchase, and a full $17 to "own" the HD stream.

Personally I think Silver Streak would be more appropriately priced at $0.99 rental or $5 to purchase.

If Amazon ever pulls an Enron your purchase would become useless and I think they should price accordingly.

Amazon's Prime catalog is can be an even better deal than Netflix, although it won't get you Silver Streak.


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## GG-1

Aloha

Not sure of the correct title, but My favorite is still the old Disney (I think) "Great train Robbery" .


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## SarahZ

What was the name of that ridiculous movie with Matt Damon (?) and Morgan Freeman (?) trying to stop some out of control train? I remember a scene where they went around this huge horseshoe curve somewhere in PA (?)

Obviously, the details are fuzzy. Brent watched it one weekend many moons ago, and I wasn't paying much attention.


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## amtkstn

The first Perman 123.


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## Dave Van

SarahZ said:


> What was the name of that ridiculous movie with Matt Damon (?) and Morgan Freeman (?) trying to stop some out of control train? I remember a scene where they went around this huge horseshoe curve somewhere in PA (?)
> 
> Obviously, the details are fuzzy. Brent watched it one weekend many moons ago, and I wasn't paying much attention.


Not making fun here.......but that sounds like one of those games where people tell each other a story and by the time the 10th person tells the story it's 100% different!!!

_Unstoppable_, listed in my post, is the movie you are thinking of.

It's Chris Pine, not Matt. Dezel and not Morgan.

It's a West Virginia trestle curved bridge as the 'danger spot'.

Many holes in the film....worth watching.


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## SarahZ

Dave Van said:


> SarahZ said:
> 
> 
> 
> What was the name of that ridiculous movie with Matt Damon (?) and Morgan Freeman (?) trying to stop some out of control train? I remember a scene where they went around this huge horseshoe curve somewhere in PA (?)
> 
> Obviously, the details are fuzzy. Brent watched it one weekend many moons ago, and I wasn't paying much attention.
> 
> 
> 
> Not making fun here.......but that sounds like one of those games where people tell each other a story and by the time the 10th person tells the story it's 100% different!!!
> 
> _Unstoppable_, listed in my post, is the movie you are thinking of.
> 
> It's Chris Pine, not Matt. Dezel and not Morgan.
> 
> It's a West Virginia trestle curved bridge as the 'danger spot'.
> 
> Many holes in the film....worth watching.
Click to expand...

Ha! I knew I had it all mixed up.  I was close-ish.


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## Garethe7

the_traveler said:


> SarahZ said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'd never heard of _Silver Streak _until now, but that cast makes me want to check Netflix tonight.
> 
> 
> 
> Never heard of Silver Streak?  That's grounds for expulsion from AU!
> It is a great movie about a train trip from LA to Chicago on "Amroad". It stars Jill Clayburne, Gene Wildman, Richard Pryor and Scatman Crothers. Gene Wildman's character gets thrown off the same train 3 times (by thugs), but somehow beats the train and reboards it!
> 
> You must see it, as it's one of the funniest railroad movies around!
Click to expand...

You'll love it, classic comedy. And very well done, the bedrooms, dining, and lounge were to scale unlike other films. I remember a Murder She Wrote episode one time where "Jessica" had a bedroom and it must have taken up half the car.

I just looked up the Superman train racing scene from the 1978 movie on YouTube, it was part of the original film but had been deleted off other editions.


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## fredevad

I keep _Unstoppable_ on my phone so I can watch it while riding - I'd have to go with that for my current favorite, even with the holes in some spots and suspending disbelief in others. Lots of good train shots, no CGI.

If you're looking for something on Netflix instant, you could try _Disaster on the Coastlner_. William Shatner (from one capt. Kirk to another) is a disgruntled railroad employee who get ahold a west coast Amtrak train and tampers with the signaling system to cause a head on collision. WARNING: Very 70s!

_Edit: Add warning._


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## GG-1

SarahZ said:


> Dave Van said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SarahZ said:
> 
> 
> 
> What was the name of that ridiculous movie with Matt Damon (?) and Morgan Freeman (?) trying to stop some out of control train? I remember a scene where they went around this huge horseshoe curve somewhere in PA (?)
> 
> Obviously, the details are fuzzy. Brent watched it one weekend many moons ago, and I wasn't paying much attention.
> 
> 
> 
> Not making fun here.......but that sounds like one of those games where people tell each other a story and by the time the 10th person tells the story it's 100% different!!!
> 
> _Unstoppable_, listed in my post, is the movie you are thinking of.
> 
> It's Chris Pine, not Matt. Dezel and not Morgan.
> 
> It's a West Virginia trestle curved bridge as the 'danger spot'.
> 
> Many holes in the film....worth watching.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Ha! I knew I had it all mixed up.  I was close-ish.
Click to expand...

Aloha

There was an older film with a similar tittle to Unstoppable. Which may be the movie Sarah is remembering.


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## SarahZ

No, it was "Unstoppable". I was half-asleep throughout the movie, and it was a long time ago, so I had trouble remembering the specifics.


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## GG-1

Dave Van said:


> Silver Streak too.......It was just re-released on DVD and BR...pass on the BR as it's just a copy of the DVD.
> 
> _Runaway train_ is cool....a bit dry
> 
> _Unstopable_ is fun if you ignore some of the impossible things....I like that they did wreck real trains and not CGI it.
> 
> _ Emperor of the North is brutal....but good...._


Aloha

While most of the effects are "Movie Real" Unstoppable did use CGI effects. If you want to see a list of the cast and crew go to this page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477080/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm


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## fredevad

GG-1 said:


> Dave Van said:
> 
> 
> 
> Silver Streak too.......It was just re-released on DVD and BR...pass on the BR as it's just a copy of the DVD.
> 
> _Runaway train_ is cool....a bit dry
> 
> _Unstopable_ is fun if you ignore some of the impossible things....I like that they did wreck real trains and not CGI it.
> 
> _ Emperor of the North is brutal....but good...._
> 
> 
> 
> Aloha
> 
> While most of the effects are "Movie Real" Unstoppable did use CGI effects. If you want to see a list of the cast and crew go to this page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477080/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
Click to expand...

You're right Eric - I forgot they did use some CGI (they had to going around the "Stanton Curve"). But the rice puffs and potato flakes were real!


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## Dave Van

GG-1 said:


> Dave Van said:
> 
> 
> 
> Silver Streak too.......It was just re-released on DVD and BR...pass on the BR as it's just a copy of the DVD.
> 
> _Runaway train_ is cool....a bit dry
> 
> _Unstopable_ is fun if you ignore some of the impossible things....I like that they did wreck real trains and not CGI it.
> 
> _ Emperor of the North is brutal....but good...._
> 
> 
> 
> Aloha
> 
> While most of the effects are "Movie Real" Unstoppable did use CGI effects. If you want to see a list of the cast and crew go to this page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477080/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
Click to expand...

Yes....you are correct.......I should have said_ 'didn't use ONLY CGI'_. The BR disk has a bunch of footage of them wrecking real trains and how some of it almost went wrong!! The train at speed on two wheels was CGI or talent never seen before or since!!!


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## xyzzy

_The Train_, set in 1944 France and based on a true hypothesis. Gritty, black and white, but a serious film and also grimly realistic about railroads. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Train_(1964_film)


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## MrFSS

xyzzy said:


> _The Train_, set in 1944 France and based on a true hypothesis. Gritty, black and white, but a serious film and also grimly realistic about railroads. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Train_(1964_film)


 Agree!


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## GG-1

Aloha

A credit to the Cinematographer is blending locations. Portions of Unstoppable was filmed in Southern California at the Filmore and Western Railway http://www.fwry.com/ If you go to their credits page you will be surprised by the number and names listed.


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## Dave Van

GG-1 said:


> Aloha
> 
> A credit to the Cinematographer is blending locations. Portions of Unstoppable was filmed in Southern California at the Filmore and Western Railway http://www.fwry.com/ If you go to their credits page you will be surprised by the number and names listed.


It looks like Fillmore supplied some props for Unstoppable but no real filming. It would take a lot to change So Cal into WV, PA or Ohio. I just spent two weeks in So Cal and love it but very different than home....WV!


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## the_traveler

If you look at some movies and/or TV shows where people leave from (say) WAS - and there's a Surfliner in the shot!  Oops!


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## Dave Van

the_traveler said:


> If you look at some movies and/or TV shows where people leave from (say) WAS - and there's a Surfliner in the shot!  Oops!


Or on the Andy Griffith show a Union Pacific yellow loco and cars arriving at 'Mayberry NC'!!!


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## jis

A few others that are worthy of a mention are:


_Murder on the Orient Express_
_Von Ryan's Express_
Not a train movie per se, but some of the sequences involving trains in _Doctor Zhivago_ are classic.

And then there is of course the _Taking of Pelham 123_.

There are some very nice and authentic train scenes in _The Jewel in the Crown_ and _Gandhi_ too.

The rail sequences in _Gandhi _were filmed on the Garhi Harsaru - Farrukhnagar (then) Metre Gauge branch off of my old stomping grounds - the Delhi Jn. - Bikaner route via Rewari and Loharu. Loharu was my home station.


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## The Davy Crockett

One of my favorites, and I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, is the classic *mov*i*e* - its not a 'talkie' - 1926 silent film with Buster Keaton: The General.


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## Bob Dylan

Ill stick with "North by Northwest" even though the ending has Cary and Eva Maries Train entering a Tunnel on the way back to New York (Supposedly on the Broadway Limited) but an SP
Train is Clearly what is Shown!! ^_^


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## benjibear

Another one I thought of that has alot of train scenes is "_The Greatest Show on Earth." _It has many circus train shots and shows what Ringling Brothers circus was like when it was still under the big top in the 1950s.

_Von Ryan's Express _can be watched instantly on Netflix. I highly recommend this if you like suspense, war type movies (setting is 1943 Italy during world war 2). It is a very good movie in my opinion and one of my favorites.


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## PRR 60

Since the topic includes transportation, _Airplane!_

_- What's the vector, Victor?_

_- I picked a bad day to quit sniffing glue_

_- ..and don't call me Shirley_


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## the_traveler

PRR 60 said:


> Since the topic includes transportation, _Airplane!_
> 
> _- What's the vector, Victor?_
> 
> _- I picked a bad day to quit sniffing glue_
> 
> _- ..and don't call me Shirley_


Don't forget the male and female *recordings (at the curb)* starting to argue!


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## SarahZ

I'll have to find a copy of _Murder on the Orient Express_. I read the book while riding the SWC a few years ago and really enjoyed it.


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## railiner

One of the most hilarious films of all time was "Some Like It Hot", starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. Great scene in a standard Pullman sleeper. Another was "42nd Street", a musical with a scene in a sleeper while 'Shuffling off to Buffalo'.....

Mention was made of "Silver Streak"....but how many of you have seen or even heard of the 1934 RKO version starring the Burlington Zephyr carrying an Iron Lung on a transcontinental life-saving mission to the Boulder Dam site to save the life of the railroad president's son? A neat melodrama.

How about the cliff-hanger serial "Hurricane Express" starring a very young John Wayne?

Another hilarious 'madcap' comedy starred Claudette Colbert in "The Palm Beach Story" set on the Florida Special....

There are lots more from that era, when railroad travel was the "Only Way To Travel"......


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## June the Coach Rider

though not a movie, I remember a few Three Stooges shorts that had train trips. Some had sleepers and others were in coach. I know they are not movies, but shorts were the movies of the day.


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## the_traveler

railiner said:


> when railroad travel was the "Only Way To Travel"......


It still is to me!


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## Dave Van

the_traveler said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> 
> when railroad travel was the "Only Way To Travel"......
> 
> 
> 
> It still is to me!
Click to expand...

Same here......I am not afraid to fly.....but refuse to submit myself to what is required to fly and then be crammed into a small tube. I drive or go by train.....train prefered.


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## MikefromCrete

The Great Locomotive Chase by Disney is a well-made reenactment of a Civil War train stealing. Stars Fess Parker.


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## Bob Dylan

trainman74 said:


> "Airplane!" -- not just one of my favorite transportation movies, but one of my favorite movies of all time.
> 
> (It's a parody of an earlier movie called "Zero Hour," which shows up on TCM from time to time.)


Ditto! It's got a Million of 'em,I especially like the Inflight Movie being Aircraft Crashes and the TV Actress that talks "Jive" with the Black Guys! The Cockpit Scenes are also Classic! (ie Kareem Abdul Jabar as the Co-Pilot "Roger Murdock!" :lol:


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## the_traveler

jimhudson said:


> The Cockpit Scenes are also Classic! (ie Kareem Abdul Jabar as the Co-Pilot "Roger Murdock!" :lol:


"Roger, Roger""Huh?"


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## Dave Van

MikefromCrete said:


> The Great Locomotive Chase by Disney is a well-made reenactment of a Civil War train stealing. Stars Fess Parker.


That one and 'The General' are both good and have them in my collection.


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## SarahZ

_Airplane_ is one of our favorite movies. We watch it every few months. I haven't seen _Airplane II_ in a long time, but I like that one too.


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## Devil's Advocate

Although _Kentucky Fried Movie _was a bit of a dud for me, probably because random skits don't easily translate into feature length gold, _Airplane!_ proved to be a truly unique accomplishment in the world of comedic movies. To this day I still quote lines from time to time and find myself noticing little things I had somehow missed or forgotten previously, such as the background sounds of a propeller aircraft seamlessly merged with the visuals of a jetliner. Airplane II was fun but didn't quite live up to the comedic genius of the original. After the hilarious _Naked Gun_ series the Zucker brothers had reached comedic fame but it was _Airplane!_ that set the bar the highest, at least so far as I was concerned.


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## PRR 60

Devil's Advocate said:


> ...To this day I still quote lines from time to time and find myself noticing little things I had somehow missed or forgotten previously, such as the background sounds of a propeller aircraft seamlessly merged with the visuals of a jetliner. ...


YES!!! I've mentioned that to my wife. Some of Airplane! is in your face humor, and other humor is very subtle, but no less effective.


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## railiner

Four years before "Airplane!" was released, there was "The Big Bus", a very similar sendup of the disaster movie genre, also with a lot of star's and former star's....

It was hilarious in its own right.....http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074205/


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## Dave Van

railiner said:


> Four years before "Airplane!" was released, there was "The Big Bus", a very similar sendup of the disaster movie genre, also with a lot of star's and former star's....
> 
> It was hilarious in its own right.....http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074205/


Been trying for years to get a DVD copy of it......any leads would be great!!!!


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## Swadian Hardcore

North by Northwest is a great mystery, Silver Streak is fun too.

Have any of you watched Horror Express? That one is not bad either.

I'm surprised this one is in Non-Rail Transportation.


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## railiner

Another fright flick was "Terror Train"....a lousy slasher type, not worth watching....


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## jis

I find _Pushing Tin_ (1999) - IMDb quite interesting.


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## GG-1

Aloha

Even among train fans,no mention of Supper Train :lol:


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## jis

There is a good reason why _Supertrain_ is missing


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## Devil's Advocate

jis said:


> I find _Pushing Tin_ (1999) - IMDb quite interesting.


I lost interest right about here...


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## Bob Dylan

GG-1 said:


> Aloha
> 
> Even among train fans,no mention of Supper Train :lol:


I remember that one Eric, it was Awful! and a True Fantasy for Sure!!! (And some of the Commercials and Movies through the Years have used this Theme by showing Trains with Huge Spaces and Rooms that look like the Playboy Mansion!


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## Garethe7

jis said:


> A few others that are worthy of a mention are:
> 
> 
> _Murder on the Orient Express_
> _Von Ryan's Express_
> Not a train movie per se, but some of the sequences involving trains in _Doctor Zhivago_ are classic.
> 
> And then there is of course the _Taking of Pelham 123_.
> 
> There are some very nice and authentic train scenes in _The Jewel in the Crown_ and _Gandhi_ too.
> 
> The rail sequences in _Gandhi _were filmed on the Garhi Harsaru - Farrukhnagar (then) Metre Gauge branch off of my old stomping grounds - the Delhi Jn. - Bikaner route via Rewari and Loharu. Loharu was my home station.


I was thinking about Murder on the Orient Express today and I must agree. I love cozy mysteries and Agatha Christie was a master at them. A classic story on a famous train. An e-book I might actually download for my upcoming trip or perhaps even the movie.


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## GG-1

jimhudson said:


> GG-1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Aloha
> 
> Even among train fans,no mention of Supper Train :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> I remember that one Eric, it was Awful! and a True Fantasy for Sure!!! (And some of the Commercials and Movies through the Years have used this Theme by showing Trains with Huge Spaces and Rooms that look like the Playboy Mansion!
Click to expand...

Awful is a nice :giggle: word! :lol: That movie is my favorite bad movie. :lol:

Aloha


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## jis

Another one that comes to mind is The _Cassandra Crossing_ (1976).


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## railiner

Did anyone mention Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night"? Released in 1934 by Columbia, starred Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It walked away with Best Picture, Actor, Actress, and Director Oscar's. It was filmed extensively on an Atlantic Greyhound Lines Yellow Coach. It also had a brief scene of hoboes riding freight trains.

One of the best films of all times.

There are lots more films to add to this thread, but IIRC, we have done similar threads a few times already.......


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## Bob Dylan

railiner said:


> Did anyone mention Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night"? Released in 1934 by Columbia, starred Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It walked away with Best Picture, Actor, Actress, and Director Oscar's. It was filmed extensively on an Atlantic Greyhound Lines Yellow Coach. It also had a brief scene of hoboes riding freight trains.
> 
> One of the best films of all times.
> 
> There are lots more films to add to this thread, but IIRC, we have done similar threads a few times already.......


TCM showed this again a couple of weeks ago, it really is a Classic! :wub: There's a Basic Reason there are So Many Movies and Songs about Travel, Especially Trains! They can Cure the Soul and make it Whole!


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## pianocat

An old black and white [1945] British film called "Brief Encounter" starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson revolves around a couple who meet at a railway station cafe at frequent intervals, fall in love, but are married to other people. They always take trains home in opposite directions from the station. Lots of drama and tears throughout, all to the soundtrack of Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto. Really sad ending, but as one would expect in 1945 - they both choose to go back to their mundane, boring lives in order to avoid scandal. One review says of this movie "It created the archetype for the romantic farewell on a station platform, with steam hissing from trains, and an orchestra playing in the background. "

PS [sarahZ, I like your signature pic so much that I downloaded a similar one for myself]


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## railiner

Okay....so we will continue this?

Another great film, was "The Harvey Girls", released by MGM in 1946, starred Judy Garland, John Hodiak, Ray Bolger,and a young Angela Lansbury. It was a musical that told briefly of the way The Fred Harvey Company 'tamed the West', and its relationship with the AT&SF.

It featured the Oscar winning song by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer--'On The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe'....


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## Devil's Advocate

There was a "young" version of Angela Lansbury?

You learn something new everyday.

I've been wondering whatever happened to "Airplane III" that was teased at the end of Airplane II.

As for more suggestions how about this...

*Lost in Translation* is one of those movies that uses distant travel as a primary theme without moving the movie itself much at all. The themes are interesting, at least if you're into topics like culture shock and introspection, but the plot moves rather slowly and the dialog can be a bit too simplistic at times. Some themes are rather obvious while some scenes are so subtle it's not entirely clear what you're supposed to be picking up on. Despite taking place thousands of miles away from "home" the movie itself doesn't move around much at all. I think the age, personality, and previous experiences of the viewer probably have a lot to do with who will enjoy this movie and who will not. If you're into cultural confusion and the human condition from the view of the recently married or the thoroughly middle aged then why not give it a try?


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## railiner

Devil's Advocate said:


> There was a "young" version of Angela Lansbury?
> 
> You learn something new everyday.


I said that because I figure many know her more for her television series 'Murder, She Wrote'......She was quite attractive in her youth.....but then, hey....weren't we all?


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## Bob Dylan

railiner said:


> Devil's Advocate said:
> 
> 
> 
> There was a "young" version of Angela Lansbury?
> 
> You learn something new everyday.
> 
> 
> 
> I said that because I figure many know her more for her television series 'Murder, She Wrote'......She was quite attractive in her youth.....but then, hey....weren't we all?
Click to expand...

She was known for Playing "Mothers" even when she was Young! (ie She played Elvis Preselys Mother in "Blue Hawaii" and in "The Manchurian Cantidate" Played Lawrence Harvey's Evil Mother (Meryl Streep played this Part in the Remake) even though she was Younger than him! She was quite a "Looker" Back in the Day" and Played many "Best Friends/Face in the Crowd etc. in her Early Days in the Movies!


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## PRR 60

Has anyone mentioned "The Out of Towners" - the 1970 version with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis? Great scenes on a packed New Haven train between Boston and New York after George's (Lemmon) flight to New York was diverted.


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## railiner

PRR 60 said:


> Has anyone mentioned "The Out of Towners" - the 1970 version with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis? Great scenes on a packed New Haven train between Boston and New York after George's (Lemmon) flight to New York was diverted.


Yeah, I remember that one....they really showed the essence of what Penn Central 'service' was at that time (New Haven was just absorbed by PC in 1969)....down to grumpy crew, and food car running out of food....


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## NE933

Though not about trains or transportation (it's a horror film), 1982's remake version of 'Cat People' deserves mention. Played by actress Nastassja Kinski, her character discovers her, shall we say, dual nature, and to escape from it, purchases an Amtrak ticket in what's supposed to be the New Orleans rail terminal. Full shots of the name and inverted arrow are behind the male ticket agent attired in a bright red blazer. Later, a shot of two F40's with strobe lights flashing, and pulling a solid Heritage single level consist that she is supposed to be on, crosses a drawbridge over an unidentified body of water. At the time in 1982, both the Crescent and City of New Orleans operated with this equipment, though in the terminal we briefly see Amfleet cars parked at the end of stub-ended tracks.

Aaaaaannndd: it was in PHASE 3! How cool is that!!


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## SarahZ

Devil's Advocate said:


> There was a "young" version of Angela Lansbury?


Yup, and this is one of my favorite photos of her:


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## trainman74

NE933 said:


> Though not about trains or transportation (it's a horror film), 1982's remake version of 'Cat People' deserves mention. Played by actress Nastassja Kinski, her character discovers her, shall we say, dual nature, and to escape from it, purchases an Amtrak ticket in what's supposed to be the New Orleans rail terminal.


I assume a scene where she gets thrown off the train for violating the "no pets" rule was left on the cutting-room floor.

The Harrison Ford movie "Witness," from about the same time, also has a fair number of Amtrak scenes, including at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.


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## NE933

Well, she hadn't transformed yet (thank God, as the curse that is the movie's title, had them change not to house cats but panthers! The other passengers would have been mortally wounded). Also, I looked at the scene a 2nd time and it is indeed New Orleans, the Astro Dome that was infamously damaged during Hurricane Katrina is apparently nearby, the terminal in its shadow.


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## XHRTSP

Under Siege 2 anybody?


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## Bob Dylan

NE933 said:


> Well, she hadn't transformed yet (thank God, as the curse that is the movie's title, had them change not to house cats but panthers! The other passengers would have been mortally wounded). Also, I looked at the scene a 2nd time and it is indeed New Orleans, the Astro Dome that was infamously damaged during Hurricane Katrina is apparently nearby, the terminal in its shadow.


I think you mean the SuperDome in New Orleans! The soon to be Gone Astro Dome("The Eighth Wonder of the World!" is in Houston!


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## trainman74

NE933 said:


> Well, she hadn't transformed yet (thank God, as the curse that is the movie's title, had them change not to house cats but panthers! The other passengers would have been mortally wounded).


Nah, just pacify the panther with some of the emergency Dinty Moore beef stew.

(I actually _have_ seen the movie we're discussing, but it's been many years.)


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## Anderson

Two interesting sci-fi depictions:
(1) In the two _Hunger Games_ movies, the train _really_ feels like somebody just pulled a bunch of Budd equipment off the shelf and rebuilt it. The tail-end lounges felt a lot like something between the Park Car on the _Canadian_ and the Milwaukee Road's rounded-end lounge cars from the _Hiawathas_. For me, probably the most awesome scene in the two movies was what looked like a depiction of the train running down the Bixby Bridge in California. just because, well...the scenery would certainly trump San Jose-Salinas!

(2) In _Total Recall_, there were two interesting depictions. One was shot on the Toronto subway (allegedly on an abandoned section of the London Underground); the other, more interesting (if totally implausible) one was of...basically, somebody managed to copy and paste New Jersey Transit onto a gravity elevator running through the Earth's core (what can I say, it's science fiction).


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## edjbox

More Trains in TV/Film

American Horror Story: Coven- various scenes

Dark Knight- various Amtrak Midwest Horizon cars can be seen, one seen when an high ranking criminal's chauffeur is shot by Two-Face and crashes and flips the car

Head of State with Bernie Mac here with the slap scene with Amtrak Acela Capstone phase V paint scheme amfleet cars http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/850117/

Atlas Shrugged part 1- Tagney takes the train from New York to Philadelphia; however as this is a low budget film, the Northeast Corridor is not shown, instead a Metra train in the sunset is shown, as well as what appears to be an Amtrak Midwest type train (although in both cases the names are not shown but one can still identify them)

Oceans 12- Danny Ocean (George Clooney) can be seen walking in an Amtrak horizon car when trying to get home quickly at the beginning of the movie

Live and Die in LA- a lot of freight and passenger scenes before and during a long car chase scene, Amtrak P30CHs, F40s, Santa Fe switchers, Superliners, Cotton Belt, and more, as well as LA Union Station

Fast and Furious film series- although cars are the main stars, there are several train scenes in the movies

The Fast and the Furious (2001)- one of the last scenes in the movie features a race between Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) and narrowly beat a train at the grade crossing. Also at last seen of movie when Brian is walking away, a Union Pacific coal train can be seen

Tokyo Drift (2006)- subway can be seen

Fast and Furious (2009) - double decker passenger train can be seen briefly when Dom and Brian are entering an impound lot, not sure whether it is Amtrak or Metrolink

Fast Five (2011)- Train Heist- several characters including Dom and Brian attempt to steal several cars in the baggage car; when the plan goes awry, they escape from the train. A CGI GE Genesis unit can be seen (pretty accurate although the sides are straighter at the top and engine is a bit longer than in real life). A real train was used although the extra cars toward the front were CGI (as well as the engine). The scene where the hijacking truck dove into the baggage car really happened and was not computer generated.

Fast and Furious 6- London Underground trains can be seen at times, lots of action in stations themselves.


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## beautifulplanet

Not saying it is a favorite, still it seems like a classic to me.



SarahZ said:


> I also like the train scenes in _[...]_ _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_.



"Owen: I'm to drive you to Wichita to catch a train?

Del: Yeah, we'd appreciate it.

Owen: Train don't run out of Wichita... unlessin' you're a hog or a cattle.

[Clears his throat]

Owen: People train runs out of Stubbville."

A classic. Wonderful midwest-based humor of John Hughes.

Would have wished for the likable Canadian John Candy that he could have stayed around longer...


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## Eric S

beautifulplanet said:


> Not saying it is a favorite, still it seems like a classic to me.
> 
> 
> 
> SarahZ said:
> 
> 
> 
> I also like the train scenes in _[...]_ _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Owen: I'm to drive you to Wichita to catch a train?
> 
> Del: Yeah, we'd appreciate it.
> 
> Owen: Train don't run out of Wichita... unlessin' you're a hog or a cattle.
> 
> [Clears his throat]
> 
> Owen: People train runs out of Stubbville."
> 
> A classic. Wonderful midwest-based humor of John Hughes.
> 
> Would have wished for the likable Canadian John Candy that he could have stayed around longer...
Click to expand...

And if Stubbville = Newton, so not entirely inaccurate.


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## Swadian Hardcore

I hear that those railcars used in the Silver Streak (1976) are still in service with VIA Rail. Anybody know the exact consist and their whereabouts?


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## Crossover

Disaster of the Coastliner

Silver Streak

Runaway Train

Unstoppable

Snakes on the Train


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## Crossover

Seconds to Disaster (Amtrak Bayou Canot Episode )


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## houseshoes

Definitely North by Northwest!


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## MIrailfan

Disaster on the Coastlinrr.


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## edjbox

Skyfall had a pretty good train scene at the beginning


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## XHRTSP

Anyone seen Snowpiercer yet?


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## trainman74

XHRTSP said:


> Anyone seen Snowpiercer yet?


Just got back from seeing it. It's the story of a train that's been running through an intensely frozen landscape for so long that some people on the train can't even remember a time when they _weren't_ on train -- so it's a lot like the Empire Builder in February.

Seriously, I do recommend it if you're looking for a summer action movie that's more imaginative than the usual fare.


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## fairviewroad

Devil's Advocate said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> I find _Pushing Tin_ (1999) - IMDb quite interesting.
> 
> 
> 
> I lost interest right about here...
Click to expand...


I went to see that movie in the theater when it came out, and about 45 minutes in, the projector broke. We were all issued vouchers to come

back and see it later but the voucher didn't specify that it had to be used for the same movie. Needless to say, I've never seen the second

half of _Pushing Tin._ ^_^


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## railiner

"Pushing Tin" was a great flick...I believe it has been broadcast on TV a few times. The scenes in the TRACON, where the "dueling controller's" were trying to upstage each other's abilities was terrific.

If you want to enjoy the thrill of a Jumbo buzzing your head, just head over to Maho Beach, St. Maarten......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maho_Beach

You can also Google that location for some good video's.....


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## JohannFarley

The death of Gene Wilder led me to this topic as his performance in Silver Streak along side Richard Pryor was always a favorite of mine, and seeing as this thread was started with a comment about it, it only seemed right to remember it now that both men have left us. I know I'll be watching it tonight remembering a great actor.


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## MisterUptempo

Since this topic seems to have become active again, allow me to suggest all here check out the 1934 feature, "Twentieth Century", starring John Barrymore and Carole Lombard.

Barrymore is a Svengali-like Broadway producer, who makes Lombard his Trilby (and I'm not talking about the hipster hat :hi: ), raising her from unknown to star with one performance. A string of Broadway successes follow, with Lombard as the lead and Barrymore in control. Unable to tolerate Barrymore's smothering dominance over her any longer, Lombard leaves him for Hollywood. Her success continues; he falters.

After a particularly embarrassing flop, Barrymore has to elude bill collectors and the law in Chicago, slipping onto New York Central's famed Twentieth Century Limited, heading back to New York City, to find backers for yet another production. Getting on at the Englewood stop is Lombard. Barrymore knows if he can convince Lombard to sign a contract to star in his next production, he is all but guaranteed financial backers as well as long-elusive success. Barrymore spends the trip using every contrivance at his disposal to get that signature.

Believe it or not, it's a comedy, and an awfully good one at that. Directed by Howard Hawks. Also stars three of the better known character actors from the 1930s, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, and Edgar Kennedy. It airs on TCM with some regularity. Catch it if you can.

One would think that this movie, given its title, would be a natural for Twentieth Century Pictures to produce and release. It was made by Columbia Pictures.


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## HighBall

I have three movies where a train is central to the plot:

*Breakheart Pass*

Another of Alistar McLean's thriller/mysteries (Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare, etc) set in 19th century west: Most of the film takes place on the train starring Charles Bronson.

IMBD: When a military outpost is struck with a severe outbreak of diphtheria, the authorities send a train loaded with medical supplies and replacement soldiers. As the train is on its way however, a passenger is murdered. And then two passengers; then the entire human cargo of several cars. John Deakin, a man under arrest and being transported to custody, does some digging to find out the reason for the carnage.

*The Train*

IMBD: As the Allied forces approach Paris in August 1944, German Colonel Von Waldheim is desperate to take all of France's greatest paintings to Germany. He manages to secure a train to transport the valuable art works even as the chaos of retreat descends upon them. The French resistance however wants to stop them from stealing their national treasures but have received orders from London that they are not to be destroyed.

The entire film centers around this train to stall it reaching Germany and stars Burt Lancaster.

*Iron Will* from Walt Disney

IMBD: Based on a true story. In 1917, Louis W. Hill, was winter carnival president of the 500-miles dogsled race from Winnipeg, Canada to St. Paul, MN. He is son of railway magnate James J. Hill and president of the Great Northern Railway Company.

Many scenes filmed inside varnish cars as they followed the race route.


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## MisterUptempo

As a side note -

For those who mentioned the film "North by Northwest" in this thread, mark your calendars for Friday, May 26, 2017.

On that day, at Chicago's Symphony Center on Michigan Avenue, "North by Northwest" will be shown in Symphony Hall, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Bernard Herrmann's score live with the film.

Tickets are now available.


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## SarahZ

MisterUptempo said:


> As a side note -
> 
> For those who mentioned the film "North by Northwest" in this thread, mark your calendars for Friday, May 26, 2017.
> 
> On that day, at Chicago's Symphony Center on Michigan Avenue, "North by Northwest" will be shown in Symphony Hall, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Bernard Herrmann's score live with the film.
> 
> Tickets are now available.


You are my favorite person right now. Thank you!


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## hankster211

My favorite James Bond movie, "From Russia with Love" has a lot of train scenes on The Orient Express including one of the most famous movie fight scenes between James Bond (Sean Connery) and Donald "Red" Grant (Robert Shaw) in a sleeping compartment.


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## MisterUptempo

SarahZ said:


> MisterUptempo said:
> 
> 
> 
> As a side note -
> 
> For those who mentioned the film "North by Northwest" in this thread, mark your calendars for Friday, May 26, 2017.
> 
> On that day, at Chicago's Symphony Center on Michigan Avenue, "North by Northwest" will be shown in Symphony Hall, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Bernard Herrmann's score live with the film.
> 
> Tickets are now available.
> 
> 
> 
> You are my favorite person right now. Thank you!
Click to expand...

Well, I'm flattered. I really thought the best I could manage was third or fourth runner-up. I promise to fulfill the duties of my position to the utmost of my abilities. ^_^

-----------------------------------------

I also wanted to mention that last night TCM had a five-movie retrospective of the work of director Preston Sturges, and all five films had at least a scene or two that took place on a train.

_*-The Lady Eve*_, with Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. Features an ocean cruise for the first half of the film and a train voyage near the end. Also stars Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, and Eric Blore.

_*-Sullivan's Travels*_, with Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake. Out-of-touch Hollywood director McCrea and Lake attempt to get background information for a new film by riding the rails, Depression-style, dressing in ragged clothes and hopping on the nearest freight train.

_*-The Palm Beach Story*_, with Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea. The middle third of the story takes place on the _Florida Special_, the Atlantic Coast Line train that traveled between New York and Miami for decades. Includes a great scene in which a quail hunting club destroys a club car while getting in some skeet practice, shooting at saltines for targets.

There is a scene on the train in which Colbert, having lost her clothes, must make an appearance in the dining car at breakfast wearing an outfit she conjured out of a pair of pajamas and a Pullman blanket. Considering the subject matter in another thread(pajamas in the diner), I thought it was particularly relevant.

A brief clip from the film is available on the TCM website, in which Colbert escapes the quail club target practice by hiding away in an empty upper berth in an adjacent sleeping car-

http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/86154/Palm-Beach-Story-The-Movie-Clip-Light-as-a-Feather/244809/

The film also has a scene in which the scenery department re-created a small slice of the original New York Penn Station.

_*-Hail The Conquering Hero*_, with Eddie Bracken and William Demarest (Demarest actually appears somewhere in all five movies).

_*-The Great McGinty*_, with Brian Donlevy and Akim Tamiroff.

They are all great movies. If you happen to have TCM as part of your cable/satellite package, you can view four out of the five on the TCM website right now, in the Movies On Demand section, until September 09, 2016. The one movie _not _available right now - _*The Palm Beach Story*_, the one with the best train scene. :angry2:


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## crabby_appleton1950

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094142/

"A bitter ex-husband and a put-upon momma's boy both want their respective spouse and mother dead,

but who will pull it off?


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## railiner

While the story is pretty lame, the 1941 "screwball comedy", "Broadway Limited", shows great shots along the PRR, from Chicago Union Station to New York, including the Raymond Loewy streamlined 1938 Broadway cars, a K4 Pacific, and a GG-1.

It can be found and watched on YouTube...


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## Bob Dylan

One of the Late Night Movie Channels ( there are a Million of them!) showed the 1946 John Wayne/Claudet Colbert flick "No Reservations" this week.

The plot is pretty Lame but Duke plays, a Marine Traveling with his Buddy from New York to LA on the Broadway Ltd and changing in Chicago

Colbert is a Movie Star who misses the connection to the Super Chief in Chicago so has to sneak on the "Sunshine Special" without a ticket since the Trains to LA are all Full.

Wayne and his Buddy have Upper and Lower Sections, and the Duke takes pity and gives Colbert his Section since she's hiding from the Conductors, and the resulting journey is hilarious the trailer says!


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## trainman74

crabby_appleton1950 said:


> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094142/
> 
> "A bitter ex-husband and a put-upon momma's boy both want their respective spouse and mother dead,
> 
> but who will pull it off?


The actual train content in this is a fairly small part of the movie. (It is a very good film, though!)


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