Something isn't quite...right...

M

magickmaker

New member
Since there's the "Trains in Movies" thread, thought I'd add this. Train Bloopers in Movies.

Here's my first entry. Ever see Flyboys? Well, at the very start of the movie, when one pilot is about to leave his home town in Nebraska, I noticed something just didn't "feel" right about the locomotive. No matter how long I stared at the scrap we see of it, something just seemed wrong. Well, doing research I found one MAJOR goof.

In the opening series of scenes from a train station in Lincoln, Nebraska clearly show the name "Union Pacific". Union Pacific never served or went through Lincoln, Nebraska during World War One. In addition the locomotive, passenger car, and goods wagon are of British origin.

Looking back, I see now that they used THIS locomotive in the movie.

http://www.sfandadesmond.info/73082/images/lastday600.jpg

For the movie, she was renumbered 2759, and was painted with the 1914 "The System" Shield. Also, if you look really close, as the goods wagon passes, you can see a pair of letters on it. Namely SR from the BRITISH (not US) Southern Railway.

So, what bloopers have you seen?
 
Last edited:
Not so much a blooper, but in "Goldeneye" you have the Nene Valley preserved railway in the UK doubling for Russia. There's a heavily disguised/armoured Class 20 which in one scene has been dubbed to sound like a GM in the next has the original English Electric "chopper" sound. All running on UK bullhead rail!
 
Biloxy Blues. In the train segment of the movie, they did a digital flip of the train to run in the opposite direction so the cars are lettered backwards. I can't remember the owner of the cars or train used though.

In the Great Valentine, Gene Wilder is riding in what was supposed to be a train from the 1920s. As they're pulling into somewhere, which I think was supposed to be Los Angeles, there's a modern train in the background pulling Burlington & Northern boxcars.

Recently I saw parts of two newer movies out of Hollywood that featured trains. One of the them was supposed to be a major rail company running across the country to Chicago from the west. The train was some shortline in the middle of nowhere pulling antique freight cars. How many wooden livestock cars do you see complete with roofwalks? The same with the antique boxcar, which was an outside braced wooden car.

In one scene, the train is supposed to be hit with a missle as it's going into a tunnel. Why is there a tunnel in the middle of the Great Plains? Up until this point, the landscape was rolling hills and the track was flat. When the camera swapped to the explosion shot, the train became a badly painted HO model and the grass looks like Woodland Scenic's sawdust grass.

I happened to walk in on this movie the other night, which I can't think of the name right now, that featured what was supposed to be a UP freight going into a tunnel. This tunnel was more plausibly located. The train hit something in the tunnel and the train blew up. As it derailed on the bridge, it was obvious that the train was models. The empty coal hopper had the too-clean look of an Athearn HO kit.

In another movie, that was supposed to take place in the 1940s in PA, there's a diesel hauled train going by without a caboose. The engine looked like a modern NS Geep, and the freight cars were modern. I think I even saw a FRED on the last car to boot. There are probably more movies I've seen, but can't think of right now.

John
 
Actually the biggest mistake the movies make, no doubt in the cause of dramatic effect, is to completely ignore the continuous brake. How many movies have you seen where the "hero" parts the cars along the consist and both portions of the train carry on - in "Broken Arrow" ISTR the rear of the train running back into the front. In reality whether air, vacuum or Westcode (train wire) continuity, both portions of a parted train would come to a rapid stop.
 
Or there is that one movie about the American Civil War (I cant remember the name but it shows General Robert E. Lee), a scene where Lee is getting off the train, they got almost all right. Vintage looking cars, vintage looking engine and what not. No dynamo sound! And you couldnt see the Air compressor. Sadly, when they are just getting off the train talking, you can clearly hear the "ka-thump" over and over again of the compressor.
 
Vern said:
Actually the biggest mistake the movies make, no doubt in the cause of dramatic effect, is to completely ignore the continuous brake. How many movies have you seen where the "hero" parts the cars along the consist and both portions of the train carry on - in "Broken Arrow" ISTR the rear of the train running back into the front. In reality whether air, vacuum or Westcode (train wire) continuity, both portions of a parted train would come to a rapid stop.
Click to expand...

That's right, Vern I forgot about that in the movies. The Westinghouse air brake system works on positive pressure so when there's air movement within the system, that's when the brakes kick in. LOL.

I just thought of another. Really smooth riding in the coaches on an old shortline up in the mountains like the railroad companies used CWR in those days. I don't think the ride was too smooth back then.

John
 
You'd be shocked how smooth ride would be. Years ago I took a ride on the CAGY in this old steam era 6 axle coach, with some more modern streamliner era 4 axle coaches behind it. Now, the CAGY was known for having horrible track, bumpy, bouncy and a standing speed order of only 15mph over the whole railroad. Yet, where the 4 axle lightweights and streamliners were bouncing around like weeble wobbles, the old steam era heavyweight (6 axles) rode like a DREAM!
 
Another favourite one of mine is subway cars exploding on collision as if they are carrying 1000lbs of kerosene underneath!
 
Speaking of Subway cars... In Speed the hero and heroine are flying along through the tunnel and can't stop the train because the deadman's brake has been jammed. Why didn't the transit authority cut the power to the main? That surely would have stopped the subway train dead instead of letting it bolt out of the ground like a rocket. The final scene is done well, but again the train looks like a giant HO model.

John
 
Solar Powered TGV

And staying on an electric theme....

Can someone explain how the TGV at the end of "Mission: Impossible" is even moving? :confused: Seeing as there isn't any OHLE or 3rd rail :eek:

Also, As far as I'm aware the TGV has never run from Waterloo Station only the Eurostar has:hehe: (of course if someone wishes to correct me on this)

Cheers

Andi
 
In 2012, there's this somewhat hilarious scene of a subway train that comes out of a tube and does this cool arc before crashing when the ground opens up.

However there's a few issues with it.

1.) It's a NYCTA subway train.

2.) It explodes when it strikes the other side

Other than that, I have to admit I laughed my tail off when I saw that happen.
 
magickmaker said:
In 2012, there's this somewhat hilarious scene of a subway train that comes out of a tube and does this cool arc before crashing when the ground opens up.

However there's a few issues with it.

1.) It's a NYCTA subway train.

2.) It explodes when it strikes the other side

Other than that, I have to admit I laughed my tail off when I saw that happen.
Click to expand...

That sounds like something out of Trainz. :hehe:
 
Atomic Train. Every fact about trians was wrong. Everything thing that involved trains was wrong

The brakes don't automatically apply when the hose breaks? Wrong. The Dynamic braking power of 2 GP40's can't stop a 6 car train? The Independent brakes of 2 GP40's can't stop above mentioned train?
 
Klinger said:
Atomic Train. Every fact about trians was wrong. Everything thing that involved trains was wrong

The brakes don't automatically apply when the hose breaks? Wrong. The Dynamic braking power of 2 GP40's can't stop a 6 car train? The Independent brakes of 2 GP40's can't stop above mentioned train?
Click to expand...


The Laws of Physics need not apply in ANY Hollywood film.

The one which always made me laugh was in James Bond "From Russia With Love," in which they alternated between stock footage of the European Orient Express and some British Rail Southern Sector steam hauled train (The Mk 1s were green, which I know was the Southern Sector way back when...)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

O
The Railrodder
Replies
7
Views
1K
CaseyBerg
C
J
Pentrex's Steam Across America is on YouTube
Replies
0
Views
878
jordon412
J
J
Tennessee Pass may be reopened someday.
Replies
4
Views
819
rjhowie
R
S
[Large images] Godwick-Egmere Railway
2 3
Replies
49
Views
7K
blueodessey
B
O
TRS19 install has problems with certain locomotives in certain sessions
Replies
4
Views
2K
owsleyiii
O
Back
Top