Just a bit of fun: Which is the worst movie representat
Started by Swissie38 posts21 min read
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POLL: Just a bit of fun: Which is the worst movie representation of a train scene (i.e: most faulty representation of real life trains)? Posted by nadnerb1982 on Aug-11-03, 06:00 PM EDT
Result after a total of 23 votes
Mission Impossible - Non electrified TGV going through the Channel Tunnel 11 votes, 47% Vote for this choice The Money Train - I dont live in USA but it strikes me that none of that could happen 1 votes, 4% Vote for this choice Under Seige 2 - complete lack of safeworking systems in an area with no radios 4 votes, 17% Vote for this choice Back to the Future III - great fun but 88mph pushing a car on 1885 track? 2 votes, 8% Vote for this choice 007 Octopussy - signalman puts a car on rails in the path of oncoming train No votes Vote for this choice Others (post below) 5 votes, 21% Vote for this choice
My vote would be for "Avalanche Express" or whatever its English title - if polls were still tolerated at the fora - which is a spy movie in which an electric train across the alps gets stuck in a tunnel, you guessed it, due to an avalanche.The biggest mess-up happens before that: After the electric train with its electric engine has left the terminal under wires, the drama begins to unfold. As the good guy needs to get to the running train by helicopter, he has to descend on a rope to reach the baggage car. Now that was a challenge for the movie director, as doing that rope stunt on electrified track with poles for the catenary would pretty quickly eliminate the good guy, including the stunt man doing his part, that particular scene was filmed on a non electrified stretch of track, with the juicer running visibly with its pantos down, and the German diesel engine pushing the train from its rear end clearly visible (not to speak of its smoke trail) in one or two shots...There are plenty of other unrealistic things (such as no means of communications between train staff and the engineer in the engine foreseen, despite the fact that the conductor in the baggage car is the only one to have the radio with which he is supposed to coordinate the train with dispatch). Yet the helicopter stunt on the diesel track always struck me the most.Lukas a.k.a Swissie
My vote is to USA's movie about the train with the virus on board and the terrorists? When our hero is fighting the bad dude's thugs, they'r ein the engine room of the diesel. First off, it snot real loud, and secondly there's this huge box-car sized roomw ith a little car motor-sized thing in the middle (ok there was two of them and one had a crank shaft leading threw a wall, but still!) In the outside scenes of the train careening through the woods on an electrified track, it looks JUST like VNERR repaint of the standard MSTS Acela trainset running in the back-woods of the NEC. Then the crash scene comes, and the train turns into an HO Scale model of a german switcher with some Bachmann Acela coaches with a trolly wire on them falling off a cliff. It wa sok, you could barely tell it was that.But there was some movie on TV a while back where they had an Athearn GP35 or something with OUT the handrails installed and a couple cars. The GP35 had an X2F coupler on the front ------------- "It's Morse code" "For what?" "SOS....Help!"
In actuality, this is John, not Bob Netzlof. Thanks, sorry for the confusion.
John,you're maybe talking about the same film as me in the post above. That box-car sized empty room sounds like the conductors compartment (with the huge radio desk) set-up in the baggage car, IIRC.Another unreal feature of that film that I recall was the instant when the good guys, together with the help of the conductor, want to uncouple one of the cars of the moving train. Btw., isn't the conductor played by the same actor who did Max, the butler in that TV-series of the two H(e)arts chasing the bad guys in LA?Anyway, when they want to uncouple that car, they go to the dining car "because the couplers are always controlled from a device under the floor in the dining car" (that's what the conductor tells the good guy!). Completely disregarding the fact that the European RRs never managed to accept a common standard for autmatic couplers and thus still use chains which cannot be controlled in any way but by getting inbetween the immobile cars, the good guy tears open the carpet in the diner - now if that is the regular spot to control the couplers, why do you have to tear up the carpet? Then, among flying sparks and smoke - also a regular feature? - he does something that uncouples the car with the virus and/or a bad guy inside from the train. Needless to say that neither the uncoupled car nor the rest of the train have ever heard of the air being dumped from ruptured brake lines having some effects...Lukas a.k.a Swissie
HA! I KNEW it wasnt possible to get a train up to 88 MPH in conditions like that. I dont care WHAT Doc Brown stuck in the firebox... My vote though...goes for Under Siege two, though that was a good movie, there were quite a few railroad irregularities."Well sir there's nothing on earth like a genuine bona-fide electrified six-car monorail!"
Tarsonis Rail Yards now seeking volunteers, private message me for more info
I think that was the title. A made for TV stinker with two trains heading for collision - and as usual - nothing can stop them.Ron http://www.railwaystation.com
That made for TV movie back in the early 80’s about the two Amtrak trains (I think they were San Diegans) set on a collision course by a madman. Also, anybody remember the made for TV movie “Super Train”? J. Hildenbrand------NALW------ ---Juice for You---
I voted for Death Train cuz I thought it was the worst I ever see as a Train movie. Do you remember this movie? I have a link from earlier post. It took me a while to find it. What do you think?http://www.train-sim.com/cgi/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=4464&forum=DCForumID1It involved so many different trains and countries. Ken
The hero goes to uncouple the coach theyre in from rest of train. hes hanging out the door reaching over to the drawbar handle on the other car. When he could have just walked to other side of car right next to him and pulled the handle on the car they were in. It was an unnesscery risk to take took longer as well to do.
I'd have to say that the Mission Impossible scene is the worst because they do so much wrong:- No overhead wiring for the TGV - TGV does not use Channel Tunnel as far as I'm aware, its Eurostar only - There is no way a helicopter can keep up with a TGV or Eurostar at cruise speed - The difference in air pressure in the tunnel would kill all those outside the train. High speed trains travelling in tunnels are pressurised like aircraft to avoid serious injury to passengers. In my experience on Japan's bullet train, the walls actually bent in and out when the train entered a tunnel or passed another train
MI2 was worse...there was a chase scene with a motorcycle and you could clearly see the bike's tires change from street slicks to knobbies and back again.For the poll it's a toss-up between MI and Under Seige 2. I never saw Unser Seige 2 but I saw a clip where Segal jumped onto the roof of the train as it was speeding past and made it look like he was jumping off a curb. At least roll or something...try to make it look a little convincing. Also calling it "Dark Territory"? Yeah it sounds dangerous and mysterious to the uniniated, but around here everyone should know that all it means is it isn't protected by any signalling. No big bloody mystery there, they just issue track warrants. Anyway I gave it a miss.
Oooh, Dark Territory.....that how we operate on each-other's layouts, and how the B&P operated for a year or so!------------- "It's Morse code" "For what?" "SOS....Help!"
In actuality, this is John, not Bob Netzlof. Thanks, sorry for the confusion.
MI2 was a shocker. As a Sydney-sider I spotted a fair few errors - like the bad guys driving around in Darling Harbour (a pedestrian only area), and the good guy's base being somewhere in the middle of the desert - which would be hours of flight time by helicopter. Worst: 3 million in Sydney, 17 million people in Australia? Try 4 million and 19 million thanks!Was fun watching The Matrix though - the "subway" in that was a set constructed in a freight yard, and the train used is a 1950's single deck U set (known here as U boats) slightly modified and pushed by a diesel (no overhead power where they shot). They were lucky those carriages hadnt all been scrapped, we dont have any more single deck electrics in service in Sydney any more.
thanks for telling me how they made that part of my favorite movie o.o"Well sir there's nothing on earth like a genuine bona-fide electrified six-car monorail!"
Tarsonis Rail Yards now seeking volunteers, private message me for more info
Hands Down: Atomic Train Where do I start... I guess the best one was when the brake line disconnected and a HUGE quantity of fluid came gushing out. I gave up at that point, realizing the movie was just another pile of anti-nuke B.S.
JOhn Oldrailfan Railfan means anything on rails! Trains Trolleys Rollercoasters - you name it.
Long Island RailsMember since Sep-25-02 · 170 posts
RE: Worst Movie
"The end of the line"Two guys steal an engine (I think a GP38) to save a rail yard. The railroad company would like to close the rail yard but the whole town revolves around this two track rail yard. Other than seeing the trains in this movie, it was pathetic. Kevin Bacon plays a horrible role in this movie. Kevin Bacon at his best!
My example of a bad train scene no way compares to some of the ones posted here, but I thought I should mention the train scene in Broken Arrow. This scene commits two common movie errors concerning trains: (1) when part of the train is was uncoupled, the uncoupled section continues rolling for miles. (2) when the train goes into emergency brake, the locomotive wheels stop moving and slide along the tracks.Broken Arrow was not a very well-done movie IMO, especially since "John Revolting" starred in it. The fact that he also starred in Battlefield Earth (one of the 10 worst movies of all time, IMO, right next to Baby Geniuses) should leave no doubts about him and his career (such as it is) Jonathan Nikiforovs. Milepost 180, CP Belleville Sub.Repainter for Yonder Locomotive Works.
"A crictic is a man who creates nothing and thereby feels qualified to judge the work of creative men. There is logic in this; he is unbiased - he hates all creative people equally." - Lazarus Long
It looks like a MoPac GP of some kind, only black instead of dark Blue..... can anyone give more pictures maybe? ACTUALLY, now that i think on it, it looks like the Black River & Western's paint, and i ****think**** thy have a GP38And the movie poste ris no help, the only train it ha sis a drawn sillouette, with a 4-wheel bobber caboose, some cars, and a really STRETTTTTTTCHED GP38-ish thing. Supposedly it has alot of good shots of the train, which may help if i get the movie, but, how exactly did they make it to Chicago with out getting smeared? There's also an alternative DVD cover which shows a WHITE GP unit with a black ">X<" pattern on the nose and an Family Line's reminesent White on black pilot stripes....hmmm, which one is actually used in the movie, or is it a deal where it changes from a Black GP38 with a lone boxcar, to the Knox & Kane steamer SY58 and a tourist consist crossing Kinzua Viduct, and then to an Allegheny GP35 and GP40 running light through Johnsonburg, then to the EBT's M-4 shunting in a coal yard, and our hero's suddenly come out of a caboos ein the next scene in Alaska with an Alaska Ry SD70 whooshing by on the next track, and then it turns into a BNSF freight? ------------- "It's Morse code" "For what?" "SOS....Help!"
In actuality, this is John, not Bob Netzlof. Thanks, sorry for the confusion.
Long Island RailsMember since Sep-25-02 · 170 posts
RE: Worst Movie
Hi Bob, It was the black unit that you see on the video box. It was as bad as you make it sound, but it was great for train shots. I finally got my power back on and was able to get back to Long Island from Manhattan. The Long Island Rail Road is sill dead stopped and I saw an Acela train stopped dead in its tracks on the Hells Gates Bridge. I really wonder if they got the passengers off that train.Cheers Larry
hells gates bridge...<shudders> i hate that bridge. think of the name..."Well sir there's nothing on earth like a genuine bona-fide electrified six-car monorail!"
Tarsonis Rail Yards now seeking volunteers, private message me for more info
LI Aside from the fact that no one on the film realized calling the railroad in the film Southland might be a mistake until the film was ready for release,thus requiring a disclaimer that Southland had no real connection to the Southland Corp(owners of 7-11) I thought the concept that Southland was shutting down the railroad to move all freight to it's air freight division was just idiotic (yes sir we have your coal shipment,does your power plant have landing facilties for the 300 747's making the delivery?)Gary S
"Some say this country's just out for a fight. After 9/11 man I'd have to say thats right" "Have You Forgotten" Darryl Worley
what about "tough guys" w/ Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster? They steal SP 4449 and run it Mexico ... and make it. The engine ends up in sand, like it was sinking, but still up right not fallen down.Please visit my homepages The Del-Mar-Va Model Railroad Club Website http://community.webtv.net/PCRR4LIFE/TheDelMarVaModel
Runaway Train...There is normally more than one guy in the cab in case the engineer had a heart attack.LOL. But the Escapees from a maximum Security Prison? Geez!Atomic Train...Isn't the braking thing backwards? Unhook the Airhoses and the train goes into emergency? And besides I doubt it would be possible to transport a Russian Nuke over a railroad because It must be known to railroads what is in every crate. Then again they faked the load to be Russian Caviar. Drug shipments across the border to/from Mexico via rail is probably a bigger business that anyone realizes.
That Geep on the "End Of The Line" cover looks a lot like a "South Orient" GP7 that was photoed here not too long ago - here's the post link:http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/DCForumID8/4850.htmlOff the subject of that locomotive, I wanted to mention one scene in the movie "Larger Then Life." While it's not a railroad related movie, Southern Pacific takes a small part in it. A fellow by the name of Jack ends up inheriting an elephant (yes, an elephant, named Vera), from his dad, who was a circus performer. Due to some ridiculous legal fees for property damages while the elphant was in custody of the lawyer, he has to transport "Vera" to California - and this is where the SP comes in (mind you, by now he's traveled into New Mexico already). When they are waiting out in the middle of nowhere for their "transportation" (read: a 50 foot gondola), an SP tunnel motor pulls up, and out comes Mr. Condutor with a nice black hat and jacket, with nicely polished brass buttons. He looked like he just came off the Shasta Daylight. Not an ounce of oil or cab grime on his clothes. Quite un-believable, but good for a laugh, if you are a railfan. The movie did offer a quick glimpse at the top of a Espee GP38-2.....earlier on in the movie I think there were a string of Bethgon hoppers in view.Take care!Kurt Supporting youth involvement in model railroading.
This may not be the worst railway movie in history, in fact it's not really a railway movie at all - it's an Alfred Hitchcock film loosely based on a spy story "The 39 Steps" by John Buchan, set in England during the 1st World War.The hero, Richard Hannay, is fleeing from the villains who think he has something of their's (he does), and at one part of his escape he is travelling on a train. The train enters a tunnel in the livery of one company and emerges in the colours of a different company!. The continuity man wasn't paying attention.I always thought the book was better than the movie.As an off topic point of interest, John Buchan was not only a well known author in his day, but he was also involved in affairs of state. He served a term as Governer-General of Canada, and was, in fact, the last British-born G-G of Canada. His successor was the first Canadian G-G, and all holders since have been either Canadian born or immigrants with Canadian Citizenship who have distinguished them selves in some one (like our current G-G who was born in Hong Kong).CheersJohn
1) Rabbit Proof Fence - it is an Australian movie about the oppression of Aboringal culture here. Its set in Western Australia (where i live) and there is a train in it. Its set in 1920 and the train the audience see is 3801 from NSW!!! Can you see the problem?? 3801 is a Pacific class steam loco built in 1940 on standard gauge. In western australia at the time, the rail network was narrow gauge!! I had to complain to my english teacher about that one!!2) Some documentry about the KKK we saw in English Liturature. It was about some gang in California around the 1960's. Some dude got throwen onto the track and killed by the KKK. The only problem, the train in the documentry was 2 CSX AC44CW's in YN3 colours!!!!They obviously didnt show the guy getting hit! >Mike Forster< Perth, Westen Australiapacificnational_nr103@hotmail.com
Broken Arrow was on TV last night, i liked the Blue BN GP9 thing....nice paint...but where'd all the old wood cattle cars come from????------------- "It's Morse code" "For what?" "SOS....Help!"
In actuality, this is John, not Bob Netzlof. Thanks, sorry for the confusion.
J. Hildenbrand------NALW------ 
