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Author Topic: Best "Train" movies ...
Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

- posted September 17, 2015 11:17 AM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Lets see, what is the best film that features a train as a main focal point? We have a lot of lovers of actual films about trains and they're routes, but let's just limit this to Hollywood style films with trains as the main focal point.

I'll start with my top 4 picks ...

1. Runaway Train (1985 Jon Voigt)
2. The Train (1960's Burt Lancaster)
3. The General (Buster Keaton)
4. Breakheart Pass (Charles Bronson)

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Mathew James
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 740
From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2014

- posted September 17, 2015 11:37 AM      Profile for Mathew James   Email Mathew James   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Does Chasing Choo Choos count?(Monty Banks, Play Safe) [Smile]

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Cheers,
Matt 📽

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted September 17, 2015 11:38 AM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Well....

As a guy who got into film because I was into trains first, I have to say a lot of the railroad-based dramas and comedies out there suffer because the people that made them don't really understand railroading.

I remember a TV movie with Ralph Waite about 30 years ago where as an act of defiance, he just took a Diesel locomotive and motored a hundred miles to headquarters to lodge his grievances. Problem: this is not a car out on the road. The control tower would know exactly where you are, put up a red signal, trip your brakes and stop you literally dead in your (or their) tracks!

That being said, one favorite of mine in this category has always been "The Titfield Thunderbolt":

The Titfield Thunderbolt

It goes a little light on the facts here too (One Example: You CAN'T just fire up a 120 year old boiler without endangering the entire neighborhood, and I would hope the Ministry of Transport would beat you up thoroughly if you tried instead of giving you a license to operate!), but it's a great story with good, good guys and bad, bad guys and it's a lot of fun!

For the...documentary portion of my railroad films, I'm finding the thing to do is bring a nice one to Wildwood and show it through Doug's GS Xenon and on the big screen. It's quite a sight (and sound)!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Joseph Randall
Master Film Handler

Posts: 437
From: Wyckoff, NJ, USA
Registered: Jun 2015

- posted September 17, 2015 03:14 PM      Profile for Joseph Randall     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
No particular order:

THE GENERAL
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
THE LADY VANISHES
TERROR BY NIGHT
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted September 17, 2015 03:23 PM      Profile for Paul Adsett     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Strangers On A Train The classic thriller starring Robert Walker as the psycho Bruno.
Human Desire A terrific film noir, starring Glen Ford and the promiscuous Gloria Grahame,

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Mike Newell
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 826
From: United Kingdom
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted September 17, 2015 03:34 PM      Profile for Mike Newell   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
1st Great Train Robbery Sean Connery
Von Ryan's Express
The General Buster Keaton
Narrow Margin Gene Hackman
Taking Pelham 123 Robert Shaw

I did know a collector who had all 3 versions of 39 Steps in Super 8 full feature just for the trains

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Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1785
From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014

- posted September 17, 2015 03:55 PM      Profile for Brian Fretwell   Email Brian Fretwell   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
As well as many of those above I also enjoy "Silver Streak" Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder and Patrick McGoohan.

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Paul Barker
Master Film Handler

Posts: 395
From: Lancashire, England
Registered: Jun 2014

- posted September 17, 2015 04:23 PM      Profile for Paul Barker   Email Paul Barker   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Robbery. 1967. stars Stanley Baker. account of the great train robbery.a 2k restoration from original 35mm negative just released in uk on blu ray. great film. great restoration.

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Joe Caruso
Film God

Posts: 4105
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted September 17, 2015 05:09 PM      Profile for Joe Caruso     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
RAILROAD STOWAWAYS - Billy Bevan
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY - Edison
Finale of HOW THE WEST WAS WON (segment with Peppard & Wallach)
SLIM - Film with Henry Fonda
Well, you people have named all the choicer moments

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David Guest
Phenomenal Film Handler

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From: Lancashire, UK
Registered: Oct 2011

- posted September 17, 2015 05:37 PM      Profile for David Guest     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
the love match
the ghost train
both of which I have on 16mm and stars Arthur askey

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Barry Attwood
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1411
From: Enfield, U.K.
Registered: Aug 2003

- posted September 17, 2015 11:59 PM      Profile for Barry Attwood   Email Barry Attwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Mine would have to be the classic Will Hay film -

Oh! Mr. Porter

It's brilliantly funny, and the majority of the film features classic steam trains in one way or another.

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Clinton Hunt
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From: Waharoa,North Island,New Zealand
Registered: May 2010

- posted September 18, 2015 01:51 AM      Profile for Clinton Hunt   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
YES Mathew I think Chasing Choo Choos should count?(Monty Banks, Play Safe)I just recently watched my Super8 sound film of it and it's fun!

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Cheers from me in New Zealand :-)

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Peter Scott
Film Handler

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From: Norfolk, UK
Registered: Nov 2014

- posted September 18, 2015 03:17 AM      Profile for Peter Scott     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Another vote for Oh Mr Porter and The Great St Trinians Train Robbery.

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

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From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

- posted September 18, 2015 04:09 AM      Profile for Graham Ritchie   Email Graham Ritchie   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I agree with "Oh Mr Porter"...

Steve... this 20min version would certainly be fun to run at your "Wildwood" convention. [Smile]
-

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Peter Scott
Film Handler

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From: Norfolk, UK
Registered: Nov 2014

- posted September 18, 2015 04:55 AM      Profile for Peter Scott     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I know that Walton done the 4 x 400ft but was their ever a full length feature done ?

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Steve Carter
Master Film Handler

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From: Bristol, UK
Registered: Apr 2015

- posted September 18, 2015 05:38 AM      Profile for Steve Carter     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have a 5 x 400 of 'Oh Mr. Porter' 'He's not afraid of the dark', 'No, he plays with the Pixies'...

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Mathew James
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 740
From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2014

- posted October 21, 2015 08:01 AM      Profile for Mathew James   Email Mathew James   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
HOW CAN I FORGET THIS ONE!!!!!!
Arghh. Embarrased to be Canadian today for forgetting this TREASURE!!! I totally forgot about it until we watched it the other day as a family. Truly my favourite 'train' film!!
Railrodder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epfOOodUzHI

Cheers,
Matt

PS: Once you've finished watching the above...here is the documentary on how the film was made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HOWv7Ce69E

[ October 21, 2015, 11:28 AM: Message edited by: Mathew James ]

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 21, 2015 08:32 AM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Shorty Caruso gave me a railroad film at CineSea last week: 200 foot documentary of the Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge line operating out in the California desert. Being that this is color AND sound footage of a famous narrow gauge line that was abandoned right around the time I was born, this is right in my wheelhouse!

(Thanks Joe!)

A lot of the time when I get something like this, I do more than just watch the film. It seems it was filmed by "some guy" named Chad O’Connor.

-so I Googled him:

-Inventor of the fluid tripod head
-Filmed many historic railroads before they were torn up.
-Engineered the construction of two brand new steam locomotives
-Friend and technical adviser of Walt Disney
-Engineered the steam engines for the paddle wheelers at the Disney parks
-Technical Academy Award winner for the fluid tripod head.

-sounds like my kinda-guy!

Chad O'Connor

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 21, 2015 08:39 AM      Profile for Winbert Hutahaean     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
UNSTOPABLE....!

with Denzel Washington

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Winbert

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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator

Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 21, 2015 11:08 AM      Profile for Douglas Meltzer   Email Douglas Meltzer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Horror Express!

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Douglas Warren
Master Film Handler

Posts: 282
From: West Chester, OH, USA
Registered: Feb 2008

- posted October 21, 2015 11:47 AM      Profile for Douglas Warren     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
For me it would be "The Emperor of the North" with Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. Funny that I came across this topic today since the wife and I had to stop twice at the same crossing for CSX to cross this morning!

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Turn out the lights,the movie is starting!

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

- posted October 21, 2015 01:59 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Douglas! How could I forget that one! It's an excellent film, as well as Doug's choice!

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Douglas Warren
Master Film Handler

Posts: 282
From: West Chester, OH, USA
Registered: Feb 2008

- posted October 21, 2015 02:27 PM      Profile for Douglas Warren     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Osi,
It's a very good,and underrated film in my opinion.I have a copy of the Ken Films 400' version and thankfully there's only one brief bit of narration at the beginning and that's it! They did a nice editing job on this one as you get the feeling that the editor was striving to do their very best.It took me awhile to finally find a copy of it but I'm glad I did.

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Turn out the lights,the movie is starting!

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Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1785
From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014

- posted October 21, 2015 03:48 PM      Profile for Brian Fretwell   Email Brian Fretwell   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have a liking for the Gene Wilder - Richard Pryor "Silver Streak" and both versions of "The Lady Vanishes" as well as Titfield Thunderbolt, Oh Mr Porter and The General mentioned above.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted October 21, 2015 04:02 PM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
When my son was about four or five his favorite film was reel #2 of the Derann Titfield Thunderbolt.

-he loved watching the locomotive fighting it out with the steamroller!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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