Warner Brothers Pictures

Just three minutes of train action , but it’s a jim-dandy. And it is referenced on the cover of the DVD, for Pete’s sake.

Leslie Neilsen mercilessly parodies the famous train wreck scene from The Fugitive 1993. Filmed mostly in British Columbia along the old Pacific Great Eastern (later renamed British Columbia Railway or BC Rail), our film features one of that line’s locomotives: a General Electric B36-7 #3607.

The movie also parodies Charlie’s Angels, North by Northwest, and Lords of the Dance to name a few. If you just want to sit down with a nice adult beverage and be entertained, this is the picture for you. (The Fugitive itself ain’t too bad, either.)

Trying to keep up with all the guest star cameos is a hoot as well, with such notables as Kelly LeBrock, Michael York, Sandra Bernhard and John Walsh.

Curiously, the DVD cover appears to show a Union Pacific EMD SD60M #6408 with a 3-piece windshield. The make/model is correct; the locomotive number is incorrect. This engine is not seen anywhere in the movie.

The TWO sets of ditch lights are a BCOL-standard, but the crazy Gyralite box on the nose is Hollywood, pure and simple. A good, British Columbia-soaking of liquid sunshine completes this picture.

The movie opens with Neilsen portraying concert violinist, Ryan Harrison, and striking a phony Riverdance pose. Man boobs alert! Eww… By the SHEERIST coincidence, Harrison Ford was the name of the actor who portrayed wrongfully-accused doctor in The Fugitive.

Our train scene occurs at the 21 minute, 30 second mark. The bus bearing Ryan to prison slipped on a banana peel, skidded off the road and wound up on the tracks.

Yes, a banana peel. I think Warner’s invented that gag. Back in the 1920s.

BC Rail #3607 is shown with “The Friggin Express” (train) lettering on its flanks.

View from outside the cab, bearing down on the bus; the un-seen engineer locks up the brakes for some sparks;

Here comes #3607 from inside the bus; the pyrotechnics go off a split-second before the engine hits. Note that Neilsen is gliding away with a fancy-boy pose at the last moment.

Uncomprehendingly, Ryan/Leslie watches as #3607 derails, yet continues in its noisy pursuit of HIM. Game on!

The B36-7 is catching up. Ryan is in for some serious hurt!

Then it gets quiet. TOO quiet. #3607 peeks from behind a tree at an inquisitive angle. Cracks me up every time.

A-HA! GOT YOU! Ryan’s foot is trapped in the track (switch bars?) whilst the locomotive gives him the full light package. Is this the end for Leslie Neilsen?

Hmmm. Well, no… Fortunately for Ryan, the switch is lined for the other track. THEN…instead of showing us the back of the locomotive pulling away, they show the head end backing up with the Gyralight box extinguished/removed. Weird.

Second view is what the rear of the unit actually looks like. Location: the CN/IC deadline Homewood (IL) Yard, 10-1-2006. Photo by Mike Rapchak, Jr.

Afterwards, there’s a brief train scene in daylight. It looks like a smooth-sided passenger car (ex-CP, BCR ex-Royal Hudson train) sandwiched by two double-door BCIT boxcars. BCIT reporting marks are British Columbia Railway (just like BCOL). Henceforth, Ryan Harrison is a wanted man.

—————————————————————————————————-

Now for the entire history of the big GE seen in Wrongfully Accused:

Santa Fe Railway GE B36-7 #7490 built in November 1980. 3,600 horsepower on just four axles with a frame serial number of 43136. In August 1989, unit sent to GE lease fleet.

The GE B36-7 was acquired by BCOL in November 1995 – renumbered & rebuilt as their #3607 in October 1996.

Steve Arnot, rrpicturearchives.net, CN Walker Yard, Edmonton, AB 12-24-2005.

BCOL #3607 was sold to Progress Rail Services in 2006 and became PRSX #3607. Final disposition unknown and/or not listed on Progress Rail website.

—————————————————————————————————-

For comparison, let’s examine the locomotives used in the actual The Fugitive 1993 movie.

Ex-Seaboard Coast Line GE U18B #1901 1,800hp on 4 axles “Baby Boat” branchline power. 1st photo by Jerry Jaynes; 2nd photo by Rob Tudor.

Ex-Norfolk & Western high-nose EMD GP30 #536 2,250hp on 4 axles mainline power (for its’ day). Both photos by Jerry Jaynes.

Each unit was reduced to a shell, and pushed along by a working locomotive out of shot. Both engines were painted into a fictitious Illinois Southern Railway paint scheme on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in North Carolina. GSM Railroad had filmmakers leave the two engines in-place as a tourist attraction.

—————————————————————————————————-

And that’s the way it was!

Here’s what IMDb has to say about Wrongfully Accused:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120901/

If you have ANY information about this movie you’d like to share, please contact me at: Lindsay.Korst@gmail.com, or leave a comment.  Thanks and enjoy the blog!

THE END