Universal Studios

Banacek! George Peppard stars in this NBC Wednesday Night Mystery Movie. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” fans will remember him as the courtesan to Patricia Neal and companion of Audrey Hepburn.

This train-laced movie (both prototype and model) features 4 character actors from Star Trek TOS and Batman 1966 and includes overhead (helicopter) scenes of railroads in Boston, Massachusetts.

Banacek is brought in when an expensive, experimental sports car vanishes from a non-stop freight train. The solution to the mystery is so preposterous, you just HAVE to come along for the ride (no pun intended). Let’s roll…

Would you believe an Atlas O scale (two rail) Great Northern, Big Sky Blue box car is a key exhibit in explaining how they done it? Read on…

42 years later, this is what Big Sky Blue fades to, in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Surrounded by inept security guards, the “Phoenix” experimental car is being readied for transport. Bert Convy (and his ridiculous afro wig) chats it up with Percy Rodrigues (Portmaster Stone on Trek episode, “Court Martial“.

Hey, that’s William Windom! Commodore Matt Decker from “The Doomsday Machine“. Windom did probably the finest over-acting job on Star Trek aside from Shatner himself. One of my favorite blogs paraphrases Decker for its 404.html file (file not found).

Did I mention? Windom ALSO starred as Doctor Seth Hazlitt on my wife’s favorite TV show, Murder, She Wrote. And yes, dear, I also fixed the above photo links.

Okay boys, time to hit the road. AT&SF #999486 is a Class Ce-2 caboose rebuilt at Santa Fe’s San Bernardino, CA shops in 1969 and 1970. 486 is still with us as of April 2023 in Shelbyville, TN.

Santa Fe Railway #2428 is an EMD SW9 built in May 1953 and retired in March 1978. Last known status was as Amtrak #560 in September 1984.

As the freight rumbles through the night with its’ tarped cargo aboard, we get a glimpse at the efforts Santa Fe Railway took to disguise their boxcars — repainting their enormous logo with fictional roads like GWR and RGR. They also completely painted out the huge emblem on the caboose.

It IS supposed to be the Boston area, after all…not a Santa Fe yard in Los Angeles where this was filmed.

Southern gives a green light to innovation! Here is the train trundling into “Boston” (note sign hastily tacked up on an L.A. overpass). From front to rear is ATSF SW9 switcher #2428, SOU #30948, MP # 128495 and GWR #49239.

Comes the dawn, Banacek makes a big entrance arriving by helicopter, and quickly sits in the engineer’s seat so he can blow the horn.

Next, some establishing shots that, I THINK, were actually taken in Boston. The 2nd picture shows a whole bunch of Rail Diesel Cars which I believe belonged to the Boston & Maine railroad (they had a fleet of 102 RDCs). Also notice that brand, spanking new double-decker freeway (the old Central Artery mebbe?).

As Banacek reconnoiters in his whirlybird, they pace this 3 car RDC train. B&M used them for commuter trains as well as regular passenger trains out of Boston’s North Station.

The Cars of Banacek! (or at least this episode):

• 1 Banacek’s ride in the Boston area is this 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood factory-built limo.
• 2 The best view of the “Phoenix” is this b&w image (picture on factory wall).
• 3 American Motors AMX concept car #1 (collection of Mark Korst).
• 4 American Motors AMX concept car #2 (collection of Mark Korst).

My first impression of the Phoenix was it was a modified American Motors AMX or Javelin (note the flush door handles and circle on the rear panel). The front bumper and air dam on the roof just looks UGLY to me. I sent my brother picture #1 & #2.

My brother’s comments on the above pictures are: “The AMC is something that was based on a 1970 AMX. AMC did a couple of concept cars as per your attached, but what you sent appears to have been cobbled up on one of the concepts. I can’t see AMC producing something that weird.”

Mega dittos, big brother!

INTERLUDE!

Banacek meets the car designer bimbo — just barging right in, uninvited, into her house. Said bimbo “Chris” is played by Joanna Pettet (ROWF!) wearing a fetching little number with exposed navel and muscular abs (Yabba-dabba-do!).

In addition to her tart tongue, Chris also models the 1970’s version of a tramp stamp. ZOWIE!

END INTERLUDE

Digging for clues at a hobo jungle, Banacek comes across Chief O’Hara from Batman (played by Stafford Repp) and Piglet/Hengist (played by John Fiedler – from Star Trek’s, “Wolf in the Fold” and, of course, Winnie the Pooh.

First model train scene. Opening his Atlas O “Ready to Run” trainset, Banacek manages to schmuck up the mechanicals of his Santa Fe F unit. Fortunately, his tomato Chris is able to repair it on his next visit.

At first glance, the set has a C&NW stock car, a GN Ry BSB boxcar, red flatcar with wooden crate load and an AT&SF extended vision caboose.

Down at the railyards, Banacek is looking for answers, spotting his quarry next to a couple orange Santa Fe 50′ insulated boxcars with black plug doors (SFRC reporting marks).

Ship it on the Frisco! (a railroad that never came anywhere close to San Francisco).

Super Shock Control.

Look out! He’s got a knife! Banacek tries a bribe.

Just as he’s about to vamoose, a couple henchmen show up. Time for some high-kicks and leaping into action. Face Hold! Alas, his best Captain Kirk moves are for naught, as the bad guys (and the train) leave him in the dust.

Hot on the trail of the car thieves, the Fleetwood limo stops at a fork in the road. This is an actual Massachusetts location, where highways 27 and 126 split at Wayland. The tracks are long gone, replaced with a rail trail.

How they done it. Using an Atlas O gauge layout as a visual aid, Banacek explains to the authorities how the perps made the flatcar and Phoenix “disappear”.

The model train consist is: AT&SF F9A, C&NW stock car, BSB GN box car #39420, green Great Northern flat car with Phoenix car load, Pennsy box car, Western Pacific “The Western Way” box car, another BSB GN box car and AT&SF caboose.

Here comes the preposterous part. A Hench cuts a hole in the box car. A winched cable is fed through the hole. Another Hench pulls the cable across the flat car, connecting it to the following box car.

Uncouple cars on either end of the Phoenix flat car (which in real life would set the brakes once the air hoses separate). Using trackside crane, install a switch next to lake, and coast car into short siding.

Lift Phoenix off flat car to waiting flatbed truck and drive away. Push flatcar into lake. Winch train back together, and remove switch/siding. All accomplished in an hour and a half according to Banacek.

Inconceivable!

Banacek’s defiant pose and sneer. Good heavens, he made a gesture!

Here’s what IMDb has to say about Project Phoenix:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0518366/

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