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Hiatus 2025

Greetings readers of my blogs (Obscure Train Movies and More Obscure Train Movies). There are still many more train films out there to review, but for the time being…I am burned out. Thus, I’m taking a break for a while. It could be a LONG while. Many thanks for all your emails and comments over the years. If I decide to pick it up again, subscribers to More Obscure Train Movies will see a new movie posting via email.

On the positive side, I have started another blog entitled: Pre-Digital Railfan (Train Watching in the Age of Kodachrome). As the name implies, I’m going through the best of my old railroad slides, scanning them, and posting them up from oldest to newest. Years covered will be 1978 to 2000, concentrating on the Pacific Northwest, but including train-spotting trips around the United States and Canada.

Happy New Year 2025 and Farewell for now…LIN-Z

Disaster On The Coastliner 1979

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ABC Television / Orion Pictures

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2024!

This is a LONG, but enjoyable review — at least it was for me! ;p

I previously wrote about this ABC Sunday Night Movie ten years ago. My summary of the All-Star Cast, pretty much covers the basics about what happened. Whoever wrote the script for this 97 minute potboiler, obviously had no idea how a railroad operates. The shortcoming of my first review is I only included two pictures!

That just won’t do when you have early-Amtrak equipment on both coasts (ex-Santa Fe Surf Line in California and ex-New Haven Shore Line in Connecticut) with lots of footage inside Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT) as well. Thus, this review will be short on plot and long on pictures.

Oh, did I mention? William Shatner has lots of screen time despite being only 7th in the credits (an unforgiveable oversight) and is the hero of the day — as only Captain Kirk could do it. Engines ahead. Warp factor one.

I’m really torn about the ID of this locomotive in the opening credits. It’s too blurry to get the exact unit number (400 something). At first I thought it was an EMD FL9 locomotive, but AFAIK, those engines didn’t have nose lift rings. So this is probably an EMD E9 diesel selected from a private railroad, pre-Amtrak.

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Railroaders 1958

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The National Film Board of Canada

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Another austere and homey train documentary from the good folks in the Great White North. This one features the glorious scenery of the Rocky Mountains along the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia.

It’s winter. As the line’s premium streamliner, “The Canadian” transports passengers through the snowy wonderland in luxurious comfort, we go behind the scenes to observe the army of workers needed to keep the right-of-way clear and the trains moving. On time.

This movie short has it all. Meets, Pocket watches, Cab rides, Cabooses, First generation diesel locomotives, Speeders, Semaphores, Clearing Switches, Diner in the diner, and hooping up train orders.

Alllll Aboard!

LET IT SNOW! CPR #1432 (GMD FP7A October 1951 built as #4041) leads train #7, the westbound Dominion approaching Stoney Creek, BC.

Per my October 1959 Official Guide, both The Canadian and Dominion were domeliners that passed through Revelstoke mostly during daylight hours.

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Once Upon The Wabash 1953

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Condor Films, Inc., St. Louis

Corny. Even back THEN, this script dialogue was corny. But, oh, that pristine first-generation diesel, domed streamliner. Wabash’s Blue Bird. That WAS the way to travel.

This was the best color version I could find online — I had to chop off the bottom portion on many screen caps account frikken Periscope Films’ “counter” running through the entire picture. Spoilsports.

Anyway, color scenes of freight and passenger equipment from the postwar era are always a treat to look at, even though Wabash was a bit late to the streamliner game.

Follow the Flag!

Leading this Chicago – St. Louis domeliner (the Blue Bird, #21 southbound; #24 northbound) is EMD E8A WAB #1000 built in 1951 and producing 2,250 horsepower.

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The Long Chase 1973

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Universal Studios

Alias Smith and Jones! Season Three, Episode 1 found our paroled boys with a new steam locomotive to play with. Posing grandly for the cameras was Great Western Railroad #75, a 2-8-0 Consolidation built by Baldwin in 1907. Four years after filming wrapped on this show, GWR #75 would again star in the movie, “Breakheart Pass“.

As the end titles briefly state, “Portions of this program were filmed at the Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah“. Which I had to go look up. Never heard of the place before. Ah! Somewhere down near Arches National Park. We visited Arches back in the mid-1970s on our way to Expo ’74 in Spokane.

Cast changes from the Season One episode I previously reviewed, include Roger Davis replacing Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes.

Seen here rolling along a scenic D&RGW branch line in Utah, GWR #75 is still with us, although not operational. Her current home is the Heber Valley Railroad where she is approximately 70% through her restoration.

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Abbott and Costello meet the Keystone Kops 1955

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Universal – International

HEY, ABBOTT!! Southern Pacific Railroad trotted out at least two different steam locomotives, a short mix of freight cars and an ancient wooden caboose for filmmakers to use in this month’s movie. In addition, there is a brief scene at what MIGHT be Cucamonga, CA (judging by the depot sign) featuring an old heavyweight observation car.

A brief plot outline: It’s 1912. Harry (played by Bud Abbott) and Willie (played by Lou Costello) are swindled into buying the Edison Movie Studio (a la buying the Brooklyn Bridge) from a crooked movie director/con man. Now broke, the boys hobo west to Hollywood, hoping to catch said crook and get their money back.

Lots of harrowing stunts involving moving trains in this one, hopefully employing stunt doubles for A & C. Let’s check it out.

SP X2085 pops out of Chatsworth tunnel. After much squinting at various runbys, I believe this is an SP 2-6-0 “M class” Mogul with all Southern Pacific markings carefully painted out. The number 2085 does not match any steam locomotive on their 2-6-0 roster. More about that later.

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The Great Race 1965

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Warner Brothers

THREE different train scenes decorate this 160 minute, old-time comedy, from the mid-sixties. Two steam locomotives and a rocket-car-on-rails (for heaven’s sake) provide the motive power when the going gets tough.

Not obscure by any stretch of the imagination, The Great Race is more famously known for it’s exotic automobiles and all-star cast.

As always, I will concentrate on the railroad bits and happily, all three machines shown are still in existence with the two steam engines currently in operation as of 2024.

Starting with the rocket car, let’s take a glance back from when Hollywood still knew how to create a fun and entertaining movie. MAAAAAAXXXXXX!!!

Blast Off! With a tremendous display of pyrotechnics, Professor Fate (played by Jack Lemmon) and Maximilian “Max” Meen (played by Peter Falk) hurtle down the track somewhere along the Sierra Railroad.

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Jesse James 1939

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20th Century Fox

Nineteen Thirty Nine was a big year for train movies. Union Pacific. Dodge City. Even Gone With The Wind. Adding to the pile, is today’s feature, Jessie James. In Technicolor, no less.

Of course the star of the show is Dardanelle & Russellville #8, a 4-4-0 built by Cooke Locomotive and Machine Company in February 1888. Originally constructed as Fort Worth and Denver City #9, in 1899 it came to the Dardanelle & Russellville Railroad, a five-mile Arkansas short line between its namesake towns.

In 1933, D&R #8 was retired with mechanical problems and left on a siding at Dardanelle. Hollywood came calling in 1938, sending the 4-4-0 to Missouri Pacific’s North Little Rock, Arkansas shops for a rebuild. The locomotive (and 3 D&R passenger cars) then made its way to Neosho, Missouri where train scenes were filmed along the Kansas City Southern Railway.

(Many thanks to Larry Jensen’s “The Movie Railroads” pages 196-197 for data on the engine.)

D&R #8 is still with us. As of 2024, it is a resident of the Nevada State Railway Museum in Carson City. Image by William Acord taken May 1992 at NSRM from RRPictureArchives.net

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The Railway Children 2000

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Carlton Television Ltd.

For once, I’m going to talk up the ACTORS instead of the trains. Specifically, the three Railway Children (shown above). A group moniker like that, can’t help but lead to trains galore. So without further ado, I present:

Clare Thomas as “Phyllis” (with the big, blue, beseeching eyes).

Jack Blumenau as “Peter” (pronounced Pee-tah) – trainspotter extraordinaire.

Jemima Rooper as “Bobbie” (a classic English beauty and mature beyond her years).

Based on the famous 1905 novel by E. Nesbit, this movie adaption features actress Jenny Agutter as the mother of the three kids. Ms. Agutter also appeared in the 1970 movie, which I previously reviewed, as one of the children. I daresay the 2000 movie is as good, or better than the 1970 version. Quite the tearjerker.

As if THAT isn’t enough to wet my train whistle, pulling up Jenny’s bio on IMDb, revealed yet ANOTHER Railway Children feature entitled, The Railway Children Return 2022! That one looks interesting in the preview video. Might have to check that one out, some day.

As most of you know, I’m not much of an expert on British trains, thus this wiki link (about the 2000 movie) was EXTREMELY helpful identifying the equipment and locations. Let’s get started…

So long! Farewell! Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye! Mom and the kids wave goodbye to “The Old Gentleman” (played by Richard Attenborough). Now, on with the train bits.

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Some Trouble At Troublesome 1956

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Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad

There actually is a location in Colorado called Troublesome (for Troublesome Creek) just a few miles east of Kremmling, where Union Pacific (nee-D&RGW) still has a short siding.

Our feature starts off with a lecture from G.B. Aydelott, President Rio Grande Railroad, scrolling across the screen and continues with the somewhat patronizing tone of the narrator. “This train is worth over a MILLION dollars”, he repeats over and over (implying “which you careless employees turned into splintered wood, contorted steel, and ruined lading”).

Having experienced the wrath of management, our story begins in the remote community of Bond, Colorado. It’s oh-dark 30 in the morning and the 5 man crew (remember those?) is reporting for duty to take the SPD (Southern Pacific – Denver) to Roper Yard in the Mile-High City.

The head end crew, (engineer, fireman, head brakeman) prepares to climb aboard DRGW #5554, an EMD F7A built in February 1949 leading an A-B-B-A set of units. The beautiful “Prospector” scheme in Aspen Gold and silver graces the flanks of these locomotives.

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