Tag Archives: 4-6-0 steam locomotive

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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End of the Line 1959

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National Film Board of Canada

According to our narrator, the years 1955 – 1961 represented Canada’s phasing out of steam, to be replaced by diesels. Today’s short (30 minutes), is mostly interviews with people, both railroaders and those outside the industry, asking how they feel about this transition.

Fortunately, there is a good amount of steam footage as well as a smattering of first-generation diesels to examine. The highlight is a double-headed “farewell to steam” fan trip on Canadian National including several runbys for their fans.

Our feature is mostly steam on Canadian National Railways, but as the ending credits roll, we are treated to pacing shots of Canadian Pacific Railway steamers on two, separate trains.

En voiture!

A classic roundhouse view, with sunlight streaming through the windows, highlights a quiver of steam locomotives resting between assignments.

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Bonanza Stallion 1972

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NBC Television

Dum-de-la-dum de-la-dum de-la-dum de-la-DAH-DAAAAHH! Ahh…that catchy theme song…which is about all I remember of this long-running TV show. Westerns just weren’t my thing, back then.

BUT – present day, there it is on YouTube (link below), albeit a rather fuzzy episode capture. But what do ya expect for free, huh? ;p Sierra Railroad #3, an 1891 Rogers 4-6-0 stars as “Virginia & Truckee #3″ pulling Sierra’s “shorty” coach #6, and a wooden boxcar with “MW24” reporting marks.

There is only one, seven minute train scene in this Season 14 Episode 9 feature, but it’s a doozy, with Little Joe (played by Michael Landon) racing his gift horse from Ben (played by Lorne Greene) alongside a speeding train. And, no, he didn’t look his gift horse in the mouth (groan).

Giddy-up!

The only down side to the train scene is almost the entire thing was filmed back-lit. SO. We’ll start things off with a couple artsy-fartsy close ups of our favorite ten-wheeler.

The cameraman zooms in on Sierra #3’s steel cowcatcher and profile up to the middle of the boiler. Nice, underside view of the flames from her firebox, though.

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The Twisted Track 1956

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ABC Television

Hi-Yo, Silver…Away! Yes, the Lone Ranger rides again, this time on the small screen, in full color, no less! It’s Clayton Moore as “that masked man”, along with his faithful Indian sidekick, Tonto (played by Jay Silverheels), fighting for truth, justice and the American Way!

To quote from my book, “Hollywood’s Railroads: Volume Two”, by Larry Jensen: “It (The Lone Ranger) was the first TV series to shoot on the Sierra Railroad. The Twisted Track episode used No. 3 and cars that were still brightly painted from a recent appearance in the Alan Ladd movie, The Big Land.” Hmmm…I might have to check that movie out…

In this installment (season 5, episode 12), two ex-Confederate brothers have a grudge against the DamnYankee owner of a railroad. Mostly, their revenge consists of train robbery. Filmed along the aforementioned Sierra Railroad, we are treated to two separate attacks, and famous Sierra 4-6-0 #3 (1891 Rogers) pulling a motley assortment of rolling stock. Let’s check it out.

Pow! With an impressive puff of smoke, a bad guy offs the engineer who drops to the deck, giving us a good look at the consist and cab interior.

Behind #3 is a shorty baggage/combine (possibly #5), flat car, another baggage/combine, full coach and caboose.

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Murder on the Orient Express 1974

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EMI Films
Paramount Pictures

Merry Christmas! Our not-particularly-obscure movie takes place in December 1935 on board the luxurious Orient Express. Although the subject is rather grim for the holiday season, it’s a crackerjack who-done-it with an all-star cast of stage and screen — and snow plays a key part in the film.

As always, the brightest star from my point of view is the train itself. Pulling the posh coaches is SNCF #4353, a 1922-built 4-6-0 steam locomotive that is still with us. In order behind the engine are a baggage car, Restaurant car (#9), Sleeping car (#7), and a Pullman Lounge car #4163.

From Istanbul, Turkey, the train traveled through “Uzunkopru, Sofia (Bulgaria), Belgrade (Serbia), Zagreb (Croatia), Brod (Kosovo), Trieste (Italy), Venice, Milan, Lausanne (Switzerland), Bazel, Paris (France), Calais, with connections for London.”

Watch Hercule Poirot (played by Albert Finney) try to unravel a tangle of clues and suspects onboard an opulent occidental passenger train.

The engineman and his conductor come face to face with a snow-filled cut as #4353 simmers in the background; Poirot plays a little air-violin in his compartment, but all is not peaceful onboard. Nice fixtures and accoutrements, though!

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Incident on the Road Back 1961

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CBS Television

Rawhide! “Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’…” Who can forget Frankie Laine howling those opening and closing lyrics…especially after the Blues Brothers reintroduced the show to a newer generation (me) in 1980?

According to my research (Hat tip to Larry Jensen – Hollywood’s Railroads, Volume 2), the production company of Rawhide spent a month in Tuolumne County filming bits of various shows for Season 3. Today’s review features Sierra Railroad #3, “shorty” passenger cars #5 & #6 as well as several stock cars borrowed from Southern Pacific Railroad.

In addition to the iconic 1891 Rogers 4-6-0, feast your eyes on one of the screens most recognized actors, Clint Eastwood, in his breakthrough role of Rowdy Yates. Two classics in one. Let’s get started…

Clint Eastwood (Rowdy) poses with co-stars Paul Brinegar (as Wishbone) and Eric Fleming (as Gil Favor) alongside Sierra #3.

Do ya feel lucky? Well do ya, punk? Rowdy waits for the train, sporting his now-famous annoyed grimace. Note the stock car on the siding and water tower in the background.

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Once Upon A Texas Train 1988

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Columbia Broadcasting System

Let’s take a ride on the Nevada Northern Railway! The star of today’s movie is NN #40, a 4-6-0, July 1910 product of Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. Bringing up the markers, is wooden coach-combination car #06, acquired by NN second hand in 1909.

In this made-for-TV movie, #40 and combine garner about 4 1/2 minutes of screen time during the opening credits & de rigueur train robbery and shoot out. We once more see the little train as the picture wraps up…heading away from the camera this time.

Filming also features a brief cameo by Virginia & Truckee #11, “The Reno” during its residence at Old Tucson Studios. Thus, I’ll be skipping over the bulk of this 93 minute movie for some tasty steam locomotive goodness. All Aboard!

Here comes the Queen of the Rails towing her little combine with a good head of steam. As the coal-burning 4-6-0 passes, we get a view of NN combine #06.

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Bound For Glory 1976

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United Artists

Four! Count ’em, FOUR steam locomotives star in today’s movie review. Just to whet your appetite, the four steamers are:

  1. Sierra Railroad #3, an 1891 Rogers-built 4-6-0.
  2. Sierra Railroad #28, a 1922 Baldwin-built 2-8-0.
  3. Sierra Railroad #34, a 1925 Baldwin-built 2-8-2.
  4. McCloud River Railroad #25, a 1925 Alco-built 2-6-2.

Today’s feature is a 1930’s biography of folk singer Woody Guthrie (played by David Carradine). Filmmakers really went all-out, pulling 34 obsolete freight cars out of a scrap line and painting over most railroad identification marks.

Train scenes were filmed along the Western Pacific, Tidewater Southern and Sierra Railroads. Let’s jump right in and enjoy THIS TRAIN-laden bio pic.

Electric traction also made a brief appearance in this flick. Woody/David is about to step off Pacific Electric #1058 in Los Angeles on his way to the studio. With a trolley pole reaching for wires that aren’t there, this Red Car had to rely on an internal-combustion engine of some sort.

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The Flying Kipper 1989

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Shepperton Studios

Henry the Green Engine! At age 6, I received this book which introduced me to the magical railway of the fictional Island of Sodor. Imagine my surprise when as an adult, someone started making little model railroad videos of the same stories I used to read as a kid. I was hooked.

This review comes from my DVD, “Thomas & Friends, The Early Years”. I am concentrating on just the story, “The Flying Kipper”, as that was one of my faves. Narrated by Ringo Starr, I will note the slight changes made in the story line from the book to the movie and present the images side by side for comparison. This episode was originally broadcast on 2 April 1989 (from IMDB.com).

The original books were written by The Rev. W. Awdry with illustrations by C. Reginald Dalby. The videos were created and adapted by Britt Allcroft.

Dontbesilly! Dontbesilly! Trock, trick! Trock, trick! Henry #3 is a 4-6-0 green engine with red stripes. Here he is hustling along with the Kipper in the pre-dawn darkness. Note in the book picture (right), he is pulling about 9 freight cars.

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High Noon 1952

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Paramount Pictures

I first saw High Noon in my “Film as Literature” class at Mercer Island H.S. senior year (Hello, Blaine Dollard!). Loaded with symbolism, this flick has been analyzed to death, but fortunately I’m just interested in the railroad bits — which makes for a more enjoyable review.

Huh? You say it won 10 Academy Awards and is not obscure? Bah! The REAL star of this high-falutin’ oater is Sierra Railroad #3 pulling its coaches past the Hadleyville depot. The rest of that final showdown jazz is mere window dressing.

Well then, let’s enjoy a railfan’s delight as the little 1891 Rogers-built, 4-6-0 trundles into town. Do not forsake me, oh my darling!

Belching an ominous plume of black smoke, Sierra #3 slowly approaches the water tower. This scene, and the one above of the depot, was filmed at Warnerville, California.

The studio constructed the two-story Hadleyville station just for this movie (Hat tip to Larry Jensen’s The Movie Railroads book).

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