Tag Archives: Merry Christmas

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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