Tag Archives: Pre-code movie

The Flying Scotsman 1929

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Warner Brothers

Here I go again with another foreign film. This “British International Picture” came in JUST at the start of talkies and consequently is half silent, half sound (dubbed in post-production). Who’d a thunk the star of the show (London & North Eastern Railway #4472 Flying Scotsman) would still be around and kicking in 2023?

Well it is, and it was an exceptional, historic piece of locomotive pulchritude. Britain’s favorite Class A3 4-6-2 (A1 class as built / Doncaster 1923). She looks simply smashing in that LNER apple green (see below).

LNER #4472 was named after an existing passenger train between London (King’s Cross) and Edinburgh (Waverly). This film has it all. Forbidden romance. A villain bent on revenge. Treachery. Pungent overacting. AND…a thespian I’ve actually heard of, playing the hero. Let’s check out this tasty bit of crumpet!

GO BIG GREEN! LNER #4473 steps smartly away from the platform with another trainload of her fans. Contrast this with a frame from the movie as it approaches the bumper post at King’s Cross. Same locomotive, many decades apart.

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Shanghai Express 1932

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Paramount Pictures

Like last month’s Union Depot 1932, I’d like to thank Danny at the Pre-Code.com blog for introducing me to yet another obscure train movie.

There are only two thespians I had previously heard of in this picture: Marlene Dietrich, of course, as Shanghai Lily and Eugene Pallette as Sam Salt. Mr. Pallette was almost instantly recognizable by his voice alone. Film goers may remember him as Friar Tuck in The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 (“Give me back my mutton!“).

The real star of the show was Southern Pacific Railroad #2428, a P-3 class 4-6-2 Baldwin-built steam locomotive. I believe this was the same engine used to represent two different trains. Pulling out of Peiping (Peking), the engine is numbered 4234, then the “hostage train” is numbered 2428. To further complicate things, there are only Chinese characters in the number boards to reference, but at least the wheel arrangement matches.

Anyhoo, let’s take a look at Hollywood’s interpretation of Chinese rail transport during an ongoing civil war. Hen hao, xièxiè !

Fixing to leave Peiping, the engineer looks back for the highball. Cab side lettering reads “4234” in Chinese characters; Later on in the movie, the engine characters are switched to “2428”.

Here is a link to sister SP locomotive #2429 to see what our film’s 4-6-2 looks like without the set dressing.

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