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So far the only movies i have seen with goofs are Pearl Harbor with AT&SF 3751 leading a CZ train. Another in Pearl Harbor is when the girl comes to the station looking for him as he leaves and the train next to his is a CZ but for about a second in the corner of his window you can see an Amtrak AMD-103. The majestic also uses the Skunk Train with diesls that i dont believe had been built yet. There is also a shot of the skunk train entering LA. If you know any other movie goofs post them here
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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I just watched The General, the silent film with Buster Keaton. Near the beginning when his locomotive is stolen, he is shown at the side of a building washing up. He's got lots of foamy lather on his hands. He notices his locomotive being stolen, and without rinsing, runs around to the front of the building. Cut to him coming around the corner his hands are perfectly clean.
notelvis Member # 3071
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In 'Driving Miss Daisy' there is a scene supposed to have been in the early 1950's. The car is shown at a grade crossing and you get a brief glimpse of a Norfolk Southern diesel in the distance.
------------------ David Pressley
dilly Member # 1427
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During the 1950s, Encyclopaedia Britannica made a terrific "educational" film that chronicles a boy's train journey from Illinois to New Mexico via the Santa Fe Railway.
He boards the Chief in Chicago and spends the night heading cross-country in a sleeping car -- only to mysteriously arrive in Lamy the next day aboard a completely different train. . . the Super Chief.
The best thing, though, is that the film shows that the long-distance rail travel experience hasn't changed during the past 50-odd years. Anyone who has overnighted on Amtrak (particularly aboard the Southwest Chief) will feel right at home watching the film.
[This message has been edited by dilly (edited 06-05-2004).]
JONATHON Member # 2899
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In the movie "Baseket Ball" a cross between basket ball and baseball, when the sport goes on tour, first it shows there train, its an Amtrak E8 Loco,pulling all Budd.Co Heritage cars, and in the next scene, its an SDP40F pulling heritage in Amtrak and other Paint sheames, yet the movie takes place in modern times.
------------------ JONATHON D. ORTIZ
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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All time champ in this arena must be "Silver Streak".
Where else in the space of two hours, can one be exposed to such a pack of absurdity, Rules violations, a completely a "nothing" plot, and continual scenes in which "Don't try this home" should be a subtitle. For God sakes, don't try it on the railroad.
One of the wisest decisions Amtrak ever made was to decline providing any production assistance to that piece of tripe.
[This message has been edited by Gilbert B Norman (edited 06-06-2004).]
UncleBuck44 Member # 2049
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Silver Streak=Greatest Train Movie of all time
George Harris Member # 2077
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Can someone think of a train movie made outside the railroad industry that DOES NOT have goofs? Some of the older ones (made 30's to 40's) were reasonably good because at that time "everybody" rode trains and was generally familiar with how railroads worked. The more recent ones are generally horrible in so far as correct treatment of railroad operations are concerned.
6088 Member # 3267
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Well how about one of the greatest railroad movies of all times, "Emperor of the North"! This movie takes place during the depression, so I believe in the 30's. The setting is an old branch line out in the middle of nowhere, you are aboard the freight train as it goes down the tracks, and you periodically hear the sound of crossing protection, not the slow clang of a wigwag (which should not have even been invented yet) but the faster bells of a regular crossing. You don't see any crossing protection, and they had not even been invented yet, but it did work to give the impression of the train moving fast. If any of you have not seen this flick, it is a MUST SEE for train buffs, it starts Lee Marvin and Earnest Borgnine.
Then of course the entire movie "Atomic Train" would qualify on this thread.
MPALMER Member # 125
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Not the movies, but the small screen: in the mid-70s there was a TV show, set in the 1940s, about a Los Angeles based detective.
In one episode he was in Arizona and hopped a freight to head back home. They wisely did not show the engines, but the freight cars (steel covered hoppers) were too modern for the 40s. It was shot in twilight so you could not see reporting marks.
mr williams Member # 1928
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Two nominations: 1. At the end of "Rainman" Dustin Hoffman catches the late lamented Desert Wind from LAUS and boards a train consisting of only single level Viewliner coaches and 2. In an episode of "S/e/x in the City" Carrie and Samantha travel on Amtrak from New York to San Francisco all the way in a Viewliner without having to change at either Chicago or Emeryville. The train also went through Oklahoma (!) and served dinner west of Pittsberg in brilliant sunshine when it would have been the middle of the night.
amtraxmaniac Member # 2251
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Cheaper By The Dozen with Steve Martin: at that moment in the film they were supposed to be living in Chicago area. The youngest kid boards a Superliner train at what appears to be Los Angeles Union Station (how the kid could have boarded any LD train without a boarding pass is beyond me). The goof comes when they show a panoramic view of the train chugging along and it has magicly become a Metra (Chicago Area)commuter train. Hmm? Besides that, its a good movie.
------------------ Patrick
chubbes Member # 3250
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Italian Job is also a goof. It has the autoracks in LA and not to menchin the Pacific Parlour on the rear. (such a disgrace) foamers need to get in the movie business and tell ppl wht they are doing wrong. The only Famous Foamer i can think of is Ozzy Osbournes old guitarist, noted as the greatest, was randy roahds. Maybe there is more.
2HOT4U Member # 2928
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quote:Originally posted by mr williams: Two nominations: 1. At the end of "Rainman" Dustin Hoffman catches the late lamented Desert Wind from LAUS and boards a train consisting of only single level Viewliner coaches and 2. In an episode of "S/e/x in the City" Carrie and Samantha travel on Amtrak from New York to San Francisco all the way in a Viewliner without having to change at either Chicago or Emeryville. The train also went through Oklahoma (!) and served dinner west of Pittsberg in brilliant sunshine when it would have been the middle of the night.
When you say goofs do you mean goofs that only train nuts would notice, a la number 2 on this list, or do you mean anyone would notice, like some of the ones in Silver Streak?
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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Goofs involving different vehicles from scene to scene are not limited to trains. Many years ago I saw a made for TV movie wherein someone flew across the country. They took off in a 747, cruised in a 727, and landed in a DC-10.
And the third season of Twelve O'Clock High had jet sounds for prop fighter planes.
This off-topic point being that film editors usually don't have a clue.
MPALMER Member # 125
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I agree with you Mr. Toy; the film editors often miss these details.
Here's another one: "To Wong Foo, thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" with Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo (sp?) and others. At one point they are driving alongside a train. The passengers are dressed up like business commuters, but the train is the Fremont & Western tourist line in Nebraska (according to the movie credits). Commuters in rural Nebraska?
And one more (not so much a goof as a ridiculous story line). It might have been "Speed" but I don't recall for sure. At one point some cops were trying to catch up to someone, and they were riding on one of the MTA transit lines in Los Angeles. As they were moving along, they suddenly were told that the rail line was still under construction, and they were surprised. Surprised?! *Everyone* (except cave dwellers) knew the lines, or at least the Green Line, was still under construction then, and the line did not open in sections anyway. The lines are not opened until the entire route is finished.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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There is nothing whatever off topic about your posting, Mr. Toy; it is quite simply that most production companies seem to think, in Abe Lincoln's words "you can fool some of the people all of the time....."
I am waiting for the day that somewhere there is to be a movie or TV series let's say, entitled "The Accountants...". I have a feeling that Enron et magna alia would provide much fooder for a flick or TV series. My biggest sport would be to watch and "tear apart" the "goofs" and inaccuracies, such as I do, having spent eleven of my 36 working years in the railroad industry, the tripe in that excuse for a flick called "Silver Streak".
Actually, there is one TV series that I understand gets "high marks" for its portrayal of a profession. That series is "The Sopranos", where I understand many practing psychiatrists have noted its accuracy with respect to approach and technique.
MPALMER Member # 125
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I agree "Silver Streak" is a bunch of nonsense but it does home some limited entertainment value. How about that swiveling signal?
There was another TV movie I once saw, with a runaway passenger train with no brakes (can't remember if the crew was killed or if it was a malfunction). Anyway an engineer in a separate engine goes after the train to try to couple onto the last car and then try to stop it.
>> Off-topic (sort of): As for accountants in movies, check out "Look Who's talking". The main adult characters are accountants (portrayed sarcastically) and in one scene the father is shown reading the Journal of Accountancy and busting up at something funny in the magazine (huh?). There's also a "different" take on bathroom, uh, humor.
>>back on topic.
MP
rresor Member # 128
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One goof, and one nomination for awful train movie. The goof was an interesting one. In the original "Rocky", shot in Philadelphia in the 1970s, Rocky is shown running through the streets, training for the fight. In the background, a steam switcher can be clearly heard working (in the 70s?).
In "Disaster on the Shore Line Express", a madman has hacked into the control center computer and sent two passenger trains hurtling toward each other on the same track (for some reason, the field relay logic allows this). The only way to save the president of the US (who is on one train) is for trackworkers to do a "cut and throw" to get the presidential train onto the other track. There's a hysterical scene where the trackworkers hold the not-yet-spiked rail in place with their claw bars while the train roars through at full speed (for some reason, the engineer doesn't reduce speed).
The action supposedly occurs between LAX and San Diego, but the film was shot in Connecticut!
UncleBuck44 Member # 2049
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quote:Originally posted by MPALMER: How about that swiveling signal?
To most people thats not a goof
espeefoamer Member # 2815
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I saw a movie,produced by Southern Pacific(!).It shows a trip taken by two children (traveling alone!).The kids buy their tickets in LA then the next scene shows them boarding in Glendale.They are getting on the Daylight, but the interior shot shows them in a Pullman car.They are also seen eating in a diner but I noticed no mistakes in this scene.
------------------ Trust Jesus,Ride Amtrak.
espeefoamer Member # 2815
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In Pee Wee's Big Adventure,Pee Wee Herman wants to go east. He sees an SP freight at Cabazon,near the dinosaurs,runs along side,then hops on as the train passes the steel mill in Fontana.
------------------ Trust Jesus,Ride Amtrak.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Just saw a train movie goof in the 1998 remake of Dial M for Murder, called The Perfect Murder, with Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow. In one scene, a character gets on a train at Penn Station in NYC to escape to Montreal--only it's late in the day, and he gets on a sleeping car.
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