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  • Amazing Movie/TV Train Wrecks

  • Discussion related to railroads/trains that show up in TV shows, commercials, movies, literature (books, poems and more), songs, the Internet, and more... Also includes discussion of well-known figures in the railroad industry or the rail enthusiast hobby.
Discussion related to railroads/trains that show up in TV shows, commercials, movies, literature (books, poems and more), songs, the Internet, and more... Also includes discussion of well-known figures in the railroad industry or the rail enthusiast hobby.

Moderator: Aa3rt

 #926450  by ChuggaChugga007
 
What are some of the best train wrecks, derailments, explosions, over the cliff, off the bridge, train going into the river you can think of?

Some of my favorite are...

1. The Fugitive - collision and then derailed.
2. The Train - a few awesome train sequences where there are bombs being dropped, a really close up train derailment and a few other great moments.
3. Back to the Future 3 - Who doesn't love a time traveling train?
 #926910  by Tom6921
 
Here are some more.

1. Silver Streak - train crash through Union station

2. Money Train - Awesome crash sequence.

3. Underseige 2 - Head on collision on a bridge.

4. Unstoppable - Whenever 777 hit something
 #960164  by 2nd trick op
 
and some more, from an earlier time:

Ring of Fire .... a logging locomotive falls off a burning trestle -- reportedly still there today, but the cables to the bulldozers that actually disd the work are visible if you know where to look

The Greatest Show on Earth .... done with stage sets and models, but set at the height of the Steam Age, and suprisingly realistic

Duel in the Sun .... not all that spectacular - a "straight shot" of a wreck caused by removing a rail, but the film is a noir classic

Bhowani Junction .... A similar wreck, but withn a lot more railroading in the plot, and some suprisingly modern Indian steam power
 #960500  by litz
 
A better question is ... of the above list (and others) ... which were filmed using real equipment, and which were effects trickery?
 #985169  by jwhite07
 
The wreck scene in "The Fugitive" was real... involved were former CSX U18B 1901 (I'm still kinda mad at them for denting up a U18B!) and ex-NS GP30 536.

There is a scene in the movie "Asteroid" of a DART light rail train being struck and destroyed by one of the fragments of a meteor that wipes out the city of Dallas. Obviously special effects.
 #985464  by litz
 
Except for the train going up on 1 set of wheels on the curve (obvious SFX), Unstoppable was filmed with real equipment.
 #1050745  by jscola30
 
I'm surprised no one mentioned Tough Guys, which features SP 4449 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5n2n2E3orU (this is a cut up version), you the two "4449 is getting kidnapped" are the full version. A few things

a.) the wreck used a live steam model built by Jack Sessums; you can tell it's a model by the very small stream of smoke coming out of the stack at the end. The final aftermath I read somewhere is plywood mock up. I also read somewhere the model actually crashed in to graham cracker crumbs.
b.) yes that is Doyle McCormack being held up
c.) yes that is also a young Dana Carvey in a somewhat serious role

I also ran across this piece of garbage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvaeH1F1kiE

I'll give you the short version of the story: basically this train gets possessed because the girl on the train is needed in a satanic sacrafice or something like that...so the train intentially DERAILS ITSELF SEVERAL TIMES and lives through various attempts to stop it; including a head on collison. The full movie, I saw the train sequence on Netflix; the movie is VERY GORY, this YT version leaves that out, and frankly it's not work keeping in. Obviously (maybe too obvious) models were used, but it looks like a real train was used during the normal sequences; steam locomotive looks kinda cool too.
 #1051657  by litz
 
litz wrote:Except for the train going up on 1 set of wheels on the curve (obvious SFX), Unstoppable was filmed with real equipment.
This, btw, includes the locomotive wreck early on in the film (first attempt to stop the runaway) ... they used retired frames, built car bodies and cabs to match the "star" locomotives, and did an actual flip-on-the-side crash and burn sequence in real-time.
 #1056477  by Desertdweller
 
When "The Fugitive" movie was released, I was working on a short line in Texas. Of course, everyone had to go see it.

After we had all seen it (with our wives), several of my fellow train crew members mentioned that their wives had nightmares about train wrecks.

Les
 #1057957  by MEC407
 
Another vote for Unstoppable... and I would also add Atomic Train to the list, even though it's an otherwise not-very-good movie.

Atomic Train trailer -- lots of cool M420W footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBm6ZdBkHGc
 #1058002  by cjvrr
 
"Danger Lights" Its an old one and on YouTube also. Filmed on the Milwaukee Road. Even has a tug of war between steam locomotives. Worth a look
 #1250125  by krobar
 
I can't believe that no one has mentioned Denver and Rio Grande (1952). Loosely based on the battle beween the D&RG and a rival line (a Santa Fe subsidiary) building in the Royal Gorge. Famous for the head on collision between 2 C16 2-8-0s and the cars that they were pulling. They are the real thing not some models, much to the dismay of narrow gauge fans.