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  • Railroads on Television

  • 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

 #37706  by David Benton
 
Ive seen the Ecuadorean episode of Great railway journeys here on bbc world . Most of it was on the railcar ( bus on rail wheels ) from the coast up into the mountains . ( a journey i have done myself ) . breathtaking scenery , and all the tourists sitting on the roof of the bus . The Quito to Guayaquil section is done mostly by bus , unfortunately the rail line was damaged and unusable . They do show the devils switchback section though .
Other interesting epsiodes were Cuba , and a West African train , from Dakar to Mali .

 #60464  by shortlinerailroader
 
I just remembered this: In the early 90s there was a show on Showtime Network called the Super Dave Osbourne Show. At least two episodes featured trains.

One has Dave imitating Mr. Rogers in a fullsize set of a house. When Dave is "teaching the children to wish", an actual train smashes right through the set and keeps going. The engine is a Canadian National 44-tonner with a boxcar, flatcar and caboose.

The other has Dave in his "Geiger Car" detecting what seems to be "two long occurrances of an iron alloy". Just as Mr. Hakayito announces, "Oh! Those are railroad tracks!", a GP10 and some cars pulvarize the Chevy Citation with discs sticking out from it. I have these on tape.

 #68142  by Alloy
 
Hi Urban--
I'm not sure if Monk is actually shot in the Bay area, (as Nash Bridges was. But if it is, the F7 might have been the Wine Train, which is a dinner train that runs in Napa county, in the wine country north of San Francisco.
 #68218  by Gilbert B Norman
 
This was a 1957 vintage TV show comprising 90 minutes of "live" TV on an NBC production of "Wide Wide World".

Lest we note, TV was a bit more primitive back then, scenes were invariably shot in a studio located either in NY or LA. Remote TV in those days usually comprised a Coach the size of an intercity bus and a semi-trailer for the support equipment. I recall once seeing the "gear' at a college football game (NFL? wazzat); the Ford F-150 van of today with its satellite transmission tower was a "bit in the future".

I'd "die for" a DVD of that one; however, I don't think video tape was even heard of back then.

I saw it (I was 15); maybe some other "elder heads" around here remember it as well.
 #68356  by Porter Sq
 
For the older people here Saint Elsewhere had the opening with the old Orange Line EL.If i remember correctly I have a tape of the Boston Garden the Banner Years and it it is shot from the front of a trolley coming up the incline and rounding the cruve into North Station
 #68660  by Raakone
 
Shortline, there was a third instance of a rail-related disaster in the Super Dave Osborne show. There was this strange "noise generator" that was set up to calm people down when they heard certain noises...for example, it would play the theme to "Car 54, Where Are You?" when there were police sirens. The last example was the sound of a train (I forgot what music it played then)...and then a train came crashing through, once again Dave being in the way.

~Ra'akone

 #68945  by Urban D Kaye
 
Alloy wrote:Hi Urban--
I'm not sure if Monk is actually shot in the Bay area, (as Nash Bridges was. But if it is, the F7 might have been the Wine Train, which is a dinner train that runs in Napa county, in the wine country north of San Francisco.
Alloy-
Do they have EMD's on the Wine Train? Thought they were all-Alco.
-Urban
 #75735  by Aa3rt
 
For more information on the Hooterville Cannonball from the "Petticoat Junction" series, here's an informative link (with another of sub-links) taht should refresh anyone's memory:

http://petticoat.topcities.com/hootervi ... onball.htm

 #83400  by Metalrailz
 
Aa3rt stated,
In recent years, I enjoyed watching "Shining Time Station" on PBS for the Thomas the Tank Engine videos.


Art, did you like Ringo Starr or George Carlin as Mr. Conductor?
I myself enjoyed George Carlin, he put more feeling behind the character. Ringo was good for the role on behalf of his British Hertitage, it was the perfect match, but he lacked any true enthuiasm in my opinion.
 #83734  by jmp883
 
I would love to see more shows on TV, about both modeling and the prototype. Profiles of prototype railroads, model companies, layouts, etc. You could probably have enough variation in programming to support a full day of programming, maybe even be able to launch a devoted channel to it on cable. Think about it, it's not that far-fetched of an idea especially when you stop to consider we already have 2, NOT 1, BUT 2 cartoon networks! Is that really necessary?

Let's hope that maybe one of the members of this forum has a whole lotta money just sitting in a bank somewhere, and that he also has broadcast experience, and thinks that this is a good idea..........

PS-I actually love cartoons.......Wile E. Coyote, The Roadrunner, and The Flintstones rule!!!! :-D
 #83743  by jmp883
 
While reading through the various postings on this thread Hoboken Terminal was mentioned several times. I have another one to add to Hoboken's list. It isn't a tv/cable/movie theme but rather the artwork on a CD/DVD.

In the late 90's the rock group Styx reunited the 70's line-up of the band and toured. They put out a live CD and DVD of the tour and the cover artwork clearly shows the building to be Hoboken Station. I was a train dispatcher trainee there for almost a year and when I saw the CD artwork I got out some of my pictures of the station. What clinched it as being Hoboken was that the placement of window air conditioners on the CD artwork exactly matched the photos I have of the station. Kind of ironic that a band from Chicago, the center of the US rail network, would use a train station in NJ for an album cover!

 #85306  by Aa3rt
 
Art, did you like Ringo Starr or George Carlin as Mr. Conductor?
As a "child of the sixties" I used to love those rare occasions when I was able to stay up late and watch the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, it was even better if I managed to catch a George Carlin appearance. I managed to see him on Leno a couple of weeks ago-we've both aged but I still find his humor refreshing.
I myself enjoyed George Carlin, he put more feeling behind the character. Ringo was good for the role on behalf of his British Hertitage, it was the perfect match, but he lacked any true enthuiasm in my opinion.


I concur with both points.

 #85911  by james1787
 
I remember watching Letterman when it was on NBC. They decided one show to smash things with a train. The two things I remember them smashing was several fish tanks filled with guacamole and then there was another part where Larry "Bud" Melman had to use an outhouse. The outhouse was located on the tracks. A moment later, the train hits and pulverizes the outhouse. I have no idea what line was used or what type of loco (it was a long time ago), but it sure was funny!

 #86017  by chessie4155
 
Anyone remember the series of shows on the History Channel called Trains Unlimited? Hows about Tracks Ahead on PBS?
Mark

 #86111  by The S.P. Caboose
 
chessie4155 wrote:Anyone remember the series of shows on the History Channel called Trains Unlimited? Hows about Tracks Ahead on PBS?
Mark
Yes I say them when they aired. I tought Tracks Ahead will be airing new shows, but I'm not sure when. I just these shows would be aired again.
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