Likr Mt arnstg, I'm writing this just after I got home from seeing the movie.
My 15 year old son asked me to take him and thanked me for taking him :D
The locomotive was, indeed, a Baldwin 2-8-4. There's just something about a Baldwin steam dome
My best guess, based on the 4 wheel trucks with brass bearings in the journals, is the prototype for these cars were taken from one of the commuter coaches on the eastern seaboard... considering the circular doors, perhaps the Erie??? That would also explain the lack of diaphragms between vestibules. IIRC (Railroad Model Craftsman plans from 1969 or so) Erie Stillwell coaches lacked diaphragms.
The observation lounge car was a trip... The interior reminded me of pictures from the Century or one of the early City obs (Sun Valley perhaps?). The exterior, as well as looking at the observation rounding from the interior, reminded me of the George M Pullman experimental lightweight of 1933.
Of course, a semicircular platform on the obs can only come from fiction or Lionel (close enough
).
Slack action was appropriate for the heavyweight cars, if a tad overdone.
When Tom Hanks put out the step box in the denouement, it was pure Pullman ("Decorate the platform, porters!")
As far as the theme of the movie went, I'm a Christian. It is sad to see the secularization of the holiday that brought God to earth, to live and die for us and our sin.
Will I see it again? Yes.
John Perkowski
arnstg wrote:Took the Daughter-in-law and 8 year old Grandson to see the movie today.
The Daughter -in-Law and I agree that it took about 20-25 minutes for us to really get into the movie. After you take the movie for what it is,we agreed that it was enjoyable.I"m a sentimental fool and a little tear came down when the boy finds a silver bell under the tree.
In the end, there was only one vote that counted. My Grandson gave it
4 out of 5 stars.
Could find from RR standpoint 3 things that caught my eye.
1. Train usually had 5 cars. However, I think I caught once with only 4 cars. Also, caught it going up the mountain with 10+ cars.
2. No diaphragms between cars.
3. The worst was the children chasing the moving train to get on. The Daughter-in-Law and I both immediately turned to my Grandson and told him to NEVER try this.
On the whole , I recommend this movie.