Another thing the crash into the station in silver streak was inspired by the federal express runaway when a Pennsylvania railroad passenger train ranaway and crashed into the union station few days before the U.S President Eisenhower was elected.
Not to be super technical, but it's just 'Silver Streak'. I make the distinction, as there was a movie in 1934 or 1935 called 'The Silver Streak', which starred the Burlington Route's Pioneer Zephyr. For me this is notable, as when I interviewed for a position at the Wisconsin Auto Museum to be the caretaker of the 1949 Showroom Layout replica, our curator had a sort of "Secret test question" for me, asking me if I was familiar with the movie 'The Silver Streak', and I asked if she was referring to the one with the Pioneer Zephyr from the 1930s. She was, and told me that was a test, to see if I paid attention to small details.
Emperor of the North has some of the most realistic train operations ever depicted in a feature film. Eric, if you haven't seen it, you really ought to check it out!
I absolutely agree. I know it’s not a super well known movie but it is the most train focused movie of all time and the plot isn’t the typical and overplayed murder one a train theme
Good list, but you are missing some of the best train movies of all time. Buster Keaton's "The General" of 1926 is in every sense, the ultimate train movie with more action and adventure than you could think of, all filmed in real time with no special effects. Simply amazing. Another is 1973's "Emperor of the North Pole" starring Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. Again, no stop action on, in and under real trains without special effects.
Yeah, Keaton's "The General" is tops for on-train in-the-loco coverage. While at it, we might as well mention the Canandian film "The Railrodder", which stars Keaton near the end of his life, still able to perform his own stunts ,or most of them. (It can be see here on YT.) Also, "Bridge on the River Kwai" is worthy of at least an honorable mention. Truly great film, whose main plot-device is the building of a railway bridge by WWII prisoners.
Just watched The General for the first time this year - incredible. It feels like a proto-Fury Road with a train pursuit there and back again for most of the film's narrative.
Keaton acually learned to drive the locomotive and drove it throughout the movie. If any of you watch it on You Tube, play it at .75 speed, it looks more natural that way.
One of my favorites is “The Titfield Thunderbolt.” It’s an old British movie about a group of townspeople who run a branch line by themselves after the railway abandons it. It’s a very heartwarming and funny movie. Another favorite of mine is “Galaxy Express 999,” an old Japanese animated film about a steam train that travels through space, and a young boy who travels on it to avenge the death of his mother. It’s a very solemn and thought provoking film, but I still really like it, and the novel concept of a steam train traveling through space is a cool enough concept to get me hooked.
shout out to "emperor of the north pole" when I was in training at mac yard with CN in 2013, I asked my rules instructor Tony Vacosa about his recommended "train movies" and it was right there at the top of the list. Surprised at it's omission from this list but happy to learn about all the other movies that Tony didn't know about. We used to play a game with unstoppable during that training where you had to take a drink everytime there was a rules violation. It's impossible to win.
Emperor Of The North remains to be my top movie for not just the train action, or that the locomotives used in the film are still around to this day; notably #19 which is nearing restoration at the Age Of Steam Roundhouse, but more so how it truly captures the height of the Great Depression and what life was like for the hobos.
Two best Train movies ever about "TRAINS". Emperor of the North (1974) with Lee Marvin, Keith Carradine and Ernest Borgnine and The Train (1964 B & W ) with Burt Lancaster as the hero train engineer Labiche in WW II. Great talented actors in movies where the TRAIN is the star.
There was a made for TV movie in 1973 called “Runaway!”. It was about a group of skiers trapped in a runaway train coming down the mountain. Another holiday movie had a great train scene. It’s called “White Christmas” starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera Ellen. They were doing an overnight trip on a train from New York, heading up north to a town called Pinetree, Vermont to do a show at the ski lodge. They had a nice musical scene singing the song “Snow”. Ironically at the end of that scene, they show a Santa Fe F3 in the Warbonnet paint scheme riding along the Pacific Coast Highway with Pacific Ocean and palm trees in the background. In the movie, they were on the east coast heading up to Vermont from New York, and should have riding either the New York Central or New Haven trains. LOL
I was also surprised to see that "Emperor of the North" was not included. One of the best train movies ever with Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Keith Carradine. Steam trains in the Pacific Northwest. Watch it! You will really like it.
How could anyone not include one of the very best, if not THE best train movies... Emperor of the North, with Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin... great period train action from start to finish...
My favorite train movie is "End of The Line" a 1987 movie about a closure of a railroad couple of employees steal a train to take to the company hq to confront the company CEO.
Emperor of the North Pole. Once Upon a Time in the West. These are two great movies I think you missed. Love your channel and have a great holidays Merry Christmas
I was expecting to see Steven Seagull's "Under Siege 2." I grew up with the movie, and that was one of the movies that ignited my love for railroading. It also has one of the greatest train crash scenes, in my opinion, ever.
Its one of those movies where the plot and acting is... well subpar, but the rest of it is so excellent, you just can´t ignore it. Its really very spectacular. I did see it in cinema the first time around, and it was excellent. Better than bridges over Madison county that was my other option. Anyway, one of the things that make souch a good train movie is that everywhere in the train you can look out of the window. This is really uncommon. Because most train movies film the interior on a set.. and so does under sige 2. But they used some clever computer magic to make it look like they didnt. And for the external sceans they of cause used a real train, but the train it self was pretty much more of a mobile studio than a train
I am surprised that North By Northwest with Cary Grant and directed by Alfred Hitchcock did not gain Mention, wonderful footage of the 20th. century limited.
Absolutely true - there are scenes of the now demolished La Salle Street Staition where the Super Chief and NYC 20th Century departed. Great shots of the interior of the Pullmans and dining car.
Great list and know most of them. I will look up the ones I haven’t seen. I would add; North West Frontier, The Railway Children, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Ladykillers and Nightmail. Thanks Eric
Although a short film, I suggest you see Buster Keaton's "The Railrodder" if you haven't. It has some really cool scenery of Canada (including some cool CN and CP stuff) from the 60s.
1986's "Tough Guys" with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas is my all time favorite "train movie". Great scenes with SP 4449 and Hollywood legends. Another movie that isn't on this list that is just a good popcorn flick is 2022's "Bullet Train".
My absolutely favourite train movie is The General with Buster Keaton. I love the classic American 4-4-0s and the exiting railroad stunts make this movie the number one on my list
Yes, Emperor of the North is a must see! Seriously, watch this movie!! It will instantly shoot up your list.. Other wise I like a lot of what you have here, I can't get on board with Snowpiercer... No pun intended!! LOL!!
One of the obvious oversights. 007 makes his escape on a train. From Turkey almost all the way to Italy, dodging enemy agents and a psychopathic killer, who would again portray a psychopathic killer on a train in 1973's PELHAM 123.
Honorable Mention #1: "Twentieth Century" (1934), another "boring, black & white movie" that's way better than most Gen-Zers will want to admit. Think of it as "Love Boat" on rails, only much, much better. Honorable Mention #2: "North By Northwest" (1959), another Alfred Hitchcock rail-trip classic aboard the 20th Century Limited in full-livery glory from Grand Central to La Salle Street (albeit only 10 minutes' screen time) .
There are a few classics that were not mentioned, but trains have a major presence: "Emperor of the North" "Danger Lights" "Hurricane Express" "The Greatest Show on Earth" "Chartreuse Caboose" "End of the Line "
And Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor were PERFECT in the movie, when Richard Pryor appears halfway through the movie, overall, Silver Streak is a REALLY FUNNY MOVIE!!!!!!
"Terror on a Train", aka Time Bomb; a British production from 1953 starring Glenn Ford involving a trainload of sea mines. "Breakheart Pass" starring Charles Bronson, filmed on the Cumbres and Toltec "Under Siege 2" starring Eric Bogosian and Steven Seagal, with a young Katherine Heigl.
I was all ready to complain you hadn't included my favourite train movie but fortunately I waited until the the. Silver Streak is one of those movies I can watch over and over and still enjoy it. That spectacular ending is one of a kind!
"Amroad" , a parody of Amtrak, is actually a Canadian Pacific train. The ending crash (supposedly in Chicago) is a pretty convincing scene of a crash in Toronto Union Station.
More!" Emperor of the North Breakheart Pass The Grey Fox And "Throw Momma from the Train" which is a very funny tribute to "Strangers on the Train" Also with worthwhile Train Scenes: North by Northwest Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid Dr Zhivago Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Double Indemnity
You did well. I was surprised. A few honorable mentions. Dr. Zhivago - the train sequence when they were leaving Moscow for the Urals was great. Although not a movie, the series Babylon Berlin, made in Germany with a train that contained gold. Worth a look. Also, another Agatha Christie, Miss Marple and the 450 from Paddington. Glad you included The Taking of Pelham 123. Great film.
Polar Express came out the year I was born. My parents had it on DVD, and we've watched it almost every Christmas since. Some people say the animation is creepy, but I always found it endearing in its own way. Regardless, it is definitely responsible for my love of railroading. It captures that magical feeling so well.
Watch “Emperor of the North” with Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Keith Carradine. It’s a film about a veteran hobo and a rookie who take on a cruel conductor famous for viciously kicking hobos off his trains.
Not surprised by #1, my fave too! Another fave, Trading Places, did pleasantly surprise me, as I didn't think of it as a train movie, but, of course, it deservedly is! Fun video, thanks!
I agree with others. Very disappointed you didn’t mention Emporer of the North. The whole movie is basically one big train scene and the actors Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin play so well together. I agree with all your other choices but I believe Emperor of the North should be in the top 5 at least.
After reading through the comments I found so many great train movies I need to watch for the first time, Thanks for your list. *The Greatest Show on Earth* with Barnum and Baileys Circus train action comes to mind that could be on the list.
Dear Eric You forgot a couple more movies that had trains in it like for instance The 1964 movie A Hard Day's Night had a scene at the beginning when The Beatles got on to a train, Speed, Step By Me also had a train in it
That's quite a list! There are many western shows/movies featuring trains, ie: Gunsmoke, Tales of Wells Fargo, Cheyenne and more. Great list you put together.
You left out my #1 and #2.... #2 Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine..... Emperor of The North. #1 Buster Keaton..... The General. With my honorable mention: Buster Keaton 1966 The Railrodder.
I enjoyed this video. I'm a retired Canadian Pacific Conductor. I started in 1973. Silver Streak was filmed mostly in Alberta with the station scenes filmed in Toronto Union Station. The crash at the end of the film depicts Toronto Union Station. Some of the scenes in one of the 1970s Superman movie were filmed on the same seldom used branchline south of Calgary, that Silver Streak was filmed on. I mentioned my career, because those "Amroad" painted CP units showed up at the shop in Toronto one day I was there. Of course I didn't have a camera with me. One thing some folks don't notice in Silver Streak , a fake control stand was created in the unit so they could film an actor "running" the engine on the left side of the cab, while the real Engineer was in his proper location at the real control stand.
The Cassandra Crossing, thought that might have made the list. Also the biggest name in directors; Cecil B DeMille Union Pacific is a crime it didn't make the list.
Very enjoyable video! I just want to add Edison's silent classic "The Great Train Robbery" that started it all. It was shot 3 blocks from where I grew up, Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange, NJ. We use to play cowboys and indians on the locations and some of the nearby stations of the DL&W were used also in the film. Gotta run, I want to play with my Lionel post war layout!
It's very hard to believe that you missed the movie ( Emperor of the North). That movie could easily be on your top 3 list. It's all trains though the whole movie. The movie Unstoppable is 2 hours of my life I will never get back.
"The Train" starring Burt Lancaster was more about the French Underground's struggle against the Nazi Occupation in WWII. Filmed in France, it concentrated all the attention on rail yard and engine shop activities with the constant threat of Death ever present. It is the most authentic film based on a true story from your list and my #1 choice. Highly recommended!!
Eric, I can't disagree with your #1 as that as also my #1 as well. I really like this content as not everything has to directly be about model railroading. Well done and I hope to see alternative content like this in the future.
What an incredible list of films Eric, a lot of these films I've never even heard of. I would include John Ford's "Iron Horse" as well as "Union Pacific" both capture the story of the Transcontinental Railroad very well within their own plots. Thomas and the Magic Railroad as well, Despite it being a film that primarily focused on kid audiences, I believe it is another film to thank for the interest in model railroading today.
I first saw runaway train when i was about 19, I was out on a saturday night, in one of the worst pubs ever (a friend wanted to go in) so i was just ignoring the drunkards and watching the little tv behind the bar, which just so happened to have it playing, adverts included haha.
I live in the very area Western New York State where various scenes of both The Unstoppable and the Planes, Trains, And Automobiles movies were filmed !
You got down to number one and I thought this had better be Silver Streak. There is no way it couldn’t make the list. When I heard the year and comedy duo I knew.
I'm shocked that you didn't include the original film of "The General" starring and directed by Buster Keaton which was almost 100% real train action. Keaton loved railways and his dedication to getting the train scenes correct was masterful. I also love "The Titfield Thnderbolt" which is a gentle and delightful British film based on a branch line threatened with closure and saved by the local villagers.
My favorite train films: 1. The Polar Express 2. Back to The Future Part III 3. The Great Locomotive Chase 4. The General (1926): Buster Keaton's silent film that is a comedic take on The Great Locomotive Chase 5. Thomas and The Magic Railroad (Because of the effect it had on me personally. Say what you will about the film, but without it or Thomas the Tank Engine in general, I don't think I'd be involved with trains or the model railroading hobby)
The General (1926/Silent) tells the story of Union spies capturing a Confederate train called The General. Non-stop action film. Keaton did all of his own stunts, instructing the film crew to only stop filming if they ran out of film or he died; The Rainmakers (1935) aka "Silver Streak." Comedy. Ends with a long train chase sequence; Horror Express (1972); Runaway (1973/TVM), The Cassandra Crossing (1976). The last 3 films 90 to 95% of their running time takes place on a train.
A couple of UK films you didn't get to are the Ealing Comedy which is almost as old as me - 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' (1952) and then there's a beautiful film which can appeal to all ages, Lionel Jeffries' masterpiece, 'The Railway Children' (1970). This has Jenny Agutter in her first starring role and I've been in love with her ever since :) She's been playing a nun on TV for several years in 'Call The Midwife' and even that hasn't dampened my ardour - lol.
Quite.Jenny Agutter could have her way with me if she played her cards right. Appeals to men of a certain age She stars in the recent follow on. Still filmed on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
Silver Streak never gets old, nonstop fun & laughs, and the original Taking of Pelham One Two Three is AWESOME as well. One of my favorites. Some of the running gags in that juxtaposed to the serious mood are great (even if some'd find them - minus the Mr Brown sneezing / Garber responding with Gesundheit gag - being seen as offensive.)
I haven't seen a lot of those movies, but I've seen dozens you didn't mention. Silver Streak was (still is) my favourite train movie as well. Well done! You didn't show any teasers, so don't worry.
Great video. FUN! Thanks Eric. FYI - I'm surprised that you did not include "La Bête Humaine" -- which I think has awesome classic footage of French steam, cab and trackside.
Several people beat me to it, how "Emperor of the North" and the silent classic "The General" are missing, but I would have been very upset had "Von Ryan's Express" not been placed as least as highly as you did here. About "Polar Express," my sentiments exactly! So many scenes are reminiscent of playing with trains when I was a kid. . . lights out, laying on the floor, imagining that I am riding on the roof. . . I have a theory about the model train on the floor during the closing scenes on Christmas morning. . . I suspect that it's really the kid's father's train from a much earlier Christmas. The film's setting is postwar (the kid has a WWII P-38 model fighter plane in his bedroom), but the model train at the end more resembles Lionel's prewar styles, such as the sheet metal locomotive with stamped rivets.
