One of the best known "Traveling Historic Artifacts" was actually a movie prop.

Until her recent sinking during Hurricane Sandy, the replica tall ship HMS Bounty traveled the world. The crew typically told anyone who'd listen that it was actually a prop from the movie, and in fact 1/3 larger than the real ship, to allow space for camera crews. Many folks didn't listen though, and thought she was the real thing.

many track scenes are computer generated.

As is often the case in film, it looks like a variety of tricks were used. These included green screen/blue screen effects, computer generated images or computer images combined with live images, the prop trains which, in certain places in the clips below, seem to have been pushed at speed by diesel switchers that are edited out with camera angles and cuts, and who knows what other tricks, including the possibility of miniatures (a classic method going back to the earliest days of film work). It also appears Depp, Hammer, and others did a fair amount of stunt work on the prop trains at speed, with the help of wire harnesses for safety and other reasons (the wires being removed in post-production).

Interesting to note the whistle is being blown in a scene with a prop train in this clip, at about 8:00.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmBscf5cQZI

The diesel is seen very briefly and at a distance at 0:30 below; unless you're looking for it, the low hood and end cab could be taken for a caboose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXjO9URNDgk

I understand the sequences of the train running in the mountains may have been done with trucks on a mountain road (i.e., similar in concept to the train in the street of "Inception"), with tracks and additional cars added by computer.

Cra-zee couplers, and cra-a-zee main rod:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3VXGdrLp0w

Just trying to find things:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/170999 ... ence.jhtml

http://arcadiasbest.com/2012/09/depps-r ... des-again/

This shot is interesting; looks like the trucks under the passenger cars might be freight trucks with some sort of fake sideframe added to look like a passenger truck from the 19th century. Hmmm, could be a possible way to get "right looking" trucks under the tenders of 630 and 4501. . . :-)

http://whatthebeck.zenfolio.com/p579918 ... 8#h861b2a8

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... ember.html

http://www.thegallopout.com/apps/photos ... =167447354

http://www.flickr.com/photos/harryandro ... otostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/harryandro ... otostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/harryandro ... otostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/harryandro ... otostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/harryandro ... otostream/

Looking at this particular set of photos, I can't help but think of the efforts of model railroad enthusiasts--in this case, working in large scale!

http://www.digititles.com/movies/the-lo ... in-station

http://www.digititles.com/movies/the-lo ... it-further

http://www.digititles.com/movies/the-lo ... -picture-3

From the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum, an aerial view of a railroad loop about five miles around. . .and I tell you, this again looks like something a model railroader would have built--in the 1950s!!

https://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&c ... 15&vpsrc=6


http://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php?1,243978

Cra-zee coupler:

http://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php ... msg-244249

http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/jul/ ... -engineer/

Man, I wish someone would think I had some decent scripts and give me some money to make a film or two or a television series that would be at least as good for a fraction of the money. . .

Have fun.

^Thanks for all of that!

There will not be a sequel for this.

They are very well made, I saw a clip on YOUTUBE where it showed that many things are historically accurate such as the wheels and bearings, not to mention looks. The boiler is just a round metal tube I think. But it looks like some kind of steam was avalible in that they were able to blow the whistle on at least one of the locomotives.

They are currently filming "Transformers 4" in the Detroit area. A large, mostly empty lot and some streets next to Grand Circus Park has been made over to look like Hong Kong (a damaged area of Hong Kong actually) . A couple of weeks ago, they brought in a real Chicago 2200 Series El car (as identified by someone on a forum about Detroit). This was a little confusing because I don't think anything that heavy operates in Hong Kong, right? I thought they might put it on the People Mover guideway. They didn't. They painted the doors red and gave it a red stripe and tipped it on its side. Also on Monday (July 29th) a replica of a Hong Kong double-decker tram appeared on the set. The car was given the number 58, by the way. I wouldn't be surprised if this car gets smashed at some point.

They have also wrapped one the two-car People Mover trains with advertising similar to the look and style of advertising seen on double-decker trams in Hong Kong.

They will start using the set starting tomorrow (July 31th) and they will be filming there until about the end of next week. It will be interesting in part because the office were I work in the morning over looks the set. My building is also part of the set and has one entrance, so I don't know if I should feel lucky or not.

Tim Davis
Detroit, MI

They were shooting parts of "Transformers 4" down in Elgin, Texas near and inside a grain elevator, right next to the diamond of the former Katy ( Now Union Pacific) and Texas and New Orleans ( Owned by Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and operated by WATCO) .

FWIW I liked seeing the Back to the Future 3 prop loco at Universal Studios enough to have the family take a picture in front of it.

Diff'rent strokes.