I'm not sure how I ever missed this one, the MGM 1954 movie "Rails into Laramie", but I did grab the last 30 minutes or so off the TCM channel, and that's actually one of the more interesting B movies for anybody in rail preservation.

You've got two ex-V&T 4-4-0's (Inyo and Dayton) just running at speed like there's no tomorrow - don't know where they filmed it though, and add the narrow gauge 2-6-0 (Nevada County Narrow Gauge #5) probably on the MGM back lot for kicks, and unless you're a railroad guy that goes....wait, I lost a driver and gained a lead truck axle but the locomotive number is the same.... all is fine. I expected Sierra 3, not a pair of V&T's, so yeah.

There's some pretty good filming and stunt action too. OK, maybe it's cheesy one but wow, this is when you ran steam for movies, darn it, so open it up.

The standard gauge segments were supposedly filmed on Southern Pacific's branch between Mojave and Lone Pine, CA. The same section of track used for the passenger train segments of "Bad Day at Black Rock".

Thanks. Reminded me of the ATSF branch down to Blythe. wide-open desert.

I did have to chuckle though, on the premise that there would be a head-on collision on a line where visibility looks to be about two miles down the track..... and the reaction of the 'passenger train engineer' to blow the whistle rather than even closing the throttle....

You do have to admire the stuntmen in that era, before CG you actually had to get from the horse onto the train at speed, and also do the drop from the freight car roof onto....something (net on the side of the car?)