Can anyone provide information or point me to a good web site on the movie, “Breakheart Pass”? A search on Google brings up 4,180 hits, and most, I find, are just the routine movie web sites and those of dealers offering the video and DVD. The most I can find on filming location is “Lewiston, Idaho”, and I can’t find any tourist/historical railroad in Idaho with equipment fitting that seen in the movie.

Specifically, IÂ’d like very much to know on which railroad it was filmed, with the beautiful wood-burning locomotive #9, and then,
.....were the magnificent interior coach scenes done with actual railcars or just movie sets?
.....are there several of those very high, wooden trestles on the line, or was a single one simply used several times (sometimes with snow, sometimes without)?

This film must be a prime candidate for a list of great railroad movies, and IÂ’d like to know more about it.

Many thanks, in advance, for your help!

Dick

There was an entire multi-page article about the movie in Classic Trains mag a couple of years ago. All the information you need to know and more!

sfreer@tvrail.com

> Can anyone provide information or point me
> to a good web site on the movie, “Breakheart
> Pass”? A search on Google brings up 4,180
> hits, and most, I find, are just the routine
> movie web sites and those of dealers
> offering the video and DVD. The most I can
> find on filming location is “Lewiston,
> Idaho”, and I can’t find any
> tourist/historical railroad in Idaho with
> equipment fitting that seen in the movie.

> Specifically, IÂ’d like very much to know on
> which railroad it was filmed, with the
> beautiful wood-burning locomotive #9, and
> then,
> .....were the magnificent interior coach
> scenes done with actual railcars or just
> movie sets?
> .....are there several of those very high,
> wooden trestles on the line, or was a single
> one simply used several times (sometimes
> with snow, sometimes without)?

> This film must be a prime candidate for a
> list of great railroad movies, and IÂ’d like
> to know more about it.

> Many thanks, in advance, for your help!

> Dick

The star of "Breakheart Pass" was Everett Rohrer's No. 75 and his GW 75 Company rolling stock (now in residence at the Heber Valley Railroad).

The following is quoted from Larry Jensen's "The Movie Railroads" (1981, Darwin Publications, Burbank, CA)

“The most extensive movie use of No. 75, to date, was in United Artists’ "Breakheart Pass", which starred Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland. The story was set in the Wasatch Mountains during the winter of 1886 and took place entirely on and around the train. Location scouts from United Artists searched for a suitable railroad to use and came up with the Camas Prairie, a Union Pacific subsidiary in western Idaho. The line was unspoiled scenery, 4 percent grades, tunnels and large wooden trestles – in short, everything needed for spectacular railroad scenes.

Location headquarters were set up in Lewiston, Idaho, and No. 75 arrived from Denver in early February 1975. Once again the locomotive was “back-dated” to the 1880’s period with some red and gold paint and the stubby “diamond” smokestack used in “Alias Smith and Jones.” Most of the rolling stock used in the film was old equipment purchased by the production company, but the GW 75 Company furnished two wooden passenger cars of its own. One is a Colorado & Southern and the other is a private car built in 1880 for the president of the Union Pacific Railroad. These cars were first used in Cat Ballou with No. 51, and were later purchased by the GW 75 Company.

The filming was completed by late April, and the locomotive was loaded onto a flatcar in Lewiston for the trip back to the Mile High city. After carefully unloading his screen “star” Everett went to work catching up on routine maintenance that had been postponed during the two months of shooting.”

**********************

No. 75 has been serving well in Heber for the last 3 years. On December 31st they dropped the fire and it currently is undergoing its 5 year rebuild and inspection. It is scheduled to be back in service on Memorial Day 2003.

My experience ‘volunteering’ begins with No. 75’s arrival in Heber. My first volunteer night was spent with a scrapper ‘down in the pit’ getting anything that looked like grime off of the running gear. It was interesting to watch the different movie numbers/colors appear on the cab side as it was stripped down.

I believe the C&S wood car referred to above is the ‘Molly Brown’ (currently out of service).

The Camas Prairie has been a recent topic of discussion on this and other boards (see 'flimsies', too).

-doc-

Heber Valley Railroad
utweyesguy@aol.com

TRAINS magazine just this last month listed its 10 favorite and 10 worst railroad movies. Puzzling to me, Breakheart Pass winded up on the 10 worst list.

When I saw that TRAINS would list its 10 best list, I thoroughly expected Breakheart Pass to be on the list, as it is one of my favorite railroad movies.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and am dumbfounded by this listing.

> TRAINS magazine just this last month listed
> its 10 favorite and 10 worst railroad
> movies. Puzzling to me, Breakheart Pass
> winded up on the 10 worst list.

> When I saw that TRAINS would list its 10
> best list, I thoroughly expected Breakheart
> Pass to be on the list, as it is one of my
> favorite railroad movies.

> I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and am
> dumbfounded by this listing.
Yes that trains artical didn't even mention GREAT films like Denver & Rio Grand co-starring the great Zazu Pitts or Union Pacific to name a few they left out....strange.


edrailco@aol.com

Or Disney's "The Great Locomotive Chase", starring Fess Parker and Jeffery Hunter. Probably the best presentation of the story of the Andrews Raid on film as far as historical and technical accuracy are concerned. Of all the shots in the film, the only piece out of place is an air pump that appears in one or two very brief shots. Sadly, the Tallulah Falls Railroad couldn't be saved from the salvager, not even by Walt Disney himself. You'd have thought that a movie that was based on a true story, historically accurate with an all star cast of actors and locomotives would have made the list. But what do critics know anyhow?

awalker2002@comcast.net

I do appreciate all your information! Will be ordering the back copy of "Classic Trains", and hope to get out to Heber Valley Railroad someday.

Dick