I just saw Flags of Our Fathers. It looks like the railroad equipment used came from IRM. Does anyone know details? Did they actually take equipment to Chicago for filming?

Yes Alan they took the equipment to Chicago. I remember mention of it here at the time of filming. Can't wait to see the movie myself.

J

http://www.irm.org/gallery/Flags


Existing thread with more information...

http://rypn.sunserver.com/classifieds/viewtopic.php?start=0&t=18879&topic_view=flat&sid=4fce458077aa79f5c5fd84342842f65c

Kelly Lynch

I was just about to add that link when Kelly beat me to it. All the cars and locomotives are back at IRM, (but one) and the heavyweight train did double duty with vinyl stick ons to make it resemble Boston and Maine equipment (in their opinion). Two Chicago Metra stations on the north line did stand in duty for Oshkosh, Wisconsin and somewhere northeast - Manchester, NH???

In removing the peelable vinyl, the L&N diner Galt House had the paint badly damaged. That is only just now done with repainting at the Wisconsin and Southern shops and not yet back at IRM. When in the IRM photo gallery, there is also an album showing the results of the new paint job. Enjoy.

The film made its way through the theaters last fall and is now available on DVD, rental or purchase. For all the work and energy expended on those trains, most ended up on the cutting room floor, and only a few minutes survived into the final cut.


Bob Kutella

Here's the album-

http://www.irm.org/gallery/LN2726

J

"In removing the peelable vinyl, the L&N diner Galt House had the paint badly damaged."

Who pays for that? I would think the film production company would.

The 4501 required a new paint job after being "weathered" for the film October Sky. The so-called water based paint removed all the lettering on the tender and cab when it was pressure washed for removal. The production company paid for the cost of the repainting.

Also, check their other albums out. Looks like they've got a couple nice tank cars recently.

Good stuff- IRM is definently a must visit.

J

Ah yes, the movie that teaches our youth that steam was gone from American passenger trains by 1945 and that most Pullman Porters were young and white (watch the scenes of them coming into Dearborn station, those Pullman guys shown in real life would be in the military at that point as they taking pretty much everyone with all their arms and legs by then!). Especially loved the murals inside the coaches with competing RR's trains painted on them and what appears to be the old BN corporate F-units?
Still, they did a darn good job with the Iwo Jima scenes. The things I noticed in the theater that bugged me (including a close-up of a .30 caliber light machine gun with blanks clearly seen) aren't nearly as obvious on a TV screen.

I belive the movie production company paid for its repaint.

The Galt House is a neat car. It is named for one of the first major hotels in Louisville. The name survived on a more modern convention hotel in Louisville to this very day. Of all of the L&N heavyweight equipment that has survived into the preservation era, it's nice to see a car painted in the pre-1947 Pullman Green scheme.

The car was one of several L&N diners which received names starting in 1942 or 1943.

I think there are 7 former L&N heavyweight diners preserved. In addition, I think I read that the former NC&STL "City of Memphis" diner has also survived. The lone surviving AC&F built lightweight diner from the L&N "Humming Bird" was at Stone Mountain for years until being scrapped in the 1990s. That was a loss, as several of the coaches and at least one or two of the lounge cars from the train survived, until then it would have been possible to recreate the entire "Humming Bird."

I might have shared your criticism had the movie been exclusively about railroads, or railroads in World War II, but since they were only a small part of the overall story, essentially the "scenery" I wasn't as bothered.

The movie company (Warner Brothers) sent a check. We had to contract with the paint shop, supply specs and documentaion for the lettering, choose colors, and the biggest hassle, arrange to move the car up to Horicon WI. Even though the car (and others) went into Chicago, money talks, and the check did not cover transportation for re-painting. So it took a while to get there, and may take a while to come home.

Bob Kutella

Actually we have not gotten a new tank car for over 5 years, I believe. But we have made an effort to restore freight cars at the rate of 2-3 per year, and the tank cars have received a lot of the attention. Mostly I do the lettering myself by hand (not wanting to start another vinyl thread). Cabooses require more work but we are up to 7 or 8 fully redone and serviceable.

We have the complete freight car roster pictured in those albums and hopefully it is a resource for a lot of details. Most of those images are courtesy of IRM member Phil Stepek.

For some special events we try to put together a demo freight train and they have varied in recent years from about 12 cars, up to 23 cars. Quite a sight on a Museum line!! Thanks for the kind remarks.

Bob Kutella