The comments by Randy Musselman about the possible adaptation of "Les 24 Heures de Choo-Choo" to film tickeled my brain cells to looking for books or other material that has been or could be adapted to film.

Three book titles that come to mind that have been made into film include "Danger and Daring" by William Pittinger ("The General" and "The Great Locomotive Chase"), "The Trouble Shooter" ("Union Pacific"), and "Whispering Smith" ("Whispering Smith").

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whispering_Smith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb5zUDCFBG0

A French novel from the 1890s that was adapted to film was Emile Zola's "La Bete Humaine" ("The Human Beast"). Judging from the contents of a book review, and assuming the movie is fairly faithful to the book, it looks like "chick lit" and a "chick flick," but it also has what appears to be some stunning railroad footage in France in the late 1930s, on the eve of the Second World War:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QoNL_yf62A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBLe_J0P7vI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_B%C3%AAte_humaine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_B%C3%AAte_Humaine_(film)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Zola

"La Bete Humaine" was also adapted as an American film in 1954, "Human Desire:"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Desire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX4d8zAXlxM

While on the subject of French rail film, we have a couple of interesting clips that, once again, illustrate the appeal of steam locomotives in any language:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGVs46y7 ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKRCJhLU7rs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Honegger

What would make good film that hasn't been adapted yet? I think some titles could include "One Way to Eldorado" by Hollister Noble, "The General Manager's Story" by Herbert Hamblin, and "No Royal Road" by Edward Custer. "High Tension" by William Wister Haines is partially about the Pennsy's electrification project in Maryland in the 1930s. Then there's Harry Bedwell's Eddie Sand, subject of many short stories in "Railroad" in years past, and a novel, "The Boomer."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wister_Haines

http://www.jamesdporterfield.com/harry_ ... _71254.htm

http://www.archive.org/stream/harrybedw ... p_djvu.txt

What else might you add that could be good film or even televison?