DW and I just watched the 1976 film "Bound for Glory" starring David Carradine. The film includes several great pacing shots of a double-headed freight, yard scenes, etc. where were these scenes made? I do not recognize the engines (definitely not Sierra 3, or narrow gauge). Maybe McCloud engines on the Sierra? There is a yard scene with what appears to be the Jamestown Roundhouse. The passenger train looks like commuter cars, not the usual Sierra wooden coach consist. The photo brief credits thank the communities of Stockton and Bakersfield.

A great film. Internet Movie Database notes that the film was nominated for Best Picture in a field with "Network", "Rocky", and "All the President's Men".

Wesley

Yes, this is a great film, wonderful story and wonderful visually. The chief cinematographer, Haskell Wexler, was also the cinematographer for the John Sayles period piece on the United Mine Workers, "Matewan," which was shot in Thurmond, W.Va., and for us, also starred NKP 765 (yes, an anachronism).

It's hard to believe, but "Bound For Glory" cost what is now a paltry $10 million; I seem to recall "Matewan" was even less, at $7 million. I think catering bills alone on some modern movies come to that much or more.

The railroading in "Bound for Glory" did include other engines on the Sierra roster (a 2-8-0 and a 2-8-2, I believe 28 and 34), with locations at Jamestown (and No. 3 is visible in the background in at least one shot), along with McCloud River 25 in scenes shot on the Western Pacific (there is one scene, blink and you miss it, in which a low-nose EMD shows up in the background in WP's later green and orange paint). Sierra did acquire some steel SP Harriman coaches for tourist service, and these are the steel cars seen in the film.

I've said this before, and it bears repeating, we have great visual possibilities in film, and potentially great stories, too. Look back on the history of rail literature, at titles such as "Rio Grande Glory Days" by Gilbert "Snap" Lathrop, "The General Manager's Story," by Herbert Hamblen, "One Way to Eldorado," by Hollister Noble, and "No Royal Road," by Edward Custer, and other material, too. We've even had a few good films, among them "Danger Lights" (1930), "The Great Locomotive Chase" (1956), and "The Train" (1964). Most recently, we have what looks to be a great Canadian IMAX production coming out, "Rocky Mountain Express."

Yet Hollywood continues, in the modern era, to ignore this potential in favor of movies about kids and robots, movies that are supposedly comedies but just are grotesque, and movies that are supposedly love stories or romances in which everyone either acts like dumb teenagers (even when the actors are in their forties!), or else no one wears any clothes.

Why, why, why?

Bah!! Humbug!!

Have you forgotten last year's "Unstoppable"?

Which, I would concede, proves more of your point than disproves it....

And for those who missed it, the "Saturday Night Live" spoof of the film vis a satirical trailer: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/ ... er/1259996

I'm afraid I did forget about "Unstoppable," which surprisingly, I didn't think was too bad--except for the stunt with the helicopter attempting to drop off the man that resulted in a derailment and huge diesel fuel explosion (Ha! Have you ever tried using diesel fuel or kerosene to start a fire? You almost have to use a blowtorch to get it to burn!), and the other computer stunt with the train going around a curve on only its left wheels!

Come to think of it, those are bad enough! Bah!!

Some of "Bound for Glory" was filmed at the Western Railway Museum at Rio Vista Junction on the Sacramento Northern Railway. The WP supplied a string of old boxcars and the filming was inside of one of the cars while it was moving. There was a frame and net outside the door. I do not recall if it was incase someone fell out, or if someone did fall out. They rented a package steam bolier and placed it in the first car so shots looking up the train would look like there was a steam locomotive at the head end. There was also something to generate smoke.

If memory serves me, I seem to recall that some scenes were filmed on the Tidewater Southern in/around Modesto or Turlock using the McCloud River #25, now at OCSR.

I was told that some of the "hobo jungle" scenes were filmed at Escalon on the Tidewater Southern. The TS makes a rather tight 90-degree turn at the intersection of two roads, while the former Santa Fe line (now BNSF/Amtrak) goes by the site on a diagonal. One story has it that the film company contacted some local residents and advised them of the location work, but not everyone got the message, and there was some consternation when this Hollywood version of a hobo camp appeared suddenly.

I'm reminded of Haywire Mac's "Big Rock Candy Mountain" song: "One evening when the sun went down and the jungle fires were burning..."

......and there's Jennifer Aniston in the 2005 thriller "Derailed."

Sloan

I got this off Netflix about 6 months ago and watched the train scenes. I couldn’t get over the one scene where there was a shot of one of the Sierra locomotives in a yard and right next it was a U-boat (I think – it was certainly a diesel) sitting right next to it, clear as day! We’re not talking about the letting on a road name or an older style brake wheel, I think even most non-train-fan types know they didn’t have these in the depression era!