http://changeling-trailer.blogspot.com/

Once again Clint Eastwood has included a train scene in one of his films as he did in Flags of Our Fathers. Does anyone know what museum supplied the equipment?

Sloan

P. S. : Scroll down to the Cannes Film Festival clip.

The train for "Changeling" came from Orange Empire Ry. Museum (Perris CA). The locomotive, Ventura County Ry. #2 and the vintage cars were from the museum collection, and were repainted for the movie. The scenes were filmed at the former ATSF depot in San Bernardino.

Some images taken at the time of the movie shoot and the movement can be found at Orange Empire's website.

The following cars were used in the movie filming. Some were in the scenes and others were extras in the background to help hide the modern railroad facilities:
ATSF 60
ATSF 2602
SP 2144
SD&AE 175
Pullman BISON PEAK
Pullman CORYDON
D&LW 2350 (lettered as SP2350) -- a utility car not in the collection
#54 (ex-Soo Line) Mt. Rubidoux

Also see our page about the Ventura County #2.

Two of our diesels actually handled the train to and from San Bernardino as well as serving as switch engines during the several days of filming.

Thanks for the details, guys. Now, if we could only convince Clint Eastwood to put some streetcars in his next movie.............

Sloan

Actually, he had streetcars in this one in addition to the steam train:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUdNpH3qNJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y22IJWhWok8

I was told that the production company used two different Birney cars to simulate PE 331, both "real" Birneys but neither ex-Pacific Electric: Los Angeles Railway 1030, owned by the Angeleno Heights Trolley Line organization, and Omaha Lincoln & Beatrice 4 (nee Baltimore UR&E 4024), owned by Union College in Lincoln, NE. I'm not certain whether the "actual" 331 at Orange Empire was also filmed or not.

PE 331 was not used in the movie; I was told that one of the Birney cars that was used had special trucks with rubber tires fabricated by studio personnel. The other PE Birney at OERM is 332, and it had a "cameo" appearance in "Comrade X", starring Hedy Lamar and Clark Gable. This was filmed in 1940, shortly after M-G-M Studios bought three Birneys from PE, which was closing down its local lines. Miss Lamar played a Moscow tramcar driver, with 332 (still carrying its PE road number) playing a Moscow tram. Some years ago 332 was leased to Old Pueblo Trolley in Tucson AZ, and it came back to Orange Empire in its Tucson paint job. Sometimes I tell visitors that, given its movie background, it's "in makeup" for a recent role. The third Birney was 337, which "starred" in "Singin' in the Rain" (where it provides a refuge for Gene Kelly from a group of young female fans). Carhouse gossip says that 337 was dismantled sometime in the late 1950's and thus did not survive. Both of the remaining Birneys run, 331 has body work issues, but 332 (as OPT 10) is often in passenger service on the demonstration railway.

Brian,

Perhaps you can expand on what cars got what. But the passenger car collection got a lot of new paint and lettering as a result of the movie shoot.

The article in the Gazette gave the impression that it was real paint; not something that was washed off by the studio at the end of the shoot. So it was good preservation for the museum.

I think the cars also got some draft gear and sheet metal repairs before they left the property for the shoot.


The heavy weight cars sure look better than before!

Ted,

I was not there during the mid-week work. But this is what I know.

Yes, it was real paint. It was part of our agreement, etc. We supplied the paint and a contractor for the production company applied the paint. Our pricing included the cost of obtaining the paint; but we should have priced it before quoting. In one case, I'm told the art director or whoever for the production company had one of the cars repainted because of runs or something. The new paint had too much shine for the movie folks so they put dried milk (or something like that) on the cars to cut the shine -- that was washable.

The letter was applied by an "old-time" sign painter hired by the production company. Some of it using pounce patterns developed from alphabets, etc. we provided, and some by copying the lettering "shadows" visible under the fresh paint. We were able to get the SD&SE car lettered as such. We were planning on lettering the DL&W car as "Orange Empire" as it was utility and not collection; but, the movie shoot required it to be lettered as "Southern Pacific."

The BISON PEAK had its vestibules opened back up as they had been partially blocked as an MW car. Also it had the MW era heater stove vent removed from the roof. Because there was not time to repair/refurbish/replace window sash a number of outside (of double sash) was removed. Some other bodywork was done.

Some of the cars got new leaf spring packs in the trucks. All got air brake systems serviced.

One conclusion of mine after the event: Develop restoration plans, get lettering drawings, get component drawings, etc. long before you think you may do the work. Movie shoots, etc. may cause the project "over the horizon" to come into port sooner than expected.