Back to the Future Train

W

Woodie

Active Member
Mar 23, 2001
2,093
0
36
Northern Rivers NSW Australia
I checked the movie credits and only found two references. "Industrial Light & Magic" and "Railtown 1897". Try http://www.csrmf.org/railtown/default.asp

Railtown’s locomotives and cars have appeared in over 200 film and TV productions, including Back to the Future 3, Petticoat Junction, and Little House on the Prairie.

Try a yahoo search on "railtown 1897 back future" scored heaps of hits.

TOOT!
 
S

skytop45

New Member
Jun 27, 2001
3
0
1
Woodbury, MN USA
www.trainweb.org
I love the BTTF movies, and i can tell you , the engine that was destroyed was a 12 inch gauge (i think that was the gauge) replica specially made for the scene where it plunges into Shonash (Clayton, Eastwood) Ravine.

Regards, Justin Nelson
 
D

doctorwayne

Active Member
Sep 6, 2005
3,516
0
36
Canada, eh?
One of my favourite movies is The General, starring Buster Keaton. It's a silent film, with lots of action, and some really superb camera work, especially considering that it was shot in the 1920s. Keaton did all of his own stunts, and if I recall correctly, there are some real locomotive crashes. These would have been old locos at the time, probably destined for scrapping anyway, but it's still kinda sad to see them wasted.
Years ago, Trains magazine used to have ads for railroad videos that included one called, I think, Cornfield Meets, and another, More Cornfield Meets. I've not seen them, but they were supposedly nothing but crashes (all staged for the film, again, probably using old surplus locos.)

Wayne
 
liven_letdie

liven_letdie

Member
Mar 22, 2005
164
0
16
41
Turlock, CA
www.downthelinetrains.com
Greetings,

To answer which engine it was, the typical movie train the 3 which is a Baldwin 4-6-0 and yes it is from railtown 1897 (Sierra Railroad) in Jamestown CA currently awaiting restoration. If you would like pics i could post some or i could rustle up some more info.

See ya!

Cory
 
W

Will_annand

Active Member
Jan 12, 2004
1,464
0
36
69
Huntsville, Ontario
www.muskokacomputes.com
The train from Back To The Future III was actually the "Cannonball" that used to run through Hooterville.

That's right... the same locomotive they used in the scenes of Petticoat Junction and Green Acres TV shows.

For more information:

http://petticoat.topcities.com/hooterville_cannonball.htm

And yes Doc Wayne, the climactic scene in Buster Keaton's General where the locomotive stops on the burning bridge and collapses into the valley was done with a real locomotive.

According to greatfilms.org the scene was very expensive:

"In an unbelievable sequence filmed in long-shot - and most likely the most expensive sight gag in silent film history at $42,000 - (it was filmed in a single take that had to be perfect with an actual full-scale train - not a miniature, and a 'dummy' engineer at the controls), the pursuit train confidently moves forward onto the now-feeble, burned-through bridge. When the train is half-way across, the bridge weakens, sways, and then gives way. The belly of the train droops and falls downwards through the burning portion of the bridge as it opens wide under its weight. Both the train and collapsing bridge plunge into the river, a mass of hurtling metal, exhaling/hissing smokestack steam, burning bridge logs, spraying water and a geyser of belching smoke".
 
E

eightyeightfan1

Now I'm AMP'd
Jun 18, 2002
2,772
0
36
62
Torrington, Ct.
The train/bus crash in the movie "The Fugitive" was an actual train that was pushed from behind. I heard that the wreck is still track side and is part of a scenic railways tour in North Carolina.
 
M

matt fisher

New Member
Mar 1, 2006
48
0
6
43
turlock,ca
re back to the future 3

hi
i am to a fan of back to the future 3 and i enjoyed the scenes with sierra railway 3
here forget those yahoo links and go straight to the california state railroad museums and you'll get a link , are planing to make the no 3 ? if ever want to see the old west town were no#3 made its last stop well if your 're going to railtown1897.com which is in jamestown ,ca when going east in to jamestown the tracks follow the highway so the last curve that points south east or go right walk or ride a bike back about 2miles following the tracks and you'll come to the old west town of hill valley , or what remains of it after it som how caught fire ,i think all there is the barn thats left .
if you ever wanna go see it let me know at hoengr@charter.net:) :)
matt fisher
turlock,ca
 
E

Engineer141

New Member
Apr 30, 2010
1
0
1
Sierra # 3

The locomotive is not a Baldwin. It is actually a 4-6-0 built in 1891 by the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works in Paterson, New Jersey. Originally used on the Prescott and Arizona Central Railroad, the Sierra No.3 made its way to Jamestown in 1897 when the Santa Fe built a parallel railroad and put the Prescott and Arizona out of business. This steam engine is in the process of restoration and the lagging is completed and will have it's jacket installed on Monday May 3rd.

It's debut will be on the July 4th weekend where it will make special trips on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and the 5th.

It will run once a month pulling special excursion trains and when needed for movies and TV.

It has been used in over 100 movies, Documentaries, TV commercials, TV shows.

Some of the most notable are: Back to the Future III, High Noon, Petticoat Junction, Rawhide, Unforgiven, Chattanooga Choo Choo, The Virginian, Bad Girls, The Wild, Wild West (TV show), Dodge city, Santa Fe Trail, Go West, My Little Chickadee, The Cimarron Kid, The Great Race, Finian's Rainbow, Nickelodeon, Redemption of the Gost, The Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day, The Lone Ranger, Lassie, The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Little house on the Prairie, Adventures of Brisco County,and A Woman Called Moses.

Go to http://railtown1897.wordpress.com/
and see the progress that they are making. You can go back to see when it was taken apart to when it will be running.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom