TV/Railroad Accuracy

David Rosser

New Member
Just wondering if anyone else was watching the TV show "Monk" on Friday evening. In the final dramatic scene, the villianess got her new husband to the pass out drunk state, parked the car on a railroad track and commented that they would not be parked there for long, just 7 minutes. She jumped out of the car after setting the locks to foil any random rescue attempts by a good samaritan, and then ran off to watch the scheduled arrival of a train to finish off her husband/victim. Lo and behold the train arrived on schedule, pulled by an F-7! Does anyone know of any scheduled, night passenger service in the San Fran. area using F-7 power in 2003? My wife says 'No one else would ever has noticed that" Is she correct? Dave
 

pjb

New Member
MONK and the CHOO CHOO Train

With respect to this show!

The manual switch stand the cops used to divert the train: A) was not locked ; and B) was not connected to the switch several 100 feet away that was used to divert the passenger train to another line that would not strilke the automobile. "MONK", the show in question is all atmospherics , sans substance, revolving around the eccentric relationship of the hero to the rest of the ensemble.

They have dispensed with intelligent scripting. Neither plot, logical behaviour by the characters , or in the production values used to tell the graphic story, are we given anything but LCDs.

Since it is designed to appeal to, at best , the half educated , while allowiing that audience to feel sophisticated - it is interesting in what it says about TNT's handle on it's audience. Unfortunately, since you and I don't watch TV to analyze the presentations of the various members of that medium , it raises the matter of what the hell you and I were doing watching such crap!
 

Ben H

New Member
I saw that one and asked the question - what are you watching - it must have been a brain break as I was channel surfing


However we must remember that it is Television drama and as such has no need to be correct, unless the issue would comprise the story line and its believability. When potential believability becomes a problem pull out the TV rating book and check the knowledge or experience of your intended audience.

Most often it can be dumbed down even more.

Fifty percent or more of the current population were born since the the hay day of the F units. To some of these younger people a F unit, seen for the first time, might look new and streamlined
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
Funny you should mention this. I pointed out the F unit to my wife and wondered out loud why it was used. She suggested it might be because it was available to the TV producers....possibly a small fan run train that was leased for the show's use, as compared to more up to date equipment that woud be busy actually ...working! :) I thought that might be a reasonable explanation.
Ralph
 
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Fred_M

Re: MONK and the CHOO CHOO Train

Originally posted by pjb
, it raises the matter of what the hell you and I were doing watching such crap!
Use to be there were three channels of crap. Then along came satallite technolgy and now I get over 100 channels of crap. I tend not to watch the best shows, but rather the least poor show. Monk is not as bad as say the 50th showing of "Hilter's Henchmen" that week, or the 5th daily encore showing of Under Seige. DASH
 

Lightbender

Member
That just broke a leaf spring on my belief suspension

Well I certainly have no intention of questioning any Gaugers televisual proclivities but I for one always stop for trains. Not just at crossings but any time I see a train, driving a car or surfing tv channels.

I do have to admit that I am a regular viewer of 'Heartbeat' a UK import that shows British steamers occasionally. Unfortunately they often use locomotives that never visited that part of Yorkshire including the A4 Gresley pacific 'Sir Nige' herself. Yikes! A streamlined express on the Aidensfield branchline?
 
Seeing this thread reminds me of the times when I watch "Goldeneye" on TV. The "Soviet" locomotive was in fact a heavily disguised British Rail class 20!:D
 
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Fred_M

Originally posted by Alan Bickley
Seeing this thread reminds me of the times when I watch "Goldeneye" on TV. The "Soviet" locomotive was in fact a heavily disguised British Rail class 20!:D
The thing that gave it away most was the link and buffers. All russian units I ever seen used knuckle couples that look like ours. DASH
 

brakie

Active Member
In the movie "Run Away Train" why didn't those morons just use the emergency fuel cut off vavle on 3 of the locos to stop or slow the train down enough to jump off?? Why bother crawling from engine to engine? In the movie "Emperor of the North" where A#1 was dead set on riding shacks train there is a scene where a passenger train and shacks train was heading for a head on with whistles blowing why didn't the engineers start appling the air as real railroders would have just as soon as the other train started whistling? I suppose such makes exciting footage.
 
The movie and TV industry has never been real big on portraying technical details with any accuracy.

I remember many years ago --- possibly the movie was named "Grand Prix" --- watching Kirk Douglas or someone, driving his race car around the track at a simulated gazillion miles an hour, both hands on the wheel, sawing it back and forth, and the sound effects had the specific sounds of going through the gears, shifting. But he never took his hands off the wheel.

I also love those chase scenes where you hear the tires squeal on dirt roads!

BillS
 

ceebeenq

New Member
silly movies & tv

Was "runaway train" the one with Jon Voight, escaped convict?

most of the movies and tv that have had train scenes where the train was really important are pretty goofy and not accurate to real operations. Almost all, I'd say.

What's more, I have met over the years, a fair number of people that were sure that trains did not run any longer in the US. No trains! All gone!

:eek: :confused: :rolleyes:

cbnq
 
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Fred_M

Re: silly movies & tv

Originally posted by ceebeenq
Was "runaway train" the one with Jon Voight, escaped convict?

most of the movies and tv that have had train scenes where the train was really important are pretty goofy and not accurate to real operations. Almost all, I'd say.




cbnq
Yes to first question. George has his car BTW. On second it's not limited to movies about trains. On Star Trek I seen them fire the photon torpedos at warp 9.9. Since the warp 10 barrier had yet to be broke when the episode took place, how did the torpedos leave the tube? :D And how does one shoot a m-60 or a 50 holding it like a tommy gun? On the dukes of hazzard they not only squealed tires on dirt, but did tremendious jumps with no engine under the hood. Look some time if you can stand to.:D My favorite song is "too much time on my hands" DASH
 

Lighthorseman

Active Member
Re: Re: silly movies & tv

Originally posted by dash10
... And how does one shoot a m-60 or a 50 holding it like a tommy gun?

Well, an M-60 certainly can be fired from the hip. You just won't hit much, although it's a lot of FUN. :) If you've seen a clip of someone firing a ".50", (Terminator 3?) that wasn't a .50, but an M-1911 Browning, in 7.62mm, same as the M-60.

The one that cracks me up is the Minigun (6 barrelled Gatling type) being carried as a personal weapon. (Predator) Let's see. The thing weighs over 60 pounds, it's electric, so you'll need another 40 plus pounds of battery...and it fires at a variable rate of 3000 to 6000 rounds per minute. That's 50 to 100 rounds per second. Ever seen the size of the ammo cans for one of those things? So, before your own personal kit, you're carrying 200 pounds worth of gun and ammunition. Easy for a Terminator, I suppose.:D
 
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Fred_M

The 50 I remember was on an old show called Gannon? and he pulled a 50 out of a mount and was standing in the middle of a runway holing it like a tommy gun and it was a going CHOP-CHOP-CHOP about 2 per second with the chain slung over his forearm. He shot down an jet that was trying to take off single-handed. There was even a comment he made in the epilog about his girth (400 lbs?) allowing him to shoot a 50 that way. From memory. DASH:)
 

Nscale4

New Member
Re: silly movies & tv

Originally posted by ceebeenq

What's more, I have met over the years, a fair number of people that were sure that trains did not run any longer in the US. No trains! All gone!
cbnq
They're wrong. In fact, I'm hearind a train roll through right at this very moment! :D
 

brakie

Active Member
Being a combat veterian I like the way Hollywood uses their weapons..A endless suplly of ammo in a M16 20 round clip(19 if you don't what the M16 to jam).Rambo using a short belt of ammo for the M60 and shooting the place up.A six shot pistol shooting endlessly.Dirty Harry firing a .44 mag with one hand.I have a .44 mag and .44 automag and you need both hands for control of the gun from the recoil..The list goes on.
 

ceebeenq

New Member
trains are here!

Nscale4-- I bought a home after looking for months for the right combination of : close to busy main line, a couple acres, and not "too far" out in the sticks. ;)
So, I'm about 2 miles north of the BNSF (former Santa Fe) in central IL. When the air is calm I hear them blowing for the small town ......ahhhhhh Music to my ears! :D :D 50 or more every day.
(and only a couple minutes to get trackside to snort some diesel fumes) :cool: :thumb:
cbnQ
 

Lightbender

Member
Hello Nscale4,
What does this gotta do with HO?
This fountain of virtual prototype information is invaluable to those H0 modellers who like to do everything wrong correctly.

I have now discovered that I have a totally valid and realistic model railway that is as believable as the ideas of the big boys in Hollywood with their mega million budgets. All I need is to finish my LPB H0 film crew and I'm a prototype modeller.

dscf0039.sized.jpg


Thanks guys for making this an acceptable modelling scene. Yes it is motorised but it doesn't fit through all of my portals. Sad isn't it.
 
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