The JW Bowker also portrayed the "Jupiter" in the Will Smith "Wild Wild West" remake, and on the TNT historical miniseries "Into the West."
I caught "The Train" on late-night cable the other day, and it is now pretty much my current favorite railroad film. Instead of just being a background prop, they spend a *lot* of time showing railroad operations: switching (from the towerman's perspective), coupling/uncoupling (using those crazy European hook & loop couplers with buffers), engineer/brakeman operations (one thing I noticed: they blow the whistle once before moving, whereas in the US it's normally twice) communications (in the form of stationmasters relaying orders via telephone) and maintenance of way (several trains derail, and there are scenes both of cranes clearing the tracks and crews repairing track) and even crossing guards (manually operated gates by an attendant in a trackside shanty.)
The film is set in France, and I assume that the locomotives are French (some great steam), the look is very distinctive (no headlights!) The armored German locomotive with the nose-mounted car with anti-aircraft guns and front-mounted cannon turret was particularly interesting. There are some great views at right-of-way, stations, and heavy shops/maintenance facilities and yards.
My wife just shook her head. Here I am glued to the TV watching a movie that's about trains AND World War II...you would have needed a crowbar to get my eyes off the set!