Train Movies - Unstoppable

BarstowRick Feb 17, 2019

  1. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Unstoppable, starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. A Tony Scott, film.

    Now why do I bring this here? We were talking about a number of train movies on another thread and I got to thinking that it might be fun to see how many things really go wrong. For example how many policies and procedures or railroad rules do they break. In other words how many things do they really screw up to make an interesting movie line.

    A former Santa Fe employee, handed me this DVD and asked me, "See how many things they do wrong in the movie?" You know as it relates not to the story line but operations of any railroad. He then added, and we'll get together and compare notes. We did and lost most of our audience of model railroaders sitting with us at Carl's Jr. Model Railroaders aren't Rails and most D-GAS. They didn't. One of them kept saying, I don't know anything about that.

    Let me give you one example. The movie starts out with two employees, who need to move a train from one track to another. The Switchman (not brakeman) should of moved out ahead of the train to be sure the "Switches," (not turnouts) are aligned to the right track. It of course sets up the reason the train...well...you'll see.

    One more. A broken brake line means what? Hint, drop the air... and what happens? Answer that and the movie is already off on the wrong foot.

    It' is a very interesting movie and is actually based on a run-a-way train that occurred in Pennsylvania, while I was back in Ohio. The true story doesn't come close. They took editorial privileges to construct something interesting to watch. Some things they nail and others they...Oh well...you need to see it.
    Funny, but I'm still watching it and still finding things that aren't right.

    You can hear over the movie, the directors comments, on one of the options available. He makes some interesting and provocative observations and tells you what and why he did certain things.

    I will ask the same question my friend the Rail asked. "See how many things they do wrong in the movie?" So share your thoughts here as to what you think they really missed or messed up. Should be interesting.

    I promise this isn't about correcting you.
    Just share what you see or even ask a question about it.
    Or not!o_O:rolleyes::coffee:
     
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  2. McCloudRiver

    McCloudRiver TrainBoard Member

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    BarstowRick,

    As I haven't seen this movie probably since it came out I will have to download it or see if it's streaming anywhere to see. The only part of the movie that really bothered me was when Denzel's character (Frank?)was running on the tops of the train and got to I believe it was a flat car and couldn't continue? I would have thought that going down the ladder and trying to get around the load on the flat would have been easier than the other guy jumping from a truck onto the engine. Not sure as I haven't watched it for a long time. As for the two guys that let the train become a 'coaster' they were just incompetent and lazy (in the movie at least).
     
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  3. BnOEngrRick

    BnOEngrRick TrainBoard Member

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    Actual occurrence was in Ohio, from Stanley Yard near Toledo to Kenton, OH. Engineer on that lives about a mile from me, now retired. Locomotive was 8888, now 4389.
     
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  4. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    It's been a long time since I've seen it, but like a lot of railroad-themed movies, Unstoppable features a lot of angry discord between crews and the Dispatcher, and routine use of profanity on the radio. In brief employment with two railroads and in nearly 45 years of listening to radio scanners, I've never heard radio profanity and find that Dispatchers and crews normally work in cooperation to get trains over the road. In Unstoppable, crews contest with each other for track occupancy, in a sort of whoever-gets-there-first-wins-it race.

    Oh well. I've seen the movie only once and have avoided it since.
     
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  5. Akirasho

    Akirasho TrainBoard Member

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    ??? you don't like movies where a train goes "Joey Chitwood" on a curve???



    Same occurs even in some "decent" military films where the chain breaks waaaaaay too easily and frequently (but at least the story drives you through).

    DRAMA!
     
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  6. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Joey Chitwood, now that's a new one for me.

    Good one.
     
  7. jpwisc

    jpwisc TrainBoard Member

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    Holy cow, this has been discussed to death. A simple search pulled up 4 prior threads looking at different things in this movie. Maybe instead of starting a new thread like this is a new movie, we could have gone back and added to one of the threads where these items were already discussed.
     
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  8. Akirasho

    Akirasho TrainBoard Member

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    Lazarus
    Smells like work. Virtually all topics have already been discussed... variations on a theme.
     
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  9. jpwisc

    jpwisc TrainBoard Member

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    How true it is. This one is pretty specific and was one of the easiest searches I’ve done. A little work goes a long ways...
     
  10. Akirasho

    Akirasho TrainBoard Member

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    HA!!! I'm too lazy to read all those other threads, but a search for "Joey Chitwood" brought back hits for this thread alone!

    As a kid, Chitwood's shows were as common as "Ice Capades" or "Carl Casper's Auto Shows"! Perhaps this addition takes this thread in a different direction than the previous??
     
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  11. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    I just wanna' know what they did to produce 10,000 HP outta' that worn out SD40-2?:confused:

    Those poor power assemblies would've exploded outta' that engine block by Notch 3, not to mention the alternator having a total meltdown!! :eek:

    When they do manage to couple to the runaway and put that unit in full dynamics, the top of the dynamic brake grid woulda' looked like the sun from the voltage going thru it, not the traction motors sparking......o_O

    That's just the mechanical aspect that was going thru my mind.....:rolleyes:
     
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  12. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Excuse me! Who does searches and who asks for directions? :whistle::p:D

    I guess I could justify my question with look at all the fun we are still having with it. :sneaky:;):cool:

    Sorry, I wasn't aware of the other threads. Wasn't aware of the movie until sometime in March of last year. So, forgive me for catching up with the rest of you.o_O:cautious::sick::(
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2019
  13. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

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    From my understanding, in yards, the brakes aren't charged up, and cars can roll around without any air applied. Otherwise cars on humps would slam into emergency as soon as the hoses break apart when going over humps.
     
  14. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    This is true, as there is a valve you can use to bleed off the air but not set the brakes. Had the brakeman of hooked up the glad hands and set the air and performed an air check... but then the movie wouldn't of been near as thrilling. Also, hand brakes are usually set on the first few cars to make sure the train cars stay put. No cruising in the yard...not allowed.

    Now here is a another hint. The speed of the train? Listen to the directors comments and you'll have a new understanding as to how they filmed it.
     
  15. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    As it was with mine.

    See there, you are catching on to the same things I saw.

    You can't just hook onto a runaway train and pull it to a stop. You need to hook up the glad hands, re-set some valves and then set the air, do a pressure check...now then you can stop the train. I've got to give it to them they played that reasonably well.
     
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  16. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    I was wondering if you could elaborate on the true story? Might be fun to compare notes on it.
     
  17. Akirasho

    Akirasho TrainBoard Member

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    … divergent a bit, but another "compare notes" moment... the train crash in the movie Super8 is often claimed to be based on this.

    The phosphorus leak was merely cover for transport of the "alien" to the infamous Hangar 18 at Wright-Patterson AFB!
     
  18. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    I finally remember seeing that movie, probably when it first came out. I used to go to the theater a lot back then. As I recall I came out laughing with several others.
     
  19. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    You know you're in for trouble when you see a movie is "Based On A True Story", i.e. it's not the true story. :whistle:
     
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  20. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Trouble for sure. Aliens to Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio????
     

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