Spirit of America Bookstore
Railroad Film Festival
Page Two-A, G thru Li
![still photograph of silent film comic Buster Keaton driving the locomotive in the classic film 'The General' [1927]](images/BusterKeaton-drivingthelocomotive-in-TheGeneral.jpg "still photograph of silent film comic Buster Keaton driving the locomotive in the classic film 'The General' [1927]") |
back on page one:
books on railroad movies collections & documentaries railroad movies, A thru F here on page two-A:
on page two-B:
on page three:
on page four:
on page five:
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"Galloping Goose" [Rocky Mountain P.B.S. 2017]
episode of the "Colorado Experience" TV series [2016-2017]
 | half-hour color/b&w TV documentary on the seven purpose-built rail motor cars of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, in operation 1931 to 1952 • Exec producer, writer & director Julie Speer; featuring Joe Becker, Scott Bennett, John Bush (Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR), historian Dr. William Convery, Gary Cryan, Lew Matis, Karl Schaeffer, Doug Schmidt, Donald Tallman, and Jeff Taylor
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • series credits at IMDb • official RMPBS episode homepage watch full episode [12/2017 upload; 26:39] online at YouTube |
Galloping Goose entry at Wikipedia
Galloping Goose Historical Society [est. 1987] in Dolores, Colorado {GG #5}
Colorado Railroad Museum [est. 1959] in Golden, Colorado {GG #2, #6 & #7}
"The General" [B.K.P./United Artists 1927]
"one of the best five silent films ever made" per A.F.I.; listed on National Film Registry in 1989
Co-written & co-directed by & starring Buster Keaton [1895-1966]
more details (synopsis, history, locomotives, books, links)
on Magic Lantern's "The General" 1927 Movie Page
"The Ghost Train"
 | "The Ghost Train" hit stageplay [London 1925-27, Broadway 1926] After a première in Brighton, the play transferred to London's St Martin's Theatre, where it played to sell-out audiences from November 1925 to March 1927; on Broadway in America, it ran for 61 performances in Aug-Oct 1926: actors included Claudette Colbert stageplay entry at Wikipedia playscript "The Ghost Train: A Play in Three Acts" [1923] by Arnold Ridley Samuel French, Inc. 5x8 pb [11/2010] for $9.95 Samuel French, Ltd. Acting Edition 8½x5½ pb [6/2013] for $16.33 |
The hit 1925 stageplay "The Ghost Train" by writer & actor Arnold Ridley [1896-1984] has been adapted as
seven silent & sound feature films, three television movies, several radio/audio shows, and a musical stageplay
and the title has been used for many other books & movies & games & songs.
lots more details on Spirit of America Bookstore's "The Ghost Train" Movies & Books Page 
top of page 1 • Arnold Ridley's stageplay • selected movies & TV • works not connected • links •
top of page 2 • 'Ghost Train' fiction • poetry & non-fiction • other media
"The Ghost Train of Manggarai" [Rapi Films Indonesia April 2008]
original title "Kereta Hantu Manggarai"
 | Rossa believes that her estranged sister Emily has been abducted by the 'ghost train' and enlists several friends in visiting the supernatural . . . • Directed by Nayato Fio Nuala; written by Ery Sofid; starring Giannina Emanuela, Nadila Ernesta, Stefanie Hariadi, Rina Hasyim, Melvin Lim, Sheila Marcia Joseph, Fendi Trihartanto
Region 1 Blu-ray/DVD not available • credits at IMDb |
"Girl On A Train" [2014?] /tt2815786/
Written & directed by Peter Sands; starring Sarah De La Isla, Anna Simone Scott
"The Girl On The Train" aka "La Fille du R.E.R." [France March 2009] /tt1183672/
"The Girl On The Train" video release [indep 2013]
 | A documentary filmmaker travels upstate by rail to film an interview and meets a mysterious young woman who shatters his complacent life. Written & directed by Larry Brand; starring Henry Ian Cusick, Nicki Aycox, Stephen Lang, Charles Aitken, James Biberi, Waltrudis Buck, John Fugelsang, Nathalie Lyon, David Margulies, Morris Herzman
http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Train-Blu-ray-Stephen-Lang/dp/B0163AOZXS/ http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Train-Henry-Ian-Cusick/dp/B00KINIOVG/ full credits at IMDb • official movie site • watch 11/2012 official trailer [1:50] at YouTube |
"The Girl On The Train" [Amblin/DreamWorks Oct 2016]
 | Several reviewers got confused, but the movie version holds together nicely; story elements are an alcoholic witness, ex-spouse rivalries, and a murdered nanny {no spoilers here!); filmed along the Hudson River and in New York City
Co-produced by Marc Platt; directed by Tate Taylor; screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson, based on the novel by Paula Hawkins; music by Danny Elfman; starring Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramírez, Laura Prepon, Allison Janney, Darren Goldstein & Lisa Kudrow DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • full credits at IMDb • official movie website watch 4/2016 official trailer [3:10] online at YouTube |
 | "The Girl On The Train: A Novel" [2015] by Paula Hawkins Rachel commutes by train to and from London each day, and becomes intrigued with a particular couple, often seen in their backyard. Then one day Rachel sees the woman kissing another man, and the next day the woman goes missing . . . Kindle Edition from Riverhead/Penguin [1/2015] for $10.99 Riverhead Books 9½x6½ hardcover [1/2015] for $16.17 |
"Godzilla"
The 1950s movie monster Gojira/Godzilla had a habit of devouring infrastructure;
here we have a still photograph of Gojira/Godzilla eating a commuter train.
details (synopses, history, movies on DVD, other media) are on the
Gojira/Godzilla Movie Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
"Going Home" TV series [SBS-TV/McElroy Media Australia 2000-2001]
 | 130 half-hour color episodes; very innovative TV production, with same-day filming and interaction with viewers via telephone & mail prior to filming; show took place on an interurban commuter train Produced by Gillian Arnold & Hal McElroy; starring Camilla Ah Kin, Arthur Angel, David Callan, Jason Chong, Rhonda Doyle, John Gibson, Brian Meegan, Lyn Pierse, Khristina Totos VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available incomplete series credits at IMDb • series entry at Wikipedia series entry at Australian TV Information Archive watch official promo [10/2011 upload; 2:36] online at YouTube |
"The Good Guys and The Bad Guys" comedy Western
[Warner Bros. / Seven Arts Sept 1969]
 | Filmed in Technicolor™ at Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in New Mexico & Colorado, at Silverton in Colorado, and in California; aged town sheriff plans to prevent train robbery, but is fired by the mayor; he captures the leader of the gang, who is incensed by the back-shooting of a townsman and agrees to help stop the gang; includes steam train smashing into fancy automobile stalled on tracks. Directed by Burt Kennedy; cinematography by Harry Stradling, Jr.; starring Robert Mitchum, George Kennedy, Martin Balsam, David Carradine, Tina Louise, Douglas Fowley, Lois Nettleton, John Davis Chandler, John Carradine, Marie Windsor, Dick Peabody, Kathleen Freeman, Jimmy Murphy, Garrett Lewis, Bobby Riha, Jackie Joseph, Howard Storm, George Dunn, Nick Dennis & Phil Vandervort; cameo by Buddy Hackett
Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [1/2007] for $39.99 Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [1/2007] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb |
 | novelization by Joe Millar [1969] Award Books mass pb [1969] out of print/used |
"Great Big Rolling Railroad" TV commercial [U.P.R.R. 1970s]
cleverly-edited employees sing a song while diesel loco 401 and freight cars and cupola caboose 5537 pass in the background
watch TV ad [1/2012 upload; 1:00] online at YouTube
"The Great K & A Train Robbery"
[Fox silent Oct 1926]
 | A railroad owner hires a cowboy to work undercover to unmask the gang robbing the trains • Produced & directed by Lewis Seiler; based on Paul Leicester Ford's 1897 novel; starring Tom Mix, Dorothy Dwan, Will Walling, Harry Gripp, Carl Miller, Edward Peil Sr., Curtis 'Snowball' McHenry & Tony the Horse
video/DVD not available • full credits from IMDb |
"The Great Locomotive Chase" [Disney June 1956]
  | Based on a historical Civil War event of April 1862, sometimes called The Andrews Raid; filmed in Georgia & North Carolina; a group of Union Army soldiers was ordered to go behind Confederate lines dressed as civilians and steal a W&A Railroad locomotive and train somewhere north of Atlanta and drive it northward, cutting telegraph lines and burning bridges and ripping up track on the way. The conducter of the stolen train quickly set off in pursuit to get his train back, at first on foot, then by handcar, and finally on several commandeered locomotives. • Directed by Francis D. Lyon; co-produced & written by Lawrence Edward Watkin; starring Fess Parker, Jeffrey Hunter, Jeff York, John Lupton, Eddie Firestone, Kenneth Tobey, Don Megowan, Claude Jarman Jr., Harry Carey Jr., Leonard P. Geer, George Robotham, Stan Jones, Marc Hamilton, John Wiley, Slim Pickens, Morgan Woodward
Disney Studios Home Ent. color DVD [5/2004] for $9.80 Starz / Anchor Bay color DVD [3/2003] out of prodn/used Starz / Anchor Bay letterboxed widescreen color DVD [4/2000] out of prodn/used Starz / Anchor Bay color VHS [4/2000] for $9.00 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia novelization [1956] by MacLennan Roberts Dell mass pb [1956] out of print/used Dell mass pb [1956] out of print/used |
more details about the Andrews Raid on Magic Lantern's "The General" 1927 Movie Page
"The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery"
[British Lion April 1966]
 | Filmed at Shepperton Studios in Surrey and on the Longmoor Military Camp railway in Hampshire; the crooks who manage St. Trinian's get a government grant and move the school into a larger building, where a gang of thieves have stashed several millions in cash. Co-written & directed by Sidney Gilliat & Frank Launder; starring Frankie Howerd, Dora Bryan, George Cole, Reg Varney, Howard Wattis, Raymond Huntley, Portland Mason, Terry Scott & Godfrey Winn
Hollywood's Attic color DVD [4/2011] for $19.99 Televista color DVD [9/2007] for $19.99 full credits at IMDb |
"The Great Train Robbery"
[Edison Mfg. Dec 1903]
 | The first movie with a plotted storyline was a Western! 11-minute silent short co-written & directed by Edwin S. Porter; starring Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson; listed in National Film Registry 1990 • credits from IMDb V.C.I. 100th Anniversary b&w DVD [12/2003] for $17.99 includes "Tumbleweeds" [1925 silent] with William S. Hart [1864-1946]; "The Battle of Elderbush Gulch" [1913 silent] by D.W. Griffith [1875-1948]; "The Heart of Texas Ryan" [1917 silent] with Tom Mix [1880-1940], plus extras |
watch "The Great Train Robbery" [11:45] free online at Internet Archive
"The Great Train Robbery" [U.K. 1979]:
full credits at IMDb
British movie title "The First Great Train Robbery"; adapted & directed by Michael Crichton; starring Sean Connery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Great_Train_Robbery
"The Great Train Robbery" [1975 novel] by Michael Crichton
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Train-Robbery-Michael-Crichton/dp/0061706493/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Train_Robbery_(novel)
"The Grey Fox" [1982]: full credits at IMDb
"The Harvey Girls" musical feature film [M.G.M. Jan 1946]
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Filmed in Technicolor; a young girl traveling West on the train as a mail-order bride meets a bunch of Harvey House waitresses going to the same town. Directed by George Sidney; starring Judy Garland {age 23}, John Hodiak, Ray Bolger, Angela Lansbury, Preston Foster, Virginia O'Brien, Kenny Baker, Marjorie Main, Chill Wills, Selena Royle & Cyd Charisse; won Oscar for Best Original Song; mostly filmed at the Iverson Ranch in Los Angeles; locomotives in evidence include 4-4-0 loco #49, 4-4-0 loco #33, and CPRR/Virginia & Truckee loco #18 "Dayton"
Turner Home Ent. color DVD [4/2001] for $6.49 M.G.M./Warner color VHS [4/92] out of prodn/many used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia "The Harvey Girls" [1942 novel] by Samuel Hopkins Adams [1871-1958]
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at 'Readers of The Purple Sage' Western Bookstore
"The Hazards of Helen"
119-chapter silent serial [Kalem / General Nov 1914 to Feb 1917]
![poster for 'Helen's Sacrifice' Chapter 1 of silent serial "The Hazards of Helen" [Nov 1914]](covers/pHazardsofHelen1914ch1.jpg) ![poster for 'A Railroader's Bravery' Chapter 29 of silent serial "The Hazards of Helen" [May 1915]](covers/pHazardsofHelen1915ch29.jpg) |
Released as 119 distinct episodes, over 28 months time, often without the standard cliffhanger ending; only a few episodes survive today. Helen is a clerk at a railroad who is either endangered by bad guys or heroically saves the railroad and its rolling stock and men. Filming took place at the Glendale, California railyards of the Southern Pacific Railroad, on the Sierra Railroad in Central California, and on the Santa Fe Railway in Las Vegas, New Mexico (episodes 21-25).
Based on a novel by John Russell Corvell and the play by Denman Thompson; adapted by W. Scott Darling & Frank Howard Clark; episodes 1-48 were produced & directed by J.P. McGowan and starred Helen Holmes; episodes 49-119 were directed by James G. Davis and starred Rose Wenger Gibson, the wife of later cowboy star Hoot Gibson; Rose previously had been a stunt-double for Helen Holmes.
full credits at IMDb • serial entry at Wikipedia "The Hazards Of Helen" on DVD [2007]
indep b&w DVD [10/2007] for $12.95
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credits at IMDb • watch free online [7/2005 upload; 13:40] at Internet Archive
watch "Trains Gone Wild" excerpt with added music [7/2010 upload; 9:32] on YouTube
more info on movie serials on the Silent & Sound Movie Serials Pages at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
"Hell On Wheels" TV series [AMC-TV 2011-2013?]
Post-Civil War railroad Western filmed in Canada; a Confederate soldier seeking revenge on the Union soldiers who murdered
his wife follows their trail to the raucous, temporary town at the head of the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.
Co-produced & written by Joe & Tony Gayton; directed by David Von Ancken; starring Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Wes Studi & Tom Noonan
series credits at IMDb • official series site •
episode listing page at Wikipedia
 |
First Season: ten 45-minute episodes [Nov 2011 - Jan 2012]
Entertainment One widescreen color Blu-ray [5/2012] 3 disks for $13.49 Entertainment One widescreen color DVD [5/2012] 3 disks for $11.99 season listing at IMDb |
Second Season: ten 45-minute episodes [Aug 2012 - Oct 2012] - released on Amazon Instant Video but not yet on Blu-ray/DVD
season listing at IMDb
Third Season: ten episodes, began filming Spring 2013
"Hellbound Train" silent feature [indep 1930]
 | Afro-American evangalist preacher James Gist and his wife Eloyce made several silent films and showed them at churches around Washington, DC; each film had an all-black cast and warned against sin and alcohol; this recently-restored 60-minute film shows the licentious behavior of passengers who deserve the {spoiler!} terrible fate at the end of their train ride • Co-written & directed by James Gist; co-written by Eloyce Gist; featuring an unidentified all-black cast • bare credits at IMDb
available as one of 25+ films on the new "Pioneers of African American Cinema" 5-disk DVD set [2016] Kino Lorber Blu-ray set [7/2016] 5 disks for $63.29 Kino Lorber DVD set [7/2016] 5 disks for $52.92 |
"Hitler's Last Train" [Eurociné France Feb 1977]
aka "Train Spécial pour SS" in France and "Helltrain" on English-dubbed video
 | Corrupt SS officers put a nightclub singer in charge of a train car full of prostitutes whose services are reserved solely for senior Nazis; trailer indicates actual train footage • Produced by Marius Lesoeur; directed by Alain Payet/James Gartner; starring Monica Swinn, Christine Aurel, Sandra Mozarowsky, Yolanda Ríos, Erik Muller, Rudy Lenoir, Frank Braña, Bob Asklöf, Antoine Fontaine, Roger Darton, Michel Charrel, Claude Boisson, Jacques Couderc, Alain L'Yle, Roland Travers, Tony Rödel, Pamela Stanford, Claudia Zante, Madame Caillard, Françoise Quentin, Carole Gire, Erika Cool, Christine De Beaulieu
"H": 90-minute Televista color DVD [3/2007] for $13.91 "HLT": 75-minute Cheezy Movies color DVD [DUE Aug 2017] pre-order for $14.95 full credits at IMDb • watch R-rated official trailer [3/2015 upload; 1:52] online at YouTube |
"The Hollywood Beach Murders" [indep 1992]
 | 'a rambling train wreck of a story' with a lot of footage on a moving train; two cops involved in the shooting of a murder suspect are sent to bring back another suspect from the coast; also aboard their train is a crime kingpin, and one of the women in his entourage is similarly murdered . . . NOTE: Hollywood Beach is a restored 1956 sleeper-sun room lounge car under recent private ownership • Written & directed by Eric Straton; starring Frank Gorshin, David Regal, Rebecca Holden, Joe Loesch, Cosie Costa, Cecil Scaife, Gus Gillette, Randall Bentley, C.R. Bickerstaff, Arthur Cushman, Johnson West, Lisa Thornhill, Billy Ray Reynolds, Norm Hamburger, Pete Cummings, June Ormond, Cathy Martindale, Robert Ross, Sherytha Scaife, Gene Turnage •
full credits at IMDb
Peter Pan Video color DVD [2/2005] out of prodn/used |
"Horror Express" [Spain Jan 1973, USA Nov 1973]
 | In 1906, a British anthropologist discovers a frozen prehistoric creature and must transport it from China to Europe by train; during the trip, the monster thaws out and begins killing people; filmed in Spain • Directed by Eugenio Martín; written by Arnaud d'Usseau & Julian Zimet; starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Alberto de Mendoza, Silvia Tortosa, Julio Peña, George Rigaud, Ángel del Pozo, Víctor Israel, Helga Liné, Alice Reinheart, José Jaspe, Vicente Roca, Juan Olaguivel {as the creature}, José Canalejas, Barta Barri, José Marco, Peter Beckman, Hiroshi Kitatawa, Allen Russell, Telly Savalas
90-minute Severin Films color Blu-ray [11/2011] 2 disks for $21.71 Synergy Ent. color DVD-R [9/2007] for $8.99 85-minute Digiview color DVD [4/2004] for $9.48 62-minute A2ZCDs color DVD-R [11/2015] for $9.95 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia watch full movie [12/2014 upload; 1:26:50] online at YouTube |
"How The West Was Won" [M.G.M./Cinerama Feb 1963]
"Human Desire" [Columbia Aug 1954]
Adaptation of Emile Zola's 1890 novel "La Bête Humaine"; directed by Fritz Lang; starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame,
Broderick Crawford & Edgar Buchanan • full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia
"The Hurricane Express" 12-chapter sound serial
[Mascot Pictures/A.F.C. Aug 1932]
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"A Thriller of The Roaring Rails" - Someone is trying to wreck the L&R Railroad, and when the chief engineer is killed, his airline pilot son takes over the job. Chapter Titles: 1. The Wrecker; 2. Flying Pirates; 3. The Masked Menace; 4. Buried Alive; 5. Danger Lights; 6. The Airport Mystery; 7. Sealed Lips; 8. Outside The Law; 9. The Invincible Army; 10. The Wrecker's Secret; 11. Wings of Death; and 12. Unmasked; the 81-minute feature version was edited down from seven chapters • Directed by J.P. McGowan & Armand Schaefer; starring John Wayne, Shirley Grey, J. Farrell MacDonald, Tully Marshall, Conway Tearle, Lloyd Whitlock, Edmund Breese, Matthew Betz & Alan Bridge •
full credits at IMDb
A.F.A./Passion b&w DVD [7/2003] for $6.89 Alpha Home Ent. b&w DVD [10/2006] for $7.98 Reel Enterprises b&w 77-minute feature version DVD [5/2007] for $9.95 included on "The John Wayne Cliffhanger Collection" 3-serial box set [2006] Passport b&w digitally-remastered DVD set [7/2006] 5 disks for $17.99 |
"La Ilusión Viaja en Tranvía (Illusion Travels By Streetcar)"
[Mexico June 1954]
 | A streetcar mechanic and a driver are told that their favorite streetcar #133 is being decomissioned (to the scrap heap). After getting drunk at a party, they decide to take #133 out for one last run, not charging passengers. After sleeping off their crazy rampage, they have endless trouble trying to return the street-car to the barn. Directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Carlos Navarro, Fernando Soto 'Mantequilla', Lilia Prado & Agustín Isunza
LionsGate double bill b&w DVD [9/2008] for $7.83 with Buñuel's "Nazarín" [1959] Connoisseur Video b&w VHS [3/91] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade" [May 1989]
Filmed in Australia, England, Germany, Italy, Jordan, and Spain, in California, Colorado,
Texas & Utah, and on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in New Mexico
"Iron Horse" TV series [ABC-TV 1966-68] /tt0059996/
Two-season 47-episode hour-long color TV series starring Dale Robertson; filmed in San Fernando Valley
"The Iron Horse" [Fox Aug 1924 silent]
 | When President Lincoln signs authorization to build a transcontinantal railroad, the chief contractor of one section and his daughter are helped by a childhood friend now riding for the Pony Express mail service. Directed by John Ford [1894-1973]; starring George O'Brien, Madge Bellamy, Charles Edward Bull {as Abe Lincoln}, Cyril Chadwick, Will Walling, George Waggner, Gladys Hulette & Fred Kohler
Fox b&w silent DVD [12/2007] 2 disks for $9.49 full credits from IMDb |
"The Iron Mule" silent short [Tuxedo/Educational April 1925]
 | A lively group of tourists takes an extended journey on a dilapidated train; filmed on the Pacific Coast Railway in San Luis Obispo County, California using a replica of Stephenson's Rocket, the same locomotive & cars used in Buster Keaton's "Our Hospitality" [1923] • Co-directed by Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle {as William Goodrich}, written & co-directed by Grover Jones, starring Al St. John
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb watch the short film free at Internet Archive [music added; 10:21] |
"The Iron Road" 2-part TV movie [Aug 2009]
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"An epic tale of passion, bravery, and courage" A Chinese girl disguises herself as a boy to get hired on a construction crew on America's Canadian Pacific Railroad in order to obtain a better life and also to find her missing father. Filmed in China and in British Columbia, Canada. Co-produced & directed by David Wu; starring Sam Neill, Betty Sun/Sun Li, Luke Macfarlane, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Kenneth Mitchell, Peter O'Toole, Ian Tracey, Gao Yun Xiang, Serge Houde & Charlotte Sullivan; won 3 Leo Awards, CSC Award
Entertainment One widescreen color DVD [2/2013] for $14.99 A.I.S. widescreen color DVD [9/2009] 2 disks for $28.10 full credits at IMDb • official movie site |
"Jack & Jill" silent film [H.F. Films Dec 2016]
 | Country lad falls for a city girl, but neither wants to leave their familiar surroundings; filmed in the snow in Chicago & rural Illinois using a hand-crank 1922 16mm camera; includes shots of passenger trains on the Midland Central in snow; silent film (with piano music) runs to 17:10, followed by behind-the-scenes color outtakes • Written & directed by Eric H. Heisner; cinema-tography by Dan Farnam; starring E.H. Heisner, Erin Mosher, Clint Beach, Chad 'Bianco' Curtiss, Billie Beach, Ron Heisner, Andy Hare, Larry Werline, Scott Bratcher, David Malley
not listed on IMDb • watch full 12/2016 movie plus outtakes [28:54] online at YouTube |
"Jesse James" [1939]
"John Henry" cartoon short
[Walt Disney Pictures Oct 2000]
 | 10-minute Technicolor cartoon of the legend of 'steel-drivin' man' John Henry Directed by Mark Henn; voices of Alfre Woodard, Geoffrey Jones, Tim Hodge, Dave Murray & Carrie Harrington • full credits at IMDb available on the "Disney's American Legends" video & DVD Walt Disney Video color DVD [2/2002] for $10.67 Walt Disney Video color VHS [2/2002] for $13.43 |
"John Henry" episode of "Tall Tales & Legends" [] /tt0183310/
"The Legend of John Henry" cartoon short [1974] /tt0070296/
"Kansas Pacific" [Allied Artists Pictures Feb 1953]
  | Filmed in Cinecolor; location filming on the Sierra Railroad at Jamestown, California; in 1860, 'Bloody Kansas' was split between Union and pro-slavery forces, and the completion of the railroad to the West was important to both, with Southern sympathizers resorting to violence to prevent the railroad's success. Produced by Walter Wanger; directed by Ray Nazarro; written by Dan Ullman; starring Sterling Hayden, Eve Miller, Barton MacLane, Harry Shannon, Tom Fadden, Reed Hadley, Douglas Fowley, Bob Keys, Irving Bacon, Myron Healey, James Griffith, Clayton Moore, Jonathan Hale Echo Bridge Home Ent. color DVD [1/99] for $3.99 Synergy Ent. {low quality?} color DVD [5/2007] for $9.99 Alpha Video color? DVD [3/2005] for $16.97 United American Video color VHS [10/98] for $3.88 Timeless Multimedia color VHS [10/95] for $9.99 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
watch color version [5/2011 upload; 1:12:52] free online at Internet Archive
"Key System Presents: March of Progress" documentary [1945]
The Key Route System of streetcars, trolleys and buses operated from 1903 to 1960 in the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area
Produced by Hugh Harman Productions; written & directed by Wallace Bosco; narration by Emory Green
watch movie [4/2011 upload; 20:29] online at YouTube
watch movie [11/2003 upload; 20:30] online at Internet Archive
"Kid Blue" [] about train robber w/DHopper
"Lady On A Train" [Universal Aug 1945]
 | Apparently, only the opening sequence takes place on a railroad, the rest was filmed at Universal in Hollywood; a young woman glances out the window of a train arriving at Grand Central Station and sees a murder in an office building; the police do not believe her report . . . Directed by Charles David; screenplay by Edmund Beloin & Robert O'Brien, based on a story by Leslie Charteris; original music by Miklós Rózsa; starring Deanna Durbin {dual role}, Ralph Bellamy, David Bruce, George Coulouris, Allen Jenkins, Dan Duryea, Edward Everett Horton, Jacqueline deWit, Patricia Morison, Elizabeth Patterson, Maria Palmer, Samuel S. Hinds & William Frawley
Universal Studios b&w VHS [11/96] for $28.00 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia available on DVD as part of the Deanna Durbin 6-movie "Sweetheart Pack" [2004] Universal Studios b&w DVD set [8/2004] 2 disks for $9.54 "Lady On A Train: A Bonded Mystery" [1945] by Leslie Charteris Shaw Press movie tie-in mass pb [1945] out of print/used |
"The Lady Vanishes" [Gaumont/M.G.M. Nov 1938]
 | Train scenes filmed in Hampshire, England; when a train is forced to stay overnight at a small station in the mountains of Europe, a young woman talks to a nice old lady; in the morning, she realizes that the old woman is missing, and when everyone tries to convince her that there never was such a woman on board, she is determined to find out the truth. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock; based on a novel by Ethel Lina White; starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Dame May Whitty, Cecil Parke, Linden Travers, Naunton Wayne, Basil Radford & Mary Clare
Criterion b&w DVD [11/2007] 2 disks - out of prodn/many used Criterion b&w DVD [5/98] out of prodn/many used Public Domain Flicks b&w DVD [12/2008] for $19.95 U.A.V. Corp. b&w VHS [7/97] out of prodn/used 11"x17" poster {as at left} from Amazon for $3.66 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "The Wheel Spins" [1936 novel] by Ethel Lina White [1876-1944] I Books / Otto Penzler mass pb [8/2004] out of print/used Zebra / Otto Penzler mass pb [2/87] out of print/many used Bloomsbury Publng 7½x5 pb [5/97] out of print/used Hamish Hamilton, Ltd. hardcover [6/69] out of print/used |
"The Lady Vanishes" remake [Hammer/Rank U.K. 1979]
 | Location filming in Austria, including train scenes; nearly identical plot, with a few names changed and setting changed to World War II. Directed by Anthony Page; new screenplay by George Axelrod, based on prior novel & movie; starring Elliott Gould, Cybill Shepherd, Angela Lansbury, Herbert Lom, Arthur Lowe, Ian Carmichael, Gerald Harper, Jenny Runacre & Jean Anderson not available on Region 1 DVD U.A.V. Corp. color VHS [5/94] for $24.90 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"The Last Bandit" [1949] w/Bill Elliott /tt0041578/
Filmed in California, including on the Fillmore & Western Railroad
"The Last Train"
"Der Letzte Zug" [2006] /tt0460492/
"The Last Train" [Argentina 2002] /tt0303267/
"Last Train From Bombay" [Columbia Pictures 1952] /tt0044827/
"Last Train To Freo" [Australia 2006] /tt0848592/
"Last Train To Pittsfield" [1978] /tt1415277/
20-minute short of that last train along the mesmerizing Housatonic River
"Le Train" aka "The Last Train" [Fox-Lira France Oct 1973]
 | A French radio repairman and his pregnant wife & their child flee the advancing Nazi Army on a train where he meets and falls in love with an attractive fugitive Jewish woman • Co-adapted & directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre; co-adapted by Pascal Jardin, based on the novel by Georges Simenon; starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Romy Schneider, Anne Wiazem-sky, Maurice Biraud, Paul Amiot, Nike Arrighi, Paul Le Person, Roger Ibáñez, Jean Lescot, Franco Mazzieri, Serge Marquand & Régine
B.C.I. / Eclipse color DVD [2002] out of prodn/used American Home Ent. color VHS [4/95] for $19.95 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "The Train" [1958 novel] by Georges Simenon, Translated by Robert Baldick Kindle Edition from Melville House [7/2011] for $8.40 Melville House/Neversink Library 8x5 pb [7/2011] for $10.53 publisher book page |
"The Lightning Express" 10-chapter sound serial [Universal June-Aug 1930]
Chapter Titles: 1. A Shot In Ihe Dark; 2. A Scream of Terror; 3. Dangerous Rails; 4. The Death Trap; 5. Tower of Terror; 6. A Call For Help; 7. The Runaway Freight; 8. The Showdown;
9. The Secret Survey; and 10. Cleared Tracks • Produced & directed by Henry MacRae; adapted by Ford Beebe from "Whispering Smith Rides" by Frank H. Spearman; starring
Al Ferguson {as Whispering Smith}, Lane Chandler, Louise Lorraine, Greta Granstedt, J. Gordon Russell, John Oscar, Martin Cichy & Bob Reeves • full credits at IMDb
More info on real-life railroad detective James L. Smith and the many fiction & non-fiction books & stories and silent & sound movies
is on 'Readers of The Purple Sage' Western Bookstore's "Whispering Smith" Page
"Lionelville: Destination Adventure!" animated family feature
[MoonScoop France Dec 2009]
 | On the eve of Lionel’s annual Christmas display, a fiendish plot to steal the company’s breakthrough technology goes awry, ripping a hole in the fabric of time and space; years later, teenage twins Nancy and Bobby seek to uncover what happened that night, embarking on a perilous journey to an enchanted world where Lionel’s spectacular displays have literally come to life • full credits at IMDb
63-minute family feature film directed by David Mucci Fassett Lionel Trains widescreen color DVD [12/2009] for $1.59 {sic} watch excerpt [12/2014 upload; 2:42] online at YouTube |
"The Little Engine That Could"
The optimistic locomotive appeared in several magazines before publication in book form in 1920; the 'standard' version of the story was published by Platt & Munk,
New York City in 1930, under the pen-name Watty Piper and with illustrations by Lois Lenski. The story is referenced in Walt Disney's animated feature "Dumbo" [1941],
when the locomotive Casey Jr. hauls the circus train up a hill repeating the well known saying "I-Think-I-Can-I-Think-I-Can" and rolling down the hill saying
"I-Thought-I-Could-I-Thought-I-Could". Disney also produced a combination storybook and vinyl record circa 1970.
 | "The Little Engine That Could" [Platt & Munk 1930] by {pseudonym} Watty Piper Grosset & Dunlap 4¼x4¾ mini-hardcover [8/90] for $4.49 Grosset & Dunlap 7¼x8¼ hardcover [3/78] for $8.09 Grosset & Dunlap 9x9½ hardcover [8/90] for $13.98 book entry at Wikipedia |
 |
"The Little Engine That Could" [Coronet Educational Films 1963] ten-minute color cartoon short based on the children's book; no info at either IMDb or Wikipedia watch full cartoon [3/2011 upload; 10:14] online at Internet Archive |
"The Little Engine That Could" animated short
[Universal Studios video release 1991]
 | "The Thrilling Animated Adaptation of The Cherished Children's Classic" 30-minute color animated film co-produced & directed by Dave Edwards; screenplay by Ray Rhamey, based on the Watty Piper book DVD/Blu-ray not available • MCA Home Video color VHS [9/96] for $22.92 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"The Little Engine That Could" animated video release
[Universal Animation Studios March 2011]
 | 82-minute CGI-animated feature directed by Elliot M. Bour; voice actors include Jeff Bennett, Jodi Benson, Jim Cummings, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chelsea Evered, Whoopi Goldberg & Rodney Saulsberry Universal Studios widescreen color DVD [3/2011] for $5.48 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Living It Up" comedy musical [Paramount Pictures July 1954]
 | Technicolor™ remake of 1937 "Nothing Sacred" and the 1953 stageplay "Hazel Flagg"; special AT&SF Chief passenger train loaned for New Mexico scenes that were filmed in the Mojave desert; an unsophisticated stationmaster from provincial New Mexico fraudulently claims that he is dying of radiation poisoning in order to get an expense-paid dream tour of New York City • Directed by Norman Taurog; written by James Street, Ben Hecht, Jack Rose, Melville Shavelson; co-produced by & starring Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis; music by Walter Scharf, 3 songs by Jules Styne; also starring Janet Leigh, Edward Arnold, Fred Clark, Sheree North, Sammy White, Sid Tomack, Sig Ruman, Richard Loo, Raymond Greenleaf, Walter Baldwin, Fay Roope, Art Baker, Stanley Blystone, Frank Branda, Frankie Darro, Franklyn Farnum, Fritz Feld, Eduard Franz, Kathryn Grant, Dabbs Greer, Jewel McGowan, Grady Sutton
Paramount Home Video widescreen color DVD [9/2016] for $22.98 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia • watch official trailer [1/2015 upload; 1:44] online at YouTube |
jump to Railroad Film Festival Page Two-B (Lo thru O)
Spirit of America Bookstore's American Railroads Pages
on page one: top of page • Museums • Class I Railroads • Shortline Railroads • Links
on page two: top of page • Railroad History • Narrow Gauge • Historic Rail Lines
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Spirit of America Bookstore's 'Railroads in Fiction' Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's Railroads in Fiction - Books For Young Railfans Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's 'Non-Fiction Books About Railroads' Pages
America's Shortline Railroads Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's Railroad Film Festival Pages
back on page one: top of page • collections & documentaries • movies, A thru F
here on page two-A: movies, G thru Li (top of page) • on page two-B: movies, Lo thru O
on page three: movies, P thru S • on page four: movies, T thru Z • on page five: documentaries
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