Abduction Movie and Amtrak

Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
reefgeek

reefgeek

Lead Service Attendant
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Messages
302
Location
NWK
Don't know if this is the right place for this post.

I saw the trailer for a new movie called Abduction last night. I can't vouch for the movie's story or quality, seems like some sort of "I was a teenage Jason Bourne" thing. But Amtrak is featured prominently in the trailer. There are several shots of engines, a fight inside the moving train, even some alone time with the female love interest in a bedroom! What's next? Will they have the railroad French Toast? Do they know how to make up their own room? Amtrak certainly paid up for this one, and I think it's great, since a lot of the 20-somethings I meet, people in the target audience, have no idea you can take a train long-distance. Give the trailer a look, train stuff shows up around 1:40.

Abduction Trailer
 
TraneMan said:
I'll have to go and watch this movie!

Viewliner has window shades? Red seats?
Click to expand...
That's funny, I was staring at the ventilation controls and didn't notice the color. Either (A) the set designer got loose, or (B) they actually filmed it in Canada, like a lot of movies these days.
 
The movie was shot in Pittsburgh last July. IIRC the (just out of rebuild) 817 was used as well as a few private heritage coaches that got a new Amtrak interior and paint job.
 
I got the DVD from Netflix, and did enjoy the Amtrak shot!

A few things that was not right, but I've never been on the Viewliner before, so some views I seen may be wrong.

#29 does not go to Omaha.

There's was steam coming out between "Lake Pepin" car and the locomotive.

Pull down shades in the room??

The bed is red, but chair is blue in the bedroom.

No table between the two seats in the bedroom.

824 was pulling into the station, on track it was 2.

I thought Pepsi was only served on Amtrak? It had Coke Products.

No red "emergency pull" handel on the window.
 
I just finished watching that movie, I thought it was great with tons of action! I gotta say, I have never, ever seen a shine on any Amtrak Engine, in my life, like this one was. I could not catch the number, but the engine was totally bad! The snack car had great looking food items and yes, I noticed the Coke instead of Pepsi, that was a big blooper. No pull handle on the window, the window shades were pulled down in the passageway (no shades usually), I thought of that and the bedroom seemed mighty big (connecting). The hero, young Taylor boy, had his head put though the window and he did not even feel it, he is surely on his way to greatness! I have to suspect all of the shots inside were done on a sound stage. A younger version of Jason Bourne.

reefgeek is right, Amtrak was a big co-star here.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Maybe Pepsi thought the movie was so bad (it has been almost uniformly panned) that it didn't want to spend the dough on product placement.
 
I haven't seen the movie. I justed added it so I get it through netflix. It looks like one of the modern action movies that looks like there isn't much story line but alot of unbeleivable action.
 
I should add that Coke Products were in the movie because Coke PAID to have their brand in the movie! :cool: If you ever see starbucks cups in movies. They pay for those to be in there! Amtrak paid to be in the movie believe it or not for Publicity. Just something to think about. They weren't just thrown in. They paid for it. Same with the Dark Knight. They paid to be in that too.
 
Just watched the trailer.

If Train Windows were that easy to break one could imagine how many broken windows they would go through in a week. Not to mention looking at it from the FireFighters position it takes 5 or 6 good blows with the butt end of a multi hook to break a window on a train.
 
Some of the cars used in the movie were owned by Friends of the 261, a group that I work for based in Minneapolis, MN. They own Milwaukee Road 261 steam engine which will be returning for service hopefully here in 2012. I sell some of the railroad books I wrote on there and narrate for passengers in the Super Dome and Cedar Rapids cars. Anyway, for awhile in late August 2010, the cars used in the movie were sitting on a side track at the MSP Amtrak depot and I was able to get some photos.

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/12463

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/12464

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/12464#12466
 
Acela150 said:
TraneMan said:
Acela150 said:
. Same with the Dark Knight. They paid to be in that too.
Click to expand...

I looked for this movie, and I didn't see it on Netflix?
Click to expand...
You didn't find The Dark Knight??? It was a hit!!! The sequel comes out this summer. This is it's IMBD profile.
Click to expand...
Ok, I found it now.. I just typed in "Dark Knight", and came back with many movies, but once I did the "The Dark Knight", then it showed what you were talking about. Amtrak must of been in it for a short time? I didn't see it in the preview.
 
Watched this movie yesterday on DVR. I did note that P40 #824 was the loco on the train while at the boarding station. However, when the train makes an emergency stop, it was then P42 #2.
 
Acela150 said:
I should add that Coke Products were in the movie because Coke PAID to have their brand in the movie! :cool: If you ever see starbucks cups in movies. They pay for those to be in there! Amtrak paid to be in the movie believe it or not for Publicity. Just something to think about. They weren't just thrown in. They paid for it. Same with the Dark Knight. They paid to be in that too.
Click to expand...
Amtrak does not pay for product placement. They will sell movie production companies seats, windows, and other interior hardware to use in sound stage shots, which is why sometimes the interior detail does not match what you are accustomed to seeing on-board. The design staff will change to whatever color or detail they want. Money is no object with movie production companies. Private cars are also'used , which accounts for bedrooms that look like European bedrooms and lounge cars that look like the 50s & 60s style. "ain't imagination grand?". Actually, Amtrak can't afford to allow actual cars to be used, since there are no extra pieces of equipment.
 
haolerider said:
Actually, Amtrak can't afford to allow actual cars to be used, since there are no extra pieces of equipment.
Click to expand...
I would say that is not always the case. We have seen Amtrak make up special trains for stuff like Good Morning America and Martina McBride. So I guess they can find extra equipment when they want to.
 
printman2000 said:
haolerider said:
Actually, Amtrak can't afford to allow actual cars to be used, since there are no extra pieces of equipment.
Click to expand...
I would say that is not always the case. We have seen Amtrak make up special trains for stuff like Good Morning America and Martina McBride. So I guess they can find extra equipment when they want to.
Click to expand...
I agree, but I would also say that the PR value of Good Morning America and Martina McBride would out weigh the PR value of a fleeting glance at Amtrak equipment in a movie.....unless, of course the entire movie was about Amtrak!
 
Hey, my thread is back! :lol:

Be sure to watch the first few minutesd of the Johnny Depp / Tim Burton remake of Dark Shadows. One of the characters has to go to Maine to work in the Collins household and so she takes a familair looking train. Nice that they used aerial shots of the RIGHT train, with a P42 at each end! But weird that in a movie that takes exquisite care to get all its 1970s details right they had to use modern Amtrak rolling stock!
 
reefgeek said:
Be sure to watch the first few minutesd of the Johnny Depp / Tim Burton remake of Dark Shadows. One of the characters has to go to Maine to work in the Collins household and so she takes a familair looking train. Nice that they used aerial shots of the RIGHT train, with a P42 at each end! But weird that in a movie that takes exquisite care to get all its 1970s details right they had to use modern Amtrak rolling stock!
Click to expand...
The modern equipment isn't the biggest problem: in the 1970s, it wouldn't even have been possible to take the train to Maine.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top