Amtrak in a Movie.

[stntylr]

Can't think of any movie scenes but I remember an episode from the popular sitcom on CBS The Big Bang Theory (Season 2, Episode 17 for those of you who follow the show) where the lead characters take a train from Los Angeles to San Francisco, a major part of the show is shot with passengers sitting inside a train. The lead protagonist Dr Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) mentions they are taking the Coast Starlight though I can't say which train it was actually shot on. The episode had several humorous quotes by Sheldon that revolved around the train travel but I can't seem to find or recollect them now, except this one-

Sheldon to his friends, about the journey on Coast Starlight- "On this side, you'll see panoramic ocean vistas inaccessible to any other form of transportation, while on your side, you'll be treated to 350 miles of Costcos, Jiffy Lubes and cinderblock homes with above-ground pools."

This summer Chuck Lorre the show's producer and the cast of the Big Bang Theory rode Amtrak together from LA to San Diego for Comic Con. I hope they got to see the panoramic ocean vistas.

 

[johnny.menhennet]

I take the train from SOL-LA all the time, and two years ago, during the last season of Monk, I was one of 50 extras that they used after getting off of the Pac Surf... also, in the Garfield movie made a while ago, they used a control room, as well as track 9 & 10 (I think) at LAUS - they changed the lettering on the front of the station to TRAIN STATION instead of the usual UNION STATION

 

[SarahZ]

Can't think of any movie scenes but I remember an episode from the popular sitcom on CBS The Big Bang Theory (Season 2, Episode 17 for those of you who follow the show) where the lead characters take a train from Los Angeles to San Francisco, a major part of the show is shot with passengers sitting inside a train. The lead protagonist Dr Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) mentions they are taking the Coast Starlight though I can't say which train it was actually shot on. The episode had several humorous quotes by Sheldon that revolved around the train travel but I can't seem to find or recollect them now, except this one-

Sheldon to his friends, about the journey on Coast Starlight- "On this side, you'll see panoramic ocean vistas inaccessible to any other form of transportation, while on your side, you'll be treated to 350 miles of Costcos, Jiffy Lubes and cinderblock homes with above-ground pools."

That was a great episode, and that quote always makes me laugh.

 

[Donctor]

I take the train from SOL-LA all the time, and two years ago, during the last season of Monk, I was one of 50 extras that they used after getting off of the Pac Surf

That's really cool. I dug that show.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

Maybe they do not have the impact of Hollywood movies, but Many times Amtrak is a star in the movies made by AU members at Gatherings and other times.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

For the Umpteen time I watched "Grease" . Durring the Thunder Road race scene there is about 1 second of an Amtrak train on the left side of the screen. This was shot in the LA river between 1st and 4th street. Interesting that they allowed the train to be seen as the period for the movie is the 60's.

 

[reefgeek]

1320566441[/url]' post='327916']

1320422919[/url]' post='327685']Anyone who really likes this movie can come to my town (Rockaway NJ) and have a tour of most of the places where it was filmed! The train cars where Peter Dinklage lived (Newfoundland NJ) just off Rt 23.

The bar where he caused a fuss, and the former train store, and the railway trestle where they waited to watch the train (Rockaway Borough) all about 3 blocks apart.

The "Hospital" was actually my son's school at the time.

Pretty good indie flick.

What bar? I used to work at The Exchange is that the one?

The bar is the Trackside Tavern, a skinny old building next to the Morristown & Erie Tracks. Was a classic NJ "old man bar" lst time I was in there, years ago.

 

[lthanlon]

I've always been surprised that Amtrak apparently cooperated to such an extent in the filming of "Disaster on the Coastliner," a 1979 made-for-TV movie in which a psycho breaches security and puts two trains on the same track after hacking into the railroad's computer system. Its signage is prominently displayed at Los Angeles Union Station, and a runaway Amtrak locomotive derails in a spectacular finale.

.

 

[benjibear]

I've always been surprised that Amtrak apparently cooperated to such an extent in the filming of "Disaster on the Coastliner," a 1979 made-for-TV movie in which a psycho breaches security and puts two trains on the same track after hacking into the railroad's computer system. Its signage is prominently displayed at Los Angeles Union Station, and a runaway Amtrak locomotive derails in a spectacular finale.

I just finished watching this movie on Netflix online. While I am sure there are some technical inacuracies, it was entertaining enough and kept me interested. I like how it was called the Trans Allied Railroad Co. but almost all the signage was for Amtrak, National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Also, I notcied the one conductor had a PRR conductor hat on.

 

[JVOhanian]

Hey all. I am new to this board (normally I post over at nyctransitforums). I am a bus operator for NJ Transit and also have a great interest in trains, Amtrak included. I have taken many trips on Amtrak and have always enjoyed seeing Amtrak in the movies and on television.

Here is the "Night Train" episode of B.L. Stryker, with Burt Reynolds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0gMdpKQ94Y

While the Amtrak name is prominently displayed throughout the episode, the name is not actually mentioned once in speech (nor is it a made-up railroad, like in the aforementioned Disaster on the Coastliner - also a great film!)

Here are my comments on "Night Train":

It appears (and would make sense) that all the exterior station scenes were filmed at the same station. Obviously the exterior motion shots are all different trains, probably stock footage.

Now the interiors... the sleeper may be an actual rail car as the dimensions and features seem about right. It does not appear that they are Amtrak interiors, though. Private varnish, maybe?

The club car (first seen at 16:40 and several more times) is most obviously a set - it is WAAAAAY too wide! Great setup, though - would be nice if some cars did actually look like that inside, although they'd be much more compact.

Also, the inside of "Williamsburg" station (starting at 1:03:37) looks more like DC Union Station ... I want to say it is, but it just doesn't quite look right.

Lastly, take a look at the fake Solari board (1:05:39) for a few laughs and some eye catchers - you'll see "Corridor/Coast", Newark and Trenton as destinations. The detail is actually pretty accurate, just in the wrong spots. Somebody did do their homework, just didn't execute it right.

Not a bad watch, and of course Burt Reynolds is just a class act!

 

[cuppb001]

Not a movie but in the Gordon Ramsey show Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon takes the train on multiple occasions in the different episodes. They have showed him disembarking from Horizon cars, Metra cars, NJT, and Amtrak California cars.