Surfliner in DC

[MrFSS]

I was watching a rerun epsidoe of "The District" which takes place in Washington DC. They were chasing the bad guy through what was suppose to be Union Station. Running down around the train, a Surfliner pulled into the platform. Am I correct this was probably being shot in California to try and make it look like DC. No surf;ines in DC???

 

[AlanB]

Nope, no Surfliners in DC. Only Amfleets, Viewliners, Acelas, and Superliners.

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Well there is VRE "Sounder" Equipment lying around. But yea, no Surfliners.

 

[MrFSS]

Probably cheaper to film in California instead of going to DC. Wonder how many in the audience saw what I did!!

 

[haolerider]

Unfortunately, most wouldn't know the difference. To them, a train is a train.

 

[Trogdor]

Unfortunately, most wouldn't know the difference. To them, a train is a train.

I don't know if that is necessarily "unfortunate" that most people wouldn't know the difference. If everybody knew every inaccurate detail about stuff they saw on TV/movies, the entertainment industry would be nit-picked out of existence.

When I was in Toronto a few months ago for the PCC streetcar charter, the street behind the hotel was being converted into "New York" (complete with a couple of buses painted in the MTA scheme) for a movie shoot. When they see the movie (I don't know what it was they were filming), most folks wouldn't know they were looking at Toronto and not New York.

A friend of mine that lives in Vancouver was telling me of a movie he saw in the theaters recently (again, I don't know which movie). There was a scene where the characters were supposedly walking through a Boston neighborhood, when my friend said "Hey, there's the Homer Cafe. That's right down the street from me!" Folks that weren't from Vancouver would (probably) never know they were looking at a place on the opposite side of the continent than where the scene purportedly took place.

Anyone who is an expert (and anyone that considers him/herself an expert) in a certain area could probably find tons of flaws in movies where the subject of their expertise happens to come up.

However, since I don't have a telescreen, I really don't know much about the scene in question, and couldn't comment on how well the scene (Surfliner notwithstanding) is convincing in making the viewer believe the supposed location.

 

[MrFSS]

However, since I don't have a telescreen, I really don't know much about the scene in question, and couldn't comment on how well the scene (Surfliner notwithstanding) is convincing in making the viewer believe the supposed location.

It was really interesting. There were tracks with 4-5 Amtrak and what looked like some type of commuter trains. Some looked like NJ trains and all the Amtrak trains were single level. Then this Surfliner passes by, maybe 2 seconds. The final part where they catch the bad guy is in a hig-level car. The steps when straight up, no bend half-way up as I've seen before. So, that may have been one of the west coast coach cars?

It all went so fast it was hard to tell what was what.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

Guys remember most TV is fiction, real locations are only used if it is cheap enough. most times a story based in a city can be filmed anyware.

Now having said that I am aware that most of this shows exterier's are shot in DC. I know thiis because of the permit process of DC is frequently reviewd by other cities. This is a city with many security issues that don't exist in other city's, yet most film permits get issued in 3 days. Here in Honolulu where security is easy typicaly takes 5 days. Go Figure.

Is suprising to hear about an NJT train in a DC Station

Another thing only, the LA Union station does have enough tracks for 4 or 5 trains pluss more as ther are 10 tracks in station, some used by Metrolink

Were any of the platforms High Level as DC has both. Also could you see much of the city? I think the DC area is more open.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Nope, no Surfliners in DC.  Only Amfleets, Viewliners, Acelas, and Superliners.

And some Heritage!

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I have seen movies in which shots were made of the "same" train at different times during the movie, and it was different equipment each time!

 

[sechs]

I was happy to see that, in the recent remake of "The Italian Job," the movie actually ended with the folks toasting on a Pacific Parlour car and then a shot of some Superliner equipment leaving the station.

 

[AlanB]

I was happy to see that, in the recent remake of "The Italian Job," the movie actually ended with the folks toasting on a Pacific Parlour car and then a shot of some Superliner equipment leaving the station.

But there were other problems in that movie, like the luggage from train #21 arriving in LA.

I think that there was also a reference to train #59, which also wouldn't be in LA. :blink:

 

[Trogdor]

But there were other problems in that movie, like the luggage from train #21 arriving in LA.

Straying off topic a bit, but one could consider train 21 to run to LA, through its "421" incarnation.

In fact, last year in May, I rode train 422 LAX-SAS and DAL-CHI (bustitution SAS-DAL because the Sunset missed the Eagle connection). Anyway, the recorded announcement in Los Angeles first noted the boarding of train 2, the Sunset Limited. Afterwards, the recording announced the boarding of train 22, the Texas Eagle.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

My ex use to laff her head off listening to "police dispatchers" give directions and locations to Steve Magaret on "Hawaii Five-0" , frequntly going north on an East-West road, or how about the route from Magaret's office to the govenor's office. the two buildings are in real life are next to each other downtown. But the route on film through an area called "blow hole, then through Waikiki, then ? I forget. An impossible sequence to drive, unlesss trying to stall but story line 15 min.