Trains in Fiction
While we often forget about it since it's not as integral to our lives and our ability to travel, at one time trains were the lifeblood of travel, commerce, and industry in this country.
Because of that they featured prominently into several mediums of fiction early (and even presently) in America's history.
Here are some films where trains and railroads are featured as more than just a background prop.
Harry Potter Series True, there are plenty of magical means for the characters to get around in the series, but at least in the beginning, at least when they're making their way to Hogwarts, they take a train.
The magical properties of the train can be debated elsewhere, but between making the first trip the school of magic, being attacked by magical prison guards, and confronting Malfoy, Harry Potter had quite a few memories on a train that figured quite prominently into a world where broomsticks flying in the air wasn't out of the question.
The Great Train Robbery Yes it's based on a true story, but I think the name pretty much explains why it's on this list.
While I certainly won't go into the details of the movie (you have to watch it), I will say that it's Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, and a train robbery set in the mid 1800s.
If that's not enough reason to go and rent the film then I really don't know what else to say.
Strangers on a Train This classic from Alfred Hitchcock is familiar to just about everybody, but just in case you haven't heard the rough plot, here it is.
Two strangers meet on a train and begin talking, sharing the details of their lives.
Both soon learn that there's a person that the other wants to be not alive anymore, and it's suggested that they agree to swap murders, removing motive from the equation to help get away with the crime.
Unfortunately, only one of the men actually wants to go through with the crime, and this leads to a dramatic conclusion and a final scene on the train.
Unstoppable A more recent addition to the film world starring Chris Pine and Denzel Washington, about a train carrying hazardous materials that becomes a runaway and the efforts of the Pine and Washington characters to stop the train without having to derail it, which would cause damage not just from the crash, but from the potential for the materials being carried by the train to be exposed as well.
North by Northwest Another Hitchcock film, though this one doesn't have the train as quite as integral a piece as Strangers on a Train, still it's Cary Grant boarding a train for several pivotal scenes and anytime you put Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock, and a train together, something good is bound to happen.
Back to the Future Part III We'd had the Delorean as the time machine for several movies, but with the third installation of this film franchise taking us back the wild west, trains made their presence felt, with one of the final scenes of the film being Doc Brown arriving in the future with a train that he's converted into a time machine, and has even given the ability to fly.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Twice made into a movie and once into a TV movie, the plot of both the 1974 and 2009 films were similar, with changes taking into account the modern age and the fact that $1 million ransom would be laughed at.
A subway train is taken hostage, with demands for money made and while the motives of the hostage takers changes with the times, in the end it's up to the dispatcher that takes the original random demand to ensure that everybody gets out of the train alive.
Because of that they featured prominently into several mediums of fiction early (and even presently) in America's history.
Here are some films where trains and railroads are featured as more than just a background prop.
Harry Potter Series True, there are plenty of magical means for the characters to get around in the series, but at least in the beginning, at least when they're making their way to Hogwarts, they take a train.
The magical properties of the train can be debated elsewhere, but between making the first trip the school of magic, being attacked by magical prison guards, and confronting Malfoy, Harry Potter had quite a few memories on a train that figured quite prominently into a world where broomsticks flying in the air wasn't out of the question.
The Great Train Robbery Yes it's based on a true story, but I think the name pretty much explains why it's on this list.
While I certainly won't go into the details of the movie (you have to watch it), I will say that it's Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, and a train robbery set in the mid 1800s.
If that's not enough reason to go and rent the film then I really don't know what else to say.
Strangers on a Train This classic from Alfred Hitchcock is familiar to just about everybody, but just in case you haven't heard the rough plot, here it is.
Two strangers meet on a train and begin talking, sharing the details of their lives.
Both soon learn that there's a person that the other wants to be not alive anymore, and it's suggested that they agree to swap murders, removing motive from the equation to help get away with the crime.
Unfortunately, only one of the men actually wants to go through with the crime, and this leads to a dramatic conclusion and a final scene on the train.
Unstoppable A more recent addition to the film world starring Chris Pine and Denzel Washington, about a train carrying hazardous materials that becomes a runaway and the efforts of the Pine and Washington characters to stop the train without having to derail it, which would cause damage not just from the crash, but from the potential for the materials being carried by the train to be exposed as well.
North by Northwest Another Hitchcock film, though this one doesn't have the train as quite as integral a piece as Strangers on a Train, still it's Cary Grant boarding a train for several pivotal scenes and anytime you put Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock, and a train together, something good is bound to happen.
Back to the Future Part III We'd had the Delorean as the time machine for several movies, but with the third installation of this film franchise taking us back the wild west, trains made their presence felt, with one of the final scenes of the film being Doc Brown arriving in the future with a train that he's converted into a time machine, and has even given the ability to fly.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Twice made into a movie and once into a TV movie, the plot of both the 1974 and 2009 films were similar, with changes taking into account the modern age and the fact that $1 million ransom would be laughed at.
A subway train is taken hostage, with demands for money made and while the motives of the hostage takers changes with the times, in the end it's up to the dispatcher that takes the original random demand to ensure that everybody gets out of the train alive.
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