Amtrak in the Movies

[Fireman_Steve]

I'd be interested in hearing about Hollywood movies that actually show Amtrak trains in some of their scenes.

I will start it off with two movies that I recently saw on video. "A perfect murder" Showed a young artist getting onto a sleeper car in New York Penn Station for a trip to Montreal and Steven Douglas was waiting in the bathroom to attack him.

Another movie was "Witness" It was out in the 80's I think and had Harrison Ford as a Baltimore cop investigating a murder in the Philadelphia train station that was witnessed by a young Amish boy.

An earlier scene saw the amish boy and his mom getting on board a amtrak train for the trip from rural PA to Philadelphia.

Does anyone know of other first run movies that show amtrak trains as part of their scenes.

 

[Fireman_Steve]

Got confused in the last post. Harrison Ford played a Philly cop investigating the murder of an undercover narcotics officer killed in the Philly train station restroom.

The amish family was traveling to Baltimore from Philly.

 

[EmpireBuilderFan]

One I can think of at the top of my head is "Rain Man." In the last scene, where Dustin Hoffman's character is returning to the mental hospital, you see the back of a single-level car (I don't remember what kind) leaving Los Angles Union Station.

 

[Amfleet]

This is a TV show, but in "Murder She Wrote" many scenes were shot on Amtrak trains. In the Murder She Wrote movie the whole theme was based onboard an Amtrak Superliner train out West.

 

[Steve4031]

I believe you are both wrong on the end points for the Amish familiy's trip in Witness. I believe they are going from Lancaster, PA to Baltimore. They changed in 30th street station where the boy witnessed the murder in the mens washroom.

The Amish live around Lancastar. Also, the famly rides an amfleet train that I believe is traveling on the keystone corridor.

 

[Fireman_Steve]

You are correct about the departure point and the intended final destination in Witness. We rented the movie tonight.

My son just reminded me that in the Jim Carey movie "Me Myself and Irene" They have a good shot of a lounge car from the outside as Jim Carey gets off of the train.

 

[Amfleet]

Also in Me Myself & Irene they "do it" in a Viewliner Deluxe Bedrooms. B)

 

[Steve4031]

You are correct about the departure point and the intended final destination in Witness. We rented the movie tonight.
My son just reminded me that in the Jim Carey movie "Me Myself and Irene" They have a good shot of a lounge car from the outside as Jim Carey gets off of the train.

Didn't he get kicked in the nuts in a deluxe room in that movie? I remember seeing that in the previews

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I am going strictly from memory here....and I stand corrected if need be.....but I belieive that in "Rainman" the outside of the car was sort of believable enough, perhaps Amfleet. But I think the inside of the car had straight backed seats, like a commuter train car....at least that is how I remember it.......Would be glad for somebody to clarify that.

 

[seajay]

All I can remember from "Rain Man" (without going home at lunch and watching the ending) is that when Raymond and the doctor were pulling out of Union Station in Los Angeles, they were facing backwards. I always hoped they made it back to Cincinnati in time to watch Wapner. Yeah.

seajay

 

[us17]

In the movie "Dogma", they have a scene aboard a train and IIRC, an Amfleet II coach and lounge are shown.

I don't think there was any actual train footage, but there was one scene in "Unbreakable" that was shot in 30th Street Station in Philly.

 

[Steve4031]

Unbreakable, with Bruce Willis, has an extended Amtrak scene at the begining of the movie. Bruce Willis's character is riding from NYC Penn to Philadalphia 30thstreet when his train derails. He is the only survivor. The interior shots are realistic, and when you look out the window, you can see the poles for the eletrical system on the NE Corriodor. Pretty realistic.

 

[The Dude]

How do the movies get Amtrak to let them film the cars? :unsure:

 

[Amfleet]

I think Hollywood probably has mock-ups of Amtrak interiors that resemble an Amfleet or Superliner. I'm not exactly sure though.

 

[Coach34135]

Also in Me Myself & Irene they "do it" in a Viewliner Deluxe Bedrooms. B)

I sure don't remember Jim Carrey in a train in Me Myself & Irene, they tried jumping onto a train but didn't make it. I think i need to take out the movie.

 

[Coach34135]

I think Hollywood probably has mock-ups of Amtrak interiors that resemble an Amfleet or Superliner. I'm not exactly sure though.

Its not amtrak but my hubby & I found in a shed out off the 10(in cal) in the middle of nowheresland a full size mockup of the SP Daylight steam & tender. That was funky. There were some other movie mockup stuff in there also, plus a real caboose out front to boot. We were checking out the caboose when we notices a bight orange something in the shed and looked in and say it was a daylight engine mockup.

 

[blackcharlie]

the classic 'trading places' took amtrak between philly & ny