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An Engineer's perspective of the movie 'unstoppable'

posted 14 years ago by suntop007
50 replies | jump to latest

First, I must say that this was a very enjoyable movie well worth the time spent viewing. It does everything a movie should do, intrigue, engage, thrill, and hold your attention. I will dissect a few points but the reader should not take it as me just being critical. I have discussed with several with my co-workers who have seen this movie and we agree that this movie, at the very least increases the mystique and romance of trains and their crews. This movie is truly a "foamer's delight"!

I noticed on other threads the mention of forced early retirement of "Old Heads" like Denzel. The fictitious railroad they are working for was non-union. But the new guys are union and Chris Pine's character was a local chairman for the UTU - United Transportation Union, which I myself am a member of. When there is a renegotation of a work contract where union vs company vs old timers the old timers often do get forced out. The yellow jacket jokes in the movie are tongue in cheek of how newer employees of most major railroads must wear vests for the first 1-5 years.

I have in front of me the incident report of the runaway train the movie was loosely based on. Runaway CSX train May 15, 2001. Location - Stanley Yard in Toledo, Ohio. 3 man crew. CSX 8888 - 22 loads, 25 empties. Engineer failed to control movement to permit stopping in time to line switch, made the decision to dismount and run to line the switch. Engineer tried to remount the engine and his hands slipped off the grad irons and he fell to the ground. He was dragged approx 50 yards taking injuries to his legs and forehead. It travelled 71 miles before being stopped. In that time the train was shot at to try to trigger the fuel shutoff switch like in the movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apsKBo8-zak and a manager eventually boarded the train to bring it to a stop. I watched the interview of this manager the next day on Good Morning America and he said he was "In my comfort zone" when he made the decision to attempt to board the train just like the welder in the movie did. They did attempt to derail it pretty much like they showed in the movie with a series of portable derailers which the train dissentigrated. There was no crew trying to slow it from the front or year. But hell, it makes a helluva good movie!

On to some discrepancies. It was obvious they shot several different endings for the movie, wonder why they made a big deal of the welder on TV at the end - the one who said he was in his comfort zone? Based on the "comfort zone" comment that was made by the RL hero of that day I would bet an alternate ending had Denzel and Chris Pine slowing the train down enough for the welder to jump on board and stop the train.

The scene where the engineer had two locomotives tag the front end to try to steady the speed while some unknown guy tries to rapelle to the locomotive was truly the hardest thing to swallow. If I had tagged my engines to the front of a runaway train, I'd put on some dynamic brakes to keep my locomotives flush against the lead of the runaway, then I'd casually saunter back thru the units and cross over to the cab of the runaway and stop it. We move between moving units over the road all of the time. It did make good suspense though. I thought it was a bit tacky that they have an engineer hero get killed off doing this move and not one thing mentioned in the later script about it at the end.

The politics of the yard master lady, the corporate manager, the CEO was all pretty much spot on, I hate to admit that. Too many times I have seen the big wigs override decisions of their working managers and employees for less than honorable reasons, the results are all too often worse than if they stayed out of it.

Great movie, it'll join my dvd collection that includes Silverstreak, Underseige 2 - Dark territory, and other rail movies I own.

[–] fireflyer40 13 years ago

suntop007, glad to see a fellow railroad man put up a review of this flick. ;) In fact, I think the characterisation here was what I liked best about this film. Old head vs. young pup, harried middle-manager vs. arrogant upstairs fat-ass making matters worse, harebrained train crew trying to take the quick and easy course instead of the safe one. You ain't kidding, brother, the characters are dead-on true to life and their interactions just make them even better. (I gotta feel bad for the engineer in the Crazy Eights incident, having to relive his penultimate screw-up through this film.)

Not gonna lie, you opened my eyes saying that they could have just hitched those two SD's to the train, put the dynamic on full and then gone back to the cab of the runaway to cut the power off. I never thought of that; my guess was, desperate times arise and guys don't always think of an easier alternative in time.

The big thing that's really gnawing on me is how the throttle on the runaway could possibly have opened by itself like that. The newest engine I've ever run was a cantankerous B39-8, but I can only assume the throttles on newer power are no easier to notch up despite the desktop arrangement....?

Anyway, not all good but not all bad, this flick. However, as train films go, 'The Train' with Burt Lancaster will always top my list. Not for no reason it also topped the list of 100 Greatest Train Movies a couple of years back.

[–] glesteph 13 years ago

I'm surprised nobody mentioned "Runaway Train" from 1985, starring John Voight,
Rebecca DeMornay, and Eric Roberts. There are a great number of similarities as well as differences which could be worth discussing,

[–] Dreamer1 12 years ago

So far, that's the film I've seen involving trains that's (IIRC) taken the fewest liberties with reality. That said, it's been a while since I've seen it so I reserve the right to award myself a facepalm for something forgotten/overlooked. :D

D

[–] surround_sound 13 years ago

Thanks for your great comments. As an engineer, I enjoyed the movie too and having been involved with some minor incidents and major emergencies at work, the scenes involving the 'management' of the disaster from those in the offices 'felt' right. The most infuriating part of the movie was the news segments, the rapelling was not a deal breaker for me - it is a Scott film - but overall the movie was well executed and acted.

[–] Kieselguhr 13 years ago

So how did they stop the real train?

Thanks for the comments. It was a great movie, which was surprising.

[–] fireflyer40 13 years ago

In the real-life incident, you mean? IIRC, there actually was another engine pursuing the runaway that coupled onto its tail end. But there was no need for all the thrilling heroical air-brake/handbrake action we saw in the movie. The crew of the pursuing engine just engaged its dynamic brake (which is similar to the jake brake in a large truck), which helped to slow the runaway; then I seem to recall that as it headed up a hill, it slowed down enough for a trainmaster to run alongside it, leap on board and cut off the power. But that wouldn't have made for an exciting and popcorny yet terribly unrealistic movie, now would it?

[–] LadySailor1975 13 years ago

Interesting post. My late grandfather was an engineer for Union Pacific and I bet he would have said many of the same things. He died in 1979. He worked there for 30 years, when it was Union Missouri and it was a passenger train service. (As you know, it was later bought by another company and turned into a freight service)

My boyfriend is an engineer for Amtrak (I met him because I travel Amtrak ALOT) and he loves the movie. He said they explained many things very well, although more info could have been given on a few things. He and I LOVED that ending. Wow! Jumping from a moving pick-up onto a moving locomotive was GREAT thinking.

We do wonder why Ned was so focused on in the press conference, though we considered him a hero also.

I think this is best runaway train movie ever and I have the Blu-Ray and I watch it often.

Hope you have a great week.

Think you can outrun the world? (Barbossa)

[–] Dreamer1 12 years ago

The Union Missouri? You sure you don't mean the Missouri Pacific? And as far as railroads in general are concerned (at least on this continent), with the exception of interurbans they've all been freight carriers from the get-go. Freight pays the freight (so to speak) and passenger trains were a social necessity that rather rarely paid their way. That's why Amtrak was set up; to maintain a rail passenger presence in the States while relieving the railroads from the cost of providing even minimal service. In the 70s, railroading was in a touch-and-go situation financially and in fact, a number of them in the northeast US that were in (or approaching) bankruptcy were amalgamated and the overlapping routes rationalised to form Conrail which was later purchased by CSX IIRC.

D

[–] questionz_99 13 years ago

[I have discussed with several with my co-workers who have seen this movie and we agree that this movie, at the very least increases the mystique and romance of trains and their crews.]

Ha ha ha! Nice try, Choo-Choo Charlie. Now why don't you go back to your Lionel set in the basement and have a good time?

[–] KrAv3 13 years ago

Questionz 99 what do you find so hilarious about his posts? What is funny, though, is that you know of Lionel trains.

[–] fyrmnkee 12 years ago

Enjoyed reading your post Suntop. My husband was a CSX engineer (now retired-BLET) and his comments during the movie and your's were very close. Thank you for posting a very concise post.

Kay C

[–] danwat1234 12 years ago

I am a train enthusiast and I found this movie to be enjoyable but at the same time quite annoying.

When the elder train engineer is driving his locomotive in front of the runaway train, he slows and the eventually they connect. But repeatedly the driver decides to accelerate away from the runaway over and over again and then bang back into the runaway!! Also, when his locomotive is tipping over, he honks his train horn, kind of an odd time to do it.

By the way, they totally screwed up the train horns sounds and the doppler effect many times in this movie.

When the runaway hits the box car, that box car is fake. A box car's frame is all metal, it would leave some significant damage to the front end of that locomotive and wouldn't have exploded into a bunch of little pieces like that.

When Densel and Captain Kirk latch up at the end of the train I don't understand why their locomotive and the last car that they are connected to don't stay tight. Instead the locomotive keeps on getting lurched by the last car! Totally unrealistic if they are consistently braking. DRAMATIZATION to make the movie more interesting, it is irritating.

The whole 'match the throttle with the dynamic braking' is crap. You use the physical brake pads as much as you can unless they are about to catch on fire or fall apart or the wheels are about to lock up and you keep dynamic braking on full to ease the strain on the brake pads. You keep the wheels from locking up, this way you have more friction. Of course Densel being a ~28 year veteran of the railroad, he should know this. But instead we see him keep all the axles of his locomotive locked up most of the time.

Towards the end when Densel is on the freight cars and Captain Kirk is in the driver's seat. Densel tells Captain Kirk to repeatedly use the independant brakes. He keeps on engaging it fully and then disengaging, what is the point of that and why does Densel say to wait for his word before doing it? You should do it as early as possible and stay consistent. It takes time to convert the train's momentum to heat.

It's just an unrealistic mess that from a guy in school towards engineering, it really kind of ruins it for me.

[–] 12 years ago

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