Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger!
Oscar "Manny" Manheim

Runaway Train
Runaway train starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay was released in 1985.  James Berardinelli says in his review, "Jon Voight plays Manny, a hardened criminal who is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Alaska. Manny has recently spent three years locked in solitary confinement. Upon his release, he is hailed as a hero by the rest of the prison population. One of his most ardent fans is Buck (Eric Roberts), a dumb, garrulous, cocky rapist whose job pushing laundry carts becomes a critical element of Manny's escape plan. With Buck tagging along, Manny makes his way through the sewers under the prison, out into the cruel Alaskan wilderness, and to a remote train station. There, the two stowaway on a 4-engine train headed south, unaware that the engineer has died of a heart attack, and the only one else on board is Sara (Rebecca De Mornay), a female maintenance worker. The train is out of control and rushing down the tracks towards a collision with destiny."   In an effort to slow and possibly stop the train, the trio tries to disconnect the lines between the locomotives. To add to the excitement, the warden has discovered they are on the train and tries to board via a helicopter. I'll stop here so as to not spoil the ending which showcases some of the finest acting ever captured on film.

There were Oscar nominations for both stars Jon Voight (Best Actor) and Eric Roberts (Best Supporting Actor) plus a nomination for Henry Richardson (Best Editing) at the 1986 Academy Award celebrations.  At the Golden Globe Awards, Jon Voight was selected as a winner for Best Actor (Drama).
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The Making of Runaway Train
The ARRC placed some tight restrictions on Cannon Films regarding safety and they were not permitted to show the "Alaska Railroad" name or logo on any piece of equipment.  The filming took place in the area of Portage, Whittier, Grandview and Tunnel.  The film production company did have a fatality during the filming wherein Rick Holley, a helicopter pilot, was killed when his helicopter hit a power line in the canyon north of Tunnel Section. This occurred on 9 March 1985 and was listed as "helicopter accident en route to Alaska filming location."

The film's locomotive lineup was a GP40, F7 #1500 and three ex-army GP7's with the ARR type-b trucks.  On the units you will notice two distinct ARR trademarks; the high winterization hatch (CP or CN were about the only other roads that had such a tall hatch), plus the ARR plow which is unlike any others.  For filming, water based paint was used so it could be later removed.  Furthermore, some major modifications were made to the units themselves.  Says Josh Coran, ARR Chief Mechanic, "The hood units were GP7s.....the props people converted them back to high short hoods.  They had done so well that one day when I walked around the corner and ran into one it took me a long time (minutes) to figure out where this old high hood unit came from.  Our Chief Engineer at the time, Obie Weeks, was an aspiring actor and since he was a member of Actors' Equity he got a part in the movie.  He is a train crew member with the horrible line in which he refers to his "caboose man." instead of "conductor" (or "rear brakeman" or something a little more like a real railroad position).  I did get the script changed a little.  I objected to the scene in which Voight climbs out the cab window of the F unit and makes his way at great peril to the next unit.  They made me feel better by having debris from the wrecked caboose jamb (the inward opening) nose door."

During the filming, the film crew didn't have as much snow here as they had anticipated and some filming took place in Montana.   The historic Old Montana Territorial prison, built in 1870 and located in Deer Lodge, Montana, was used as one of the locations.  They also rented an F unit and did some filming in Butte, Montana on the BA&P.  The early train scenes in the movie are shot in the shop and roundhouse areas of the BA&P at their shops in Anaconda.

A "special" premiere of the film was held in Anchorage since the majority of the scenes were shot there.   [Webmaster's note: This movie was being shown on the flight that took me on my first visit to Alaska in 1986.  What a coincidence!]
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Additional notes from the press kit:
"You have to be an optimist to make a film about trains." director Andrei Konchalovsky states.  "Working with trains was very difficult, dangerous, and complicated.  The engines were an enormous amount of steel, very difficult to stop, and treacherous to work around."

The film company took extra precautions to insure the safety of the crew.  Not one shot was taken without everybody securely rigged or hooked to the moving train.  They even hired trained mountaineers to guarantee that everybody who worked on the train was properly strapped.

The train sequences were filmed on the seward main track of the Alaska Railroad, which runs from Seward, through Anchorage, and up to Fairbanks.  The company shot on locations 60 miles up the mountains, with no roads, and were only accessible by helicopter or train.  It was a wild environment, where bald eagles, moose an jack rabbits were seen almost daily.

Filming on the main track created a unique problem.  Other trains were coming through on it.  In the words of Ted Hewitt, the Alaskan railman assigned to the film, "The normal train traffic runs as it is supposed to.  The movie train has to take to a siding and be clear of the regular train."

Therefore, three cameras were used to film most scenes.  "It was necessary," Hume stated, "While making a run on a track, we had to get as many shots as possible before another train came through."

The filmmakers wanted to give the film a cold, severe look.  And although the film was shot in color, they have given it a black and white look with traces of color added.  This, they felt, would highlight the contrasting majesty of the Alaskan mountain wilderness, with its bleak trees and black rocks against the white of its snow.  And it also heighten the image of the monstrous black train hurdling down the tracks under the bright white sky.

It was Konchalovsky's decision to make "Runaway Train" look as much like a documentary film as possible.  Therefore, Hume and and camera crew placed their cameras in awkward positions, to make the picture look as uncomposed and spontaneous as if you just hung out the window with the camera, or were hanging by a piece of string on the edge of the train.

The prison sequences were filmed on location at the historic Old Montana Territorial prison in Deer Lodge, Montana, which was built in 1870, and was an operating prison until six years ago...

The remainder of the film was shot in train yards and studios in Los angeles.  The company also filmed in another historic landmark, Hollywood's Pan Pacific Auditorium, which currently is closed and awaits restoration.  In this 400 foot wide, 200 foot long structure, they built an exact replica of the trains' engines and interiors, complete down to their rivets.  There were constructed so they rocked backwards and forwards, and even twisted.  Their couplings could be coupled and uncoupled,...even their speedometers worked."

Additional information from Rhys Davis, UK

Production notes
The lead engine was number 3010. I know this because the cover of the UK DVD has a close up of the engine on the cover, and the number is clearly visible, being the only part not shredded from the collision. The irony here is that a photo of this engine is on the banner on your homepage, behind one of the SD70s.

Secondly, the fourth engine is definitely numbered 812, as it is not only visible when Manny and Buck board the engine, but it is chalked on the engineer's controls. You see this in a shot of Manny in the engineer seat before Buck starts talking about a bank job Manny pulled in Reno ("I was in reform school, that was so hot! Man, 2 million similoens, Man that was hot"). Whether these numbers are connected to the ARR or the BA&P, where the yard scenes were filmed, I don't know. (You can see BA&P written on the side of a tank wagon behind two yardmen as they see Al fall off the engine.)

Added 1/16/07: After a ridiculous amount of time rewatching Runaway Train I was able to indentify the four locos in the consist - 3010, 1500, 1801 (it has a unique shape to the running plate over the fuel tank) and 1810 (rounded roof).

As for locations, I'm a bit short. The only one I'm sure of is that Jordan, where the train is nearly derailed, is Portage Junction. (After the signal maintainer says "I'll be g____, sonuva b____!" and changes the switch, you can see a set of wagons behind him on the third side of the triangle shaped junction).

As for alterations from the original script, there are many. The biggest difference from the plot is the chase sequence, where Barstow orders a set of locomotives to chase the runaway, hook up, and brake her. However, the chase is called off because they fear that if the runaway tears up Seneca bridge (located on the Whittier branch I believe), the pursuing train will be wrecked.

The Script
Akira Kurosawa's original script, entitled Boso Kikansha in Japanese, was based on a similar incident that occurred in Rochester, NY.

It was originally to be bankrolled by Embassy Pictures, and started when the convicts boarded the train, calling for no prison sequences.

There were several large changes between the first-draft English script (credited to Djorje Milicevic as the writer and dated 15th January 1985) and the final production script. These were mainly smaller details, the main plot remaining unchanged:

• The film was originally set in Wisconsin, not Alaska.
• The beginning featured a freight train running past the prison, accompanied by a piece of 'soul music' by convict Jonah (Edward Bunker) who plays the guitar in this script.
• Manny is in the prison for murdering his wife, who was two-timing him, not bank jobs.
• Ranken, the prison warden is younger and more out of control, breaking Manny's arm for harming one of the guards.
• There is no boxing match scene.
• The train engineer, Al, doesn't die of a heart attack, he is pitched off the engine when it takes a curve too fast.
• There is a chase sequence where a set of locomotives try to chase the runaway, planning to couple up and stop her.
• The reason for the railroad company derailing the train and condemning its passenger is not because it will collide with a chemical plant. Instead, a locomotive has derailed in her path in the middle of a town.
• The spur where the runaway eventually crashes is referred to as "The Elkins Steel Mine", a disused mine at the end of a out-of-use siding.

SCENE 89. INTERIOR. EASTBOUND 12 -(COLLISION) - SAME TIME
The ENGINEER is on the phone in the cabin while his assistant is attending to the shaken-up Caboose Attendant who bleeds from a cut on his face, but is otherwise all right.
ENGINEER (EAST 12)
(shaken, enraged)
Sure she's gone! And she took my goddamned caboose with her! You hear me! Yeah, you better! I hold you responsible.

SCENE 90. INTERIOR. CENTRAL CONTROL TOWER - SAME TIME
The atmosphere is somber as they listen to the engineer's voice:
ENGINEER (EAST 12)
(on speaker)
You coulda killed my caboose man! It's your a__ I'm gonna --
Frank switches off the speaker and picks up the telephone, making an attempt to appear calm.

Locations
Here is the yard plan of Anaconda locomotive depot on the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific railroad (BA&P). It is here that the yard sequences were filmed. Although this is an out-of-date plan, the buildings remain in their original locations, although the track layout is different to that of the film.

Manny and Buck first see the train when standing in the gap between buildings 3 and 25, looking towards building 6 (the machine shop). The locomotives are running right to left on this plan, out of the roundhouse area. In the middle distance, buildings 6 and 7 can be seen, with a GP7 in BA&P livery pulling a row of flatcars onto a new line between the two buildings. The locos then shift position and direction in the yard, to pull up behind building three, and it is here that Manny and Buck board them. In this sequence, you can see part of the roundhouse in the background.
Clark Street tower, where the engines shed their breaks, is actually the BA&P headquarters. In the second plan this is the smallish hammer shaped building on the far right, beside the main line.

This the only image I was able to dig up of Anaconda. Thankfully, it shows both locations used in this part of the yard, if from an angle not seen in the film.

The large buildings to the left with ventilators on the roof are buildings 6 & 7 on the plan I sent you, while the one on the right is building 3. Also the roundhouse can be seen to the left, with a locomotive on the turntable.

With regards to the film, the engines would have been moving away from the roundhouse, down the gap between the two buildings where the cars are parked when the convicts first spot them. When Manny and Buck board them, they are lined up on the right of this photo, facing away from the camera.

Mistakes
Most of the mistakes and errors in the film revolve around the locomotives, the most obvious one being that the Eastbound 12 continually suffers from an identity crisis! When we first see it, the locomotive is a single GP40, with its strobe light flashing and a lot of snow on the front. In the next shot, it has changed to a pair of Alco MRS locomotives (number 1605 in front), belching a lot of smoke (for which I hear Alco's products have a reputation). The consist has also changed, from blue hopper cars to a mix of flat and box cars.

In the actual collision, the caboose also changes color, from yellow, to gray. Also, if you watch the footage carefully, you can see that the caboose actually clears the runaway's path before the image switches to shots made using models.

In the yard sequence, where Manny and Buck walk beside the engines, the F unit is missing! In clear view, the lead engine is attached to a GP7, although a shot seconds before shows all four locomotives.

In the sequence where the train runs through a sequence of tunnels, there is a montage of shots of Manny yelling out the window of the second engine. Some of these are done in a studio, with the background scenery added to the film later, but some are definitely done on an actual moving train. However, in all these images, studio or location, the rear of the lead engine doesn't feature. It should be dominating the view forwards, standing somewhat higher than the cab of the F unit, but is nowhere to be seen.

In a sequence where Manny and Buck attempt to cross between the fourth and third engines, before the character of Sara is introduced, there is a prolonged shot of them climbing round the front of the fourth unit. You can clearly see the line between the actual engine, and the built-up section on the nose assembled by the props department! Also, the top section wobbles a lot more the rest of the engine. There is also a hatch in the top, presumably to allow access to the inside of the mock-up casing.

A final curio. If you visit the web site www.amazon.co.uk, and search in DVDs for Runaway Train, you will find an image of the cover of the UK DVD. The problem is, the cover features a behind-the-scenes photo! Not only is the train stationary (this was how I was able to identify the number), but there are men standing beside the third engine perfectly happily. They seem in the process of filming the final scenes as the lead engine is smashed up, but the cab window of the second unit is also wrecked, which only occurs in the last quarter hour. Not to mention, but the trivia notebook inside sports an image of Voight, or a stunt actor, under the train. It clearly shows the buckle to a jump suit which the actor is wearing, attached to a pipe on the train.

Cast and Crew
Director
Russian Director Andrei Konchalovsky emigrated to America from the Soviet Union in 1980, but waited four-years for an American product that suited him (Runaway Train), despite his eagerness to direct in the US. While waiting he turned down offers to direct adaptations of Agatha Christie and Stephen King novels.

Before accepting the project, he met with Akira Kurosawa, the original scriptwriter in Japan, in order to gain his approval.

His father, a poet, wrote the lyrics to the national anthem of the Soviet Union, "Gimn Sovetskogo Sojuza".

His grandfather, an artist was exiled for refusing to paint Stalin's portrait, but was later immortalized on a Russian stamp.

It was Konchalovsky who persuaded a reluctant Jon Voight to take on the role of Manny. Voight was convinced that Manny was "all wrong" for him, until Andrei told him that "actors who play against type" always make the best villains.

The Actors
Both Jon Voight and Eric Roberts received Golden Globes for their performances, and were both nominated for Oscars.

In preparation for the role of Manny, Voight spent time with prisoners in San Quentin prison, remaining in contact with some after the production of the movie.

In order to make himself look less "innocent", Voight placed small obstructions in his nose to both flare the nostrils and make it look broken. He also wore a set of false teeth over his own to make them look damaged and brown.

Manny's Fu-Manchu moustache was suggested by Voight after he watched the 1978 prison documentary Scared Straight.

Eric Roberts, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, said the role of Buck came naturally to him after growing up in a Mississippi neighborhood of ex-cons. For the role of Buck, Roberts put on thirty pounds of muscle by working out.

Additional note 6/5/03: "What may interest you is that I have found out another fact about the film. While surfing the net I found a website about a privite railroad in Washington State which claimed to have supplied equipment for the film. I have worked out that this is loco. no 7012, an F9 shipped down to Montanna for the yard scenes. The website is the official one of the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, 70 miles south of Seattle."

Interviews with Runaway Train "Insiders"

Mary Pignalberi
Former Director of the State Film Office

Mary Pignalberi, former Director of the State Film Office, helped woo Cannon Films into making the movie Runaway Train in Alaska. She said they were looking at the various major railroads, but all were federally owned and therefore couldn't get what they wanted. The Alaska Railroad was in the midst of a transfer to state ownership which made it very appealing to Cannon Films. A deal was soon struck.

After some initial negotiations with the railroad, the film company submitted a script in the fall of 1984. Shooting began in early 1985. Mary emphasized the railroad was very cooperative. They even used one of their outfit cars as a catering car.

There was a party at Girdwood following the shooting of the film. It was held in what used to be the main hotel and had plenty of music, food and celebrities.

One other activity that took place was a small luncheon at the Sheraton in Anchorage. Mary, Alaska Railroad VP Frank Turpin, Governor Sheffield and a few others were in attendance. Jon Voight, in true Hollywood style, flew into the luncheon via helicopter.

Mary saw Jon Voight in Los Angeles several times after the movie was completed. She said Jon had fond memories of Alaska. He had even learned to ski while there.

Obie Weeks
Former Alaska Railroad Employee and Actor

Obie Weeks, the only Alaska Railroad employee to appear in the movie Runaway Train, was kind enough to provide some facts regarding the actual filming of the movie.

All the yard shots took place on the BA&P in Montana. There was almost no snow in Montana that year so all the other railroad shots were made along the Alaska Railroad. The three feet of snow seen on the tops of freight cars was actual fresh snow.

The Alaska Railroad insisted that all their logos, color schemes and locomotive road numbers be camouflaged. The film crew stayed at the Alyeska resort Potato flakes were used to simulate falling snow. Pilot Rick Hollie was killed when his chopper caught on a telephone wire and crashed.

As far as filming location was concerned, much of it was made along the Portage flats and around Spencer. There are several locations in particular that I remember. Portage is the location used when the old man is told by the dispatcher to throw the switch and derail the train. The train crash with the caboose occurs at the Spencer siding. The Seneca bridge (and tunnel) sequence is filmed in the Whittier area. The same tunnel is used at the end of the movie when the train breaks through the barricade on a dead end siding. Ron Sims drove a Hy-rail through the barricade and wound up ruining the filming camera.

My appearance in the movie is onboard an old Army ALCO [number 1605]. I am backing the train into the siding and have the lines, “Central, central, east bound 12…..Why did you stop us?…..I don’t see any runaway…My God!” As an actor, it was the only union job I ever held.

Once the film was complete, there was a big opening ceremony in Anchorage. All the actors and crew attended the event except me since I was in Wisconsin at the time. I did meet Jon Voight and Eric Roberts during the filming and found them to be very nice people.

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