Runaway Train

Factual error: During the collision with the freight train, a long shot shows the right side of the runaway passing as debris rains down on and around it. As the third locomotive passes, a 'truck' (the 4-wheel carriage that the freight cars ride on) bounces off the top, then bounces off the cab of the fourth locomotive. And never causes any damage to either locomotive! The first hit should have mangled, even torn off some of the bodywork covering the engine of the 3rd loco, and the second hit should have torn open the cab of the 4th. It hits that cab exactly where Manny is sitting, so he would have been killed. Of course, this footage is of scale models, so they didn't sustain damage the way the real locos would have. (00:48:15)

johnrosa

Factual error: The train consists of four locomotives, but close ups beaneath the train show the wheels of freight cars.

Factual error: When Buck and Manny fall down from the sewer exit into the water, they should be dead or seriously injured as the water is covered with large rocks and is shallow.

Factual error: The connecting cables between the locomotives are obvious movie props. The real ones don't plug into each other - they plug into sockets on the locomotives because it is dangerous to have the connections hanging down where this film shows them.

Factual error: A locomotive on a single track finds itself on a collision course with an oncoming freight train. The dispatcher manages to contact the engineer of the freight train and to throw a switch diverting the freight onto a siding. All the freight train is accommodated on the siding by the time the locomotive arrives, so the locomotive clears the freight train, but it passes over the switch without being derailed, even though the switch has been set to favor the freight train - and the siding.

Continuity mistake: After Manny's fingers get crunched between the cars, blood sprays on his face. In the next couple of scenes there is hardly any there. Also, when the prison warden get sprayed with the fire extinquisher he is cleaned up in the following shots.

More mistakes in Runaway Train

Manny: You do what you have to do, I'll do what I have to do. Whatever happens, happens.

More quotes from Runaway Train

Trivia: This is, the way I see it, a VERY serious mistake by the filming crew of the movie. The Alaska Railroad, where the shooting of the movie took place, wanted all their logos and paint schemes of all the trains in the movie to be camouflaged. But yet, on the first shot of the locomotive of Eastbound 12 (yes, that is the shot of it before it mysteriously changes from ONE GP40 to TWO ALCo MRS's), you can see the blue and yellow paint scheme of the Alaska Railroad. On the DVD you might even be able to see the printed ALASKA on the side of the loco.

More trivia for Runaway Train

Question: Why didn't they go back to the 3rd or 4th locomotive where they could access the brake hoses and disconnect one of those, instead of trying to get to the hoses between the 1st and 2nd engines?

Answer: That's what they were doing, going car to freight car break the hoses. They knew it would slow the train down but not stop it. Slow enough so they could jump off without getting injured. That's why they were desperate to get to the first engine not only to break the hose but disconnect from it.

More questions & answers from Runaway Train

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.