Factual error: The 20th Century Limited train, where Grant and Saint first meet, is supposed to be heading west in the afternoon, past the Great Lakes which should be on the right side of the train, but the lakes are visible through the windows on the left, so the views were shot heading east, and the supposed lowering late afternoon sun would in fact be the sun soon after sunrise.
Suggested correction: The fact that you can see the far shore of the "Great lake" tells me this isn't Ontario, Erie, or Michigan. I always assumed it must be the Finger Lakes, but I'm not familiar with the topography there. Just an assumption based on the knowing the Great Lakes and knowing that's not what was out the window.
Hitchcock was notorious for using location shots that looked good on the screen even if they were impossible in the context of the story. He depended on the viewers of the era not knowing the difference. Our ability to fact-check these things was never in his mindset. So I can completely believe the original poster's contention. (Cross reference - the Pacific Coast Highway shots in the out-of-control car scene at the beginning of the movie, even though this was set in Long Island.)
