Nostalgia & History > "Danger Lights"

FYI

TCM will be airing this classic railroad movie this evening at 8 PM EST.

BaltoJoey

I have a copy of this RR classic--well worth viewing. Really a trip in a time machine.

Alot of great footage if you are a milwaukie road fan.

I'm putting it on the DVR tonight...I have never seen this one so I'm planning to keep it!

BaltoJoey Wrote:
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> FYI
>
> TCM will be airing this classic railroad movie
> this evening at 8 PM EST.
>
> BaltoJoey

That would be 5PM on the Left Coast. Thanks for the heads up, I've never seen it, so tonight's the night.-BMT

Don't miss the beginning. The opening credits showing a hard working perfectly square L-3 USRA mikado is worth the price of admission.

Best line in the film:

"Delay the 'Olympian?' Are you off your nut?"

- gb -

During a September 2005 private car trip from New York to Toronto, Montreal, Senneterre and return, we watched this movie one night while we were parked in the CN yard in Senneterre, Quebec!

One of our guests brought video tapes of Danger Lights, Union Station, North by Nothwest, Silver Steak (original) and one other railroad themed classic movie.

Quite a few good actors for there time are in the movie..... louis wolheim ( all quiet on the western front ) Robert Armstrong ( king kong and many others ).

Goatboat Wrote:
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> Best line in the film:
>
> "Delay the 'Olympian?' Are you off your nut?"
>
> - gb -

I like "Come on, get the lead out of your feet! This aint no smokin room, this is a RAILROAD!!!!"

My favorite lines.

"What's the matter? Ain't you guys playin' railroad anymore today?"

"You office guys... Put the Olympian in the hole."

"He's the kind who'll end up in jail or a general manager's job."

I've uploaded an mov clip to the Video & Audio library.

And if you have fast connection, you can download a version of the film here:

http://www.archive.org/details/danger_lights

And a great bunch of thumbnails, too:

http://www.archive.org/movies/thumbnails.php?identifier=danger_lights

Thanks for the heads up. I have never seen this movie and heard tons about it here on the net. Ready to record.

Ah, nuts. I was going to watch "American Chopper".

Just had to watch this "State of the Milwaukee" and it was a great one for us steam fans and looking backwards. Now it's on to watching the "State of the Union". Enjoyed the scenes of the steam derricks working and the "battle of push" between the two steamers. For the latter, I'd guess they greased the rails well there and as for the first derrick with the rock slide, what the heck was that enormous hood mounted over and near the end of the boom? Normally in later years there were lights in this area on most derricks, but couldn't tell what this was all about. Anyway, enjoyed seeing this one, so thanks to all for the tip of its show time!

rrman6 Wrote:
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> Enjoyed the scenes of the
> steam derricks working and the "battle of push"
> between the two steamers. For the latter, I'd
> guess they greased the rails well there

No grease - this was for real. The Milwaukee is the only railroad that did this sort of thing that I know of. There were several such events publicized, usually to demonstrate the superiority of their electrics over steam.

> and as for
> the first derrick with the rock slide, what the
> heck was that enormous hood mounted over and near
> the end of the boom? Normally in later years
> there were lights in this area on most derricks,
> but couldn't tell what this was all about.

Except for the Mobridge, SD and Chicago scenes the movie was filmed on the Rocky Mountain Div of the Milwaukee. Most of this was electrified, as you probably noticed the catenary, though no electric locomotives were featured in the movie. The wooden hoods over the booms were standard equipment on Rocky Mountain Div cranes, lest the boom should accidentally touch the 3000v catenary.

When watching the roundhouse scene listen in the background, you can hear an electric winding up (or going by).

wingomann Wrote:
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> When watching the roundhouse scene listen in the
> background, you can hear an electric winding up
> (or going by).

I'll have to listen more carefully next time. I had believed that all of the roundhouse scenes were shot at Miles City, 216 miles east of where the electrification began.

Perhaps, the sound you heard could have been a turbogenerator?

i mist it im BUMED

I was going to mention the catenary. Somehow, I never noticed that the first time I saw this flick. I am also struck by the plot simularity with "Other Men's Women". Basically love stories; two railroad guys competing for the same gal.

MThopper Wrote:
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> I was going to mention the catenary. Somehow, I
> never noticed that the first time I saw this
> flick. I am also struck by the plot simularity
> with "Other Men's Women". Basically love stories;
> two railroad guys competing for the same gal.


Someone on TO a few years back also compared Danger Lights to the Arthurian legend.