Unstoppable

[zwilnik]

Just saw the film Unstoppable about the runaway train full of explody stuff in the US. Not sure exactly how accurate to the real life events it's based on it is, but it was a pretty fun film. Even if the engines didn't have chimneys.

[scotsoft]

I watched it last year and enjoyed it 

cheers John.

[kirky]

The incident is known as 'The Crazy 8s incident' as the loco involved was the CSX 8888.

This link might help in determining the acuracy/hollywoodization of the story..... but definitely *based* on real events.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSX_8888_incident

Not much jumping between trains and cars in the real incident but a great film nonetheless.

Cheers
Kirky

[Zunnan]

Its 'true' with the usual film embellishment to make it more exciting. The 'lashup' as they put it in the film was actually going to be done with CSX 8888 if slowing it from the rear didn't work, if you read the report they had positioned another locomotive a few miles further up the line to use in this way which is obviously where they go the idea from to use in the film. The real thing was longer than they used in the film, and carried the same chemicals, though they exaggerated its dangers. It started in a similar way, the engineer selected run 8 and thought he'd put the engine into dynamic braking along with the locomotives independent brakes to slow a yard movement so he could get off to change a point. But he hadn't put it into dynamic braking, so it was running at full power with the locomotives independent brakes applied. #8888 burnt its own brakes off as a result with none of the air brakes on the train connected up for the alerter (deadmans handle) to use to stop it. The locomotives independent brake application overrode the alerter in any case, so even if the air brakes had been connected it would still have run away.

One thing that does get me with the film, at the beginning when 777 is started why on earth did they dub an EMD 16-645 startup over it?! Maybe it was a subconscious nod to CSX 8888 which actually has a 16-645E3...

[PhilW]

I watched the movie and thought it was utter rubbish.