Has anyone tried to put together a Von Ryan Express train? I am thinking of doing so.

What locomotive?
What freight cars?
What coach car?

Please advise.

I found a link with some excellent images. http://bluscreens.com/tag/von-ryans-express/

I think the loco was 740 or 741 class 2-8-0.

Steventrain and NS1200,

Thanks for replies and information.

I agree completely about the authenticity of equipment used to make war movies. They just use what is at hand with a splash of paint and such. Sometimes obviously not the correct equipment has you stated in the Battle of the Bulge movie. Another example is Steve McQueens motorcyle ride in the Great Escape. He loved to ride motorcyles but in the movie it was a Triumph painted to look period correct, but it wasn't.

The 4550 appears to be the freight car of choice as it "looks" like the cars in the pictures.

I did some more searching around and the locomotive looks to be an FS (Ferrovie della Stato = Italian State Railways) Class 735 2-8-0 built by ALCO in New York, USA. Marklin's current production does not have a locomotive like this.


Still looking for info on the coach car.

Cheers,

I always thought that the so-called German tanks in "Battle of the Bulge" were M48s and not M60s.

There are many movies where Allied vehicles have been substituted for German ones or other changes that are apparent to those who know.
Remember Goering's train in the 1969 epic "Battle of Britain" with the 1950 Schuerzenwagen?

While we are talking war films, does anybody remember the name of that movie with a Tiger tank chasing a P-40 Warhawk all over North Africa?

Back to Von Ryan's Express. The freight cars may be available from ACME or Brawa. I also remember that Maerklin did at some point issue the 4550 in silver with older markings. The car at the end of the train might also be available from ACME, Rivarossi or other Italian company, but I guess a repainted 4036 might do in a pinch.

Having travelled on the rail routes from Italy to Switzerland (Simplon and Gotthard), the movie's depiction of the border in the middle of the alps is also a little suspect, but then again, who cares, it is Hollywood. Is there a line like that somewhere in the alps?

Regards

Mike C

Check this wagon set for italia under era 2 time:
www.brawa.de and check after 48560

Found another picture of the coach car. It may help to identify it.

Apart from the fact that the FS boxcar shown is a post WW2 car.

Yeah,that is what i mean.
As said earlier in this topic,most war movies are incorrect when it comes to using the correct equipment and material.
Either you do not care and imitate the movie regardless or,like me,get annoyed by the lack of genuine interest by movie makers.
True,it becomes extremely difficult to find original WW2 equipment,especially when it has to be self propelled.
The Battle of Britain movie was made in 1970,already at that time it was hard to find proper airoplanes.
The Messerschmitt 109 planes in the movie were in fact post war Spanish machines made under licence.

Edited by user 12 January 2013 09:37:37(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Ray,
Rolls Royce Merlins: correct!
If i do well recall the Heinkel He-111 bombers were borrowed from the Spanish airforce as well.
Still,i found it a very impressive movie,i saw it at least 5 times.
And you know what: the then still very beautiful Susanna York made the greatest impression on me!
I never forgave her getting close to Christopher-The Sound of Music- Plummer in his role as Spitfire flyer.

The most famous Dutch made war movie to date is still "Soldaat van Oranje" (Soldier of Orange) by Paul Verhoeven,who later became well know in the USA with films like Total Recall.
The movie is not bad but at some stage Verhoeven used a cardboard German tank doing its tour in the streets of The Hague,what more of a deception can you think of?

I like all the conversation this topic has started.

I'll look at the BR52 loco. Other manufactures besides Marklin may have the correct FS 735 in their production. The closest thing Marklin has in production might be the 36240 which is a 2-6-0 and not a 2-8-0, but it does have the smoke deflectors. Another could be 37556, an FS 0-8-0 and maybe it could be modified to look like the loco in the movie by adding a truck to the front and the smoke deflectors.

I read somewhere that the balcony on the coach car was added for the movie. Just so they could get shots like in the picture and of course the final scenes of the movie. So if I find the right coach car (look at the roof of the car in the first pictures), I would have to add the balcony.

Another great train movie to consider was The Train with Burt Lancaster.

And then a most excellent German war movie (no trains) would have to be Das Boot.

Thanks for the picture.
That is an Bf-109E (E for Emil).
Note the fearsome canon in the propellerhub.
Four years later the Bf-109G (G for Gustav) was giving B-17 Flying Fortresses a hard time over Germany.
A total of over 30,000 were built.

Tried to watch the movie "Red Tails" several times.
Story is about dark skinned USAAF pilots doing their tour of duty in Europe.
The P-40 fighters look pretty convincing,so do the B-17 bombers.
However,then i noticed that George "Star Wars" Lucas is the director.
There is a scene in the beginning where a German series 52 Kriegslokomotive is being shot to pieces,rather spectacular but obviously 100 percent computer animated.
I came to realise that about the whole movie is computer animated.
Is that good or bad?
At least you do not have to search for original fighting equipment,you simple create it on the PC!

Abisel,
The third post down on this page talks about the train used.
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/121465.aspx
Good luck with the project.
-George

Hi,

I just registered on the forum. For your search I found a picture of the FS Gr 735 used in the movie as the locomotive of the escapees. It's a model in HO made by the firm TecnoTren. You can find the picture on http://www.marklinfan.co...topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2192.
The model is no more available I believe. The other loco is now made by the Italian firm Os.Kar and is a FS 743.
Had the same idea to represent the train in HO scale but lost it somewhat while I couldn't find the right loc. Maybe with some help in future times.

Kind regards

Ed

Various sources mention that the main locomotive used in this film is an Italian ALCO built class 735 while on the final chase sequence an italian Franco Crosti class 743 acts as a Nazi locomotive.

One solution would be to kitbash existing 2-8-0 models, e.g. by Bachmann. Jouef (now part of Hornby) produced a French 2-8-0 type 140 C in HO which was smaller but generally similar in appearance. Rivarrossi did produce the Italian built Class 74x 2-8-0 which was generally similar to the American 735.

Forum photos:
https://www.marklin-user...nd-Files.aspx#post446351

More info:
http://www.rivarossi-mem...ocos/Riva_Gr_741_Eng.htm

Currently on sale:
http://www.laborsadeltre...gli_prodotto.php?id=8623
http://www.kf-models.it/...apore-Gr-743-366-FS.aspx

''von ryan'' and ''the train'' are my all time favorites. ever since i was a kid i had my own version of it in marklin. up front was an old, weathered br 44 complete with red #51 smoke deflectors. i think there were 13 boxcars plus coach in the movie. i only had 4 or 5 #4550 fs cars at the time so the rest of the consist was the old style white reefer car or the yellow banana car which i painted brown and sanded the vents from the roofs. my dad used to buy the 4550 cars whenever he came across them because he loved the movie too. the staff car was a #4000 thunderbox. the layout was two 5x9 foot ping pong tables placed together with a branch line that left the table via a 20 foot long, scratch built, popsickle stick bridge (made by dad). a small reverse loop out in the driveway (weather permitting) and back. the staff car was modified to fall apart. all the metal tabs that hold the sides together were straightened out and a large hole was cut into the floor. a black cat firecracker was installed with the fuse sticking out the back window. i even lettered the sides "von ryan's express" in old english. all i had for the plane was a 1/72 scale me410 with a large cannon under the nose. a short piece of straw was attached behind the cockpit so the plane could "fly" along a fishing line. about 25 feet or so mounted on an incline passing low over the bridge. what a show! kids and grownups used to come from all over. i had it timed to the second; the switch was thrown, the fuse was lit, 1 mississippi 2 mississippi 3 mississippi, release the plane, WHAM !!!! that staffcar went all over the place. sometimes it took me an hour to find all the pices so we could do it again. amazingly the rest of the train stayed on the track and continued on it's way! JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIE ! sorry no pictures. don't count the rivets. just have fun! mike.

well not exactly; all i ever trashed was the staff car. fester and gomey used to waste the entire bridge, F-7's, and some other train. but that's ok; they were only lionels. mike.