Atomic Train
Encyclopedia
Atomic Train is a 1999 action
-thriller film about an accidental nuclear explosion
destroying the city of Denver. It was originally broadcast on NBC
as a two-part miniseries
.
n nuclear bomb to transport, and an employee decides to save money by concealing it on a freight train
. This train is also loaded with hazardous and flammable chemicals including metallic sodium
which spontaneously ignites on contact with water. The train suffers a brake failure and becomes a runaway heading for Denver. John Seger, a heroic NTSB investigator, boards the train and with the assistance of the railwaymen tries various ways to stop the train. Several ideas are tried, such as coupling a following train to the caboose (the coupling mechanism on the caboose breaks), a derailing attempt (after it is revealed the catastrophe the chemicals would cause if ignited) in which a helicopter narrowly avoids being hit, and finally, an attempt at manually activating the brakes (via hitting a part of the engine mechanism with a wrench). The final attempt works successfully, but is short-lived. The following rescue train, unaware of the freight's slowing, speeds forward and crushes the caboose (killing an injured member in the process). The force disengages the brakes, causing the train to speed up once again. Meanwhile, Denver residents are struggling to collect their families and then leave town, despite rioters and gridlock. Realizing that there is no way to stop it, John and the engineer (who was initially reluctant) abandon the train by jumping off before it can speed up too much.
The train derails and becomes a terrific wreck. Discovering the now highly unstable bomb on-board, firefighters struggle to put out the fire at the crash site. The misinterpretation of a radio call to a water bombing helicopter leads it to dump its load onto the wreck. Water comes into contact with the metallic sodium, which explodes and in turn causes the nuclear bomb to detonate. The blast causes severe damage throughout Denver and releases an electromagnetic pulse
. No cars work, electricity is down and anything with a computer is shut down.
, it should be going generally uphill for most of the first 250 miles, a critical plot flaw.
Furthermore, for safety reasons all trains are fitted with Westinghouse air brakes
. In the event of a failure, such as an air leak like that which occurs in the movie, the brakes would be fully applied and thus stopping the train rather than rendering it a runaway.
Almost all railway cars and locomotives have handbrakes for 1, more or all axles. No one on the train applies it, althogh they are near the wheel! On the summit were the train practically comes to a stand still it would have been easy to apply some handbrakes and prevent the train rolling down.
One of the biggest flaws is that although the movie takes place in Denver, the Denver skyline is actually never shown. Many city skyline shots show the Vancouver
skyline in Canada
. Buildings can be seen with Canada Trust
or the Bank of Nova Scotia
logos.
The caboose
is uncoupled from the train, but just before the train crashes, for a split second, the caboose can be seen still connected to the train .
An electromagnetic pulse can shut down electronics, but between 3 MHz and 30 MHz, it doesn't have the power to shut down everything in a major city.
Nuclear weapons cannot be triggered by an external explosion. They contain multiple shaped explosives that must be triggered in a precise sequence to evenly compress the weapons-grade plutonium or highly-enriched uranium inside.
See IMDb Atomic Train Goofs for a thorough list.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
-thriller film about an accidental nuclear explosion
Nuclear explosion
A nuclear explosion occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from an intentionally high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission, nuclear fusion or a multistage cascading combination of the two, though to date all fusion based weapons have used a fission device...
destroying the city of Denver. It was originally broadcast on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
as a two-part miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
.
Cast
- Rob LoweRob LoweRobert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
as John Seger - Kristin DavisKristin DavisKristin Landen Davis is an American actress.She first rose to prominence and achieved fame for playing the role of Charlotte York Goldenblatt on HBO's Sex and the City. She has achieved success appearing in roles in film and television.-Early life and education:Davis was born in Boulder, Colorado...
as Megan Seger - Esai MoralesEsai MoralesEsai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...
as Noris 'Mac' MacKenzie - John FinnJohn FinnJohn Finn is an American actor known as one of the leads of the television programs Cold Case and EZ Streets. Finn has also had supporting roles in the films The Hunted , Catch Me If You Can , True Crime , Turbulence , Blown Away , The Pelican Brief , and Glory .TV series that Finn has...
as Wally Phister - Mena SuvariMena SuvariMena Alexandra Suvari is an American actress, fashion designer, and model. Shortly after beginning her career as a model, she appeared in guest roles on 1990's television shows such as Boy Meets World and High Incident...
as Grace Seger - Edward HerrmannEdward HerrmannEdward Kirk Herrmann is a U.S. television and film actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of Franklin D...
as President Fellwick
Plot
A waste disposal company has a RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n nuclear bomb to transport, and an employee decides to save money by concealing it on a freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
. This train is also loaded with hazardous and flammable chemicals including metallic sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
which spontaneously ignites on contact with water. The train suffers a brake failure and becomes a runaway heading for Denver. John Seger, a heroic NTSB investigator, boards the train and with the assistance of the railwaymen tries various ways to stop the train. Several ideas are tried, such as coupling a following train to the caboose (the coupling mechanism on the caboose breaks), a derailing attempt (after it is revealed the catastrophe the chemicals would cause if ignited) in which a helicopter narrowly avoids being hit, and finally, an attempt at manually activating the brakes (via hitting a part of the engine mechanism with a wrench). The final attempt works successfully, but is short-lived. The following rescue train, unaware of the freight's slowing, speeds forward and crushes the caboose (killing an injured member in the process). The force disengages the brakes, causing the train to speed up once again. Meanwhile, Denver residents are struggling to collect their families and then leave town, despite rioters and gridlock. Realizing that there is no way to stop it, John and the engineer (who was initially reluctant) abandon the train by jumping off before it can speed up too much.
The train derails and becomes a terrific wreck. Discovering the now highly unstable bomb on-board, firefighters struggle to put out the fire at the crash site. The misinterpretation of a radio call to a water bombing helicopter leads it to dump its load onto the wreck. Water comes into contact with the metallic sodium, which explodes and in turn causes the nuclear bomb to detonate. The blast causes severe damage throughout Denver and releases an electromagnetic pulse
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
. No cars work, electricity is down and anything with a computer is shut down.
Plot and factual flaws
The movie is notorious for its factual and plot oversights. Most often quoted is that the train is said to become a runaway when it is still 300 miles west of Denver with a continuous decline ahead. Since this would place it on the other side of the Continental DivideContinental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
, it should be going generally uphill for most of the first 250 miles, a critical plot flaw.
Furthermore, for safety reasons all trains are fitted with Westinghouse air brakes
Air brake (rail)
An air brake is a conveyance braking system actuated by compressed air. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on March 5, 1872. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell...
. In the event of a failure, such as an air leak like that which occurs in the movie, the brakes would be fully applied and thus stopping the train rather than rendering it a runaway.
Almost all railway cars and locomotives have handbrakes for 1, more or all axles. No one on the train applies it, althogh they are near the wheel! On the summit were the train practically comes to a stand still it would have been easy to apply some handbrakes and prevent the train rolling down.
One of the biggest flaws is that although the movie takes place in Denver, the Denver skyline is actually never shown. Many city skyline shots show the Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
skyline in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Buildings can be seen with Canada Trust
Toronto-Dominion Bank
The Toronto-Dominion Bank , is the second-largest bank in Canada by market capitalization and based on assets. It is also the sixth largest bank in North America. Commonly known as TD and operating as TD Bank Group, the bank was created in 1955 through the merger of the Bank of Toronto and the...
or the Bank of Nova Scotia
Scotiabank
The Bank of Nova Scotia , commonly known as Scotiabank , is the third largest bank in Canada by deposits and market capitalization. It serves some 18.6 million customers in more than 50 countries around the world and offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial,...
logos.
The caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
is uncoupled from the train, but just before the train crashes, for a split second, the caboose can be seen still connected to the train .
An electromagnetic pulse can shut down electronics, but between 3 MHz and 30 MHz, it doesn't have the power to shut down everything in a major city.
Nuclear weapons cannot be triggered by an external explosion. They contain multiple shaped explosives that must be triggered in a precise sequence to evenly compress the weapons-grade plutonium or highly-enriched uranium inside.
See IMDb Atomic Train Goofs for a thorough list.
Awards
- Won the Golden Reel AwardGolden Reel AwardGolden Reel Award may refer to:* Golden Reel Award , presented by the Genie Awards to high-grossing Canadian films...
(2000) for "Best Sound Editing - Television Mini-Series - Effects and Foley" - Nominated for Golden Reel AwardGolden Reel AwardGolden Reel Award may refer to:* Golden Reel Award , presented by the Genie Awards to high-grossing Canadian films...
(2000) for "Best Sound Editing - Television Mini-Series - Dialogue and ADR"