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83-395: Unstoppable is a 2010 American disaster action thriller film directed and produced by Tony Scott , written by Mark Bomback , and starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine . It is based on the real-life CSX 8888 incident , telling the story of a runaway freight train and the two men who attempt to stop it. It was the last film Scott directed before his death in 2012. The film

166-501: A Railroad Safety Campaign excursion, warns that eight of the 39 freight cars contain highly toxic and flammable molten phenol , which would cause a major disaster should 777 derail in a populated area. Galvin, believing he can save the railroad money, rejects Connie's suggestion to derail the runaway on unpopulated farmland, and sends veteran engineer Judd Stewart to lash-up 777 behind his consist, slowing it down enough for AWVR employee and U.S. Marine veteran Ryan Scott to board 777 from

249-406: A Special Achievement Award for visual effects. The film was directed by Mark Robson and starred Charlton Heston , Ava Gardner , Geneviève Bujold , George Kennedy and Lorne Greene . It was noted as the first film to utilize Sensurround , where massive subwoofer speakers were installed in theaters to recreate the vibrating sensation of an earthquake. Several made-for-TV movies also capitalized on

332-491: A confessed initial skepticism, and giving it only three stars—found that "Your head will spin... palms will sweat... nerves will fry," calling the film "a bang-up ride that [will] wring you out." Midwest Film Journal reviewer Nick Rogers concurs: "a terrific thrill ride" and "nail-biting fun," with "sobering steel-city woes... blue-collar anxiety," uplifted with "can-do optimism and work ethic." The Globe and Mail in Toronto

415-519: A different movie than the made-for-TV production of same title listed above), starring Jason Robards ; and City on Fire (1979), starring Barry Newman . The Airport series continued with Airport '77 (1977) and The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979), with George Kennedy portraying the character Joe Patroni in each sequel, and The Poseidon Adventure was followed by Beyond the Poseidon Adventure in 1979. The genre began to burn out by

498-402: A fast abrupt stop. This method, however, dissipates all the energy as heat in the motor itself, and so cannot be used in anything other than low-power intermittent applications due to cooling limitations, such as in cordless power tools. It is not suitable for traction applications. The electrical energy produced by the motors is dissipated as heat by a bank of onboard resistors , referred to as

581-649: A full recovery, and Dewey, who is held accountable for causing the incident, is fired from his job and goes on to work in the fast food industry. Unstoppable suffered various production challenges before filming could commence, including casting, schedule, location, and budgetary concerns. In August 2004, Mark Bomback was hired by 20th Century Fox to write the screenplay Runaway Train . Robert Schwentke signed on to direct Runaway Train in August 2005, with plans to begin shooting in early 2006. In June 2007, Martin Campbell

664-463: A giant wave triggered by an earthquake. The Poseidon Adventure was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Shelley Winters , and winning for Original Song and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects . The trend reached its zenith in 1974 with the release of The Towering Inferno , Earthquake , and Airport 1975 (the first Airport sequel). The competing films enjoyed staggering success at

747-543: A gigantic gorilla rampaging through New York City; and The Last Days of Pompeii (1935), dealing with the Mount Vesuvius volcanic eruption in 79 AD. John Ford 's The Hurricane (1937) concluded with the striking sequence of a tropical cyclone ripping through a fictional South Pacific island. The drama San Francisco (1936) depicted the historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake , while In Old Chicago (1937) recreated The Great Chicago Fire which burned through

830-471: A helicopter; his plan fails when Ryan is injured and when dispatch attempts to divert the runaway onto a siding, Stewart's locomotive derails and explodes, killing him. Because 777 will derail on an elevated curve in the more heavily populated town of Stanton, Galvin finally decides to derail it purposely just north of the smaller town of Arklow. Meanwhile, in command of locomotive 1206 are veteran AWVR railroad engineer Frank Barnes and conductor Will Colson,

913-473: A mid-air collision; and The Doomsday Flight (1966), written by Rod Serling and starring Edmond O'Brien as a disgruntled aerospace engineer who plants a barometric pressure bomb on an airliner built by his former employer set to explode when the airliner descends for landing. The golden age of the disaster film began in 1970 with the release of Airport . A huge financial success, earning more than $ 100 million ($ 713 million in 2022-adjusted dollars) at

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996-471: A new hire preoccupied with a restraining order from his wife Darcy. Frank and Will are ordered to pull off into a siding RIP track before the runaway train races by, smashing through their last boxcar . Frank observes that the runaway train's last car has an open coupler and proposes that they couple the runaway in reverse, and use 1206's brakes to slow down 777 before it reaches the Stanton Curve, knowing

1079-403: A renewal in the 1990s boosted by computer-generated imagery and larger studio budgets which allowed for greater spectacle, culminating in the cinematic phenomenon that was James Cameron 's Titanic in 1997. Disaster themes are almost as old as the film medium itself. One of the earliest was Fire! (1901) made by James Williamson of England. The silent film portrayed a burning house and

1162-537: A result of a botched switching operation by yard hostlers Dewey and Gilleece in an Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad (AWVR) classification yard in Northern Pennsylvania , an AWVR train led by locomotive 777 (Triple 7) leaves the yard unattended, heading south at full speed down the main line. Believing the train is coasting, yardmaster Connie Hooper orders Dewey and Gilleece to pursue the runaway train, and also instructs lead welder Ned Oldham to get ahead of

1245-432: A toxic ingredient used in glues, paints, and dyes. The chemical is very dangerous; it is highly corrosive to the skin, eyes, lungs, and nasal tract. Attempts to derail it using a portable derailer failed, and police had tried to engage the red fuel cutoff button by shooting at it; after having three shots mistakenly hit the red fuel cap, this ultimately had no effect because the button must be pressed for several seconds before

1328-573: A vehicle such as an electric or diesel-electric locomotive . It is termed " rheostatic " if the generated electrical power is dissipated as heat in brake grid resistors , and " regenerative " if the power is returned to the supply line. Dynamic braking reduces wear on friction -based braking components, and regeneration lowers net energy consumption. Dynamic braking may also be used on railcars with multiple units , light rail vehicles , electric trams , trolleybuses , and electric and hybrid electric automobiles . Converting electrical energy to

1411-473: A version of the epic story of the Titanic . The film combined romance with intricate special effects and was a massive success, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time for twelve years with over $ 2.2 billion worldwide, and won 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director . Dynamic braking Dynamic braking is the use of an electric traction motor as a generator when slowing

1494-408: Is a lower limit at which dynamic braking can be effective depending on the current available for application to the field coils. The two main methods of managing the electricity generated during dynamic braking are rheostatic braking and regenerative braking, as described below. For permanent magnet motors, dynamic braking is easily achieved by shorting the motor terminals, thus bringing the motor to

1577-452: Is abundant," with "terminology [that] rings true," despite the "improbable" story. The review acknowledges several similarities between the film and the real-life runaway CSX 8888 event, but notes the film is full of Hollywood exaggerations and clichés. The review reports that the film uses special effects only "sparingly," emphasizing "those are real [locomotives] being raced, blown up,... reined in." Upon its debut, Unstoppable promptly took

1660-465: Is achieved by maximizing the dynamic brake portion, and automatically regulating the air brake portion, because the main purpose of dynamic braking is to reduce the amount of air braking required. That conserves air and minimizes the risks of over-heated wheels. One locomotive manufacturer, Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), estimates that dynamic braking provides between 50% and 70% of the braking force during blended braking. A third method of electric braking

1743-430: Is always used in conjunction with another form of braking, such as an air brake . The use of both braking systems at the same time is called blended braking . Li-ion batteries have also been used to store energy for use in bringing trains to a complete halt. Although blended braking combines both dynamic and air braking, the resulting braking force is designed to be the same as the air brakes on their own provide. This

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1826-399: Is becoming less common, and it is actively discouraged in modern crane operation. It is possible to use the brake grids as a form of dynamometer or load bank to perform a self-load test of the power output of a locomotive. With the locomotive stationary, the main generator (MG) output is connected to the grids instead of the traction motors. The grids are normally large enough to absorb

1909-775: Is plug braking or 'plugging', under which a reverse torque is applied for a short time. It is the most rapid form of electric braking, but comes at the disadvantage of applying significant transient stresses to motors and mechanical components. It is typically abrupt and 'jerky', the braking equivalent of a 'jog' in forward motion, and plug braking is never applied in electric traction applications. Nonetheless, it has been applied widely to applications such as long-travel and cross-travel drives of direct current and alternating-current powered overhead traveling cranes ; hoist drives on such cranes typically use rheostatic braking. Reversing drives with (intentional) plug braking typically use rheostatic control for acceleration, and always have resistance in

1992-566: The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (W&LE), and the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad (SWP). Four GE AC4400CWs leased from CP were used to depict the locomotives used on the runaway train, 777 and trailing unit 767. CP 9777 and 9758 played 777 and 767 in early scenes, and CP 9782 and 9751 were given a damaged look for later scenes. These four locomotives were repainted to standard colors in early 2010 by Canadian Pacific following

2075-407: The braking grid . Large cooling fans are necessary to protect the resistors from damage. Modern systems have thermal monitoring, so that if the temperature of the bank becomes excessive it will be switched off, and the braking will revert to being by friction only. In electrified systems the process of regenerative braking is employed whereby the current produced during braking is fed back into

2158-585: The epic film Titanic in 1943. The film was soon banned in Germany and its director, Selpin, was allegedly executed. The film was a staple for all Titanic films, and scenes became stock footage for the British version. Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck starred in the 1953 20th Century Fox production Titanic , followed by the highly regarded British film A Night to Remember in 1958. The British action-adventure film The Last Voyage (1960), while not about

2241-424: The mechanical energy of a rotating shaft (electric motor) is the inverse of converting the mechanical energy of a rotating shaft to electrical energy (electric generator). Both are accomplished through the interactions of armature windings with a (relatively) moving external magnetic field, with the armature connected to an electrical circuit with either a power supply (motor) or power receptor (generator). Since

2324-569: The Earth Caught Fire (1961) and Crack in the World (1965). Volcanic disasters would also feature in films such as The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) starring Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra , and the 1969 epic Krakatoa, East of Java starring Maximilian Schell . As in the silent film era, the sinking of the Titanic would continue to be a popular disaster with filmmakers and audiences alike. Werner Klingler and Herbert Selpin released

2407-537: The Mighty (1954), starring John Wayne and Robert Stack as pilots of a crippled airplane attempting to cross the ocean; Zero Hour! (1957), written by Arthur Hailey (who also penned the 1968 novel Airport ) about an airplane crew that succumbs to food poisoning; Jet Storm and Jet Over the Atlantic , two 1959 films both featuring attempts to blow up an airplane in mid-flight; The Crowded Sky (1960) which depicts

2490-599: The Pennsylvania cities of Pittsburgh, Emporium , Milesburg , Tyrone , Julian , Unionville , Port Matilda , Bradford , Monaca , Eldred , Mill Hall , Turtlepoint , Port Allegany , and Carnegie , and also in Portville, New York and Olean, New York . The film was the most expensive ever shot in Western Pennsylvania until The Dark Knight Rises . The Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad 's Buffalo Line

2573-418: The Stanton Curve. As 777 speeds up, Frank can't get to its locomotive due to a bulkhead flatcar that lacks a walkway. Ned arrives in his truck on a road parallel to the tracks, and Will jumps onto the bed of Ned's truck. Ned races to the front of 777 where Will leaps onto the locomotive and finally brings 777 to a stop. Darcy arrives with her and Will's son and reunites with him, and Connie comes to congratulate

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2656-464: The Titanic disaster but a predecessor to The Poseidon Adventure , starred Robert Stack as a man desperately attempting to save his wife ( Dorothy Malone ) and child trapped in a sinking ocean liner . The film, concluding with the dramatic sinking of the ship, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects . Additional precursors to the popular disaster films of the 1970s include The High and

2739-491: The United States and Canada. Unstoppable had a strong opening night on Friday November 12, 2010, coming in ahead of Megamind with a gross of $ 8.1 million. However, Megamind won the weekend, earning $ 30 million to Unstoppable ' s $ 23.9 million. Unstoppable performed slightly better than The Taking of Pelham 123 did in its opening weekend. As of April 2011, the film had earned $ 167,805,466 worldwide. Unstoppable

2822-611: The United States. Other interior scenes were shot at 31st Street Studios (then the Mogul Media Studios) on 31st Street in Pittsburgh. Principal photography began on August 31, 2009, for a release on November 12, 2010. Filming was delayed for one day when part of the train accidentally derailed on November 21, 2009. The locomotives used in the movie were borrowed from three railroads: the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP),

2905-452: The actors... and... moments of beauty [or] strange comedy." But it credits "cinematographer Ben Seresin and... ace sound technicians" for creating "an unexpectedly rich world" of trains and landscapes. The reviewer ridicules the movie scene of a cop shooting at the train, trying to "hit an emergency stop button," as "a ridiculous image, openly laughable... [an] outrageous, excessive [director's] flourish"—apparently unaware it actually happened in

2988-520: The box office, the film was directed by George Seaton and starred Burt Lancaster , Dean Martin , George Kennedy , Jacqueline Bisset and Helen Hayes . While not exclusively focused on a disaster—in this case, an airplane crippled by the explosion of a bomb—the film established the blueprint of multiple plotlines acted out by an all-star cast. Airport was nominated for 10 Academy Awards , including Best Picture , winning Best Supporting Actress for Hayes. The 1972 release of The Poseidon Adventure

3071-423: The box office, with The Towering Inferno earning $ 116 million ($ 697 million in 2022-adjusted dollars), Earthquake earning $ 79 million ($ 475 million in 2022-adjusted dollars), and Airport 1975 earning $ 47 million ($ 282 million in 2022-adjusted dollars) in theatrical rentals. Arguably the greatest of the 1970s disaster films, The Towering Inferno was a joint venture of 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. and

3154-611: The box-office lead in 40 countries around the world, with an $ 18.2 million opening weekend—premiering as the most successful film that weekend in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia—coming in second in North America and Germany. Unstoppable was expected to take in about the same amount of money as the previous year's The Taking of Pelham 123 , another Tony Scott film involving an out-of-control train starring Denzel Washington. Pelham took in $ 23.4 million during its opening weekend in

3237-408: The characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath. The genre came to particular prominence during the 1970s with the release of high-profile films such as Airport (1970), followed in quick succession by The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Earthquake (1974) and The Towering Inferno (1974). The casts are generally made up of familiar character actors . Once

3320-707: The city in 1871. Carol Reed 's 1939 film, The Stars Look Down , examines a catastrophe at a coal mine in North-East England . Inspired by the end of World War II and the beginning of the Atomic Age , science fiction films of the 1950s, including When Worlds Collide (1951), The War of the Worlds (1953) and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), routinely used world disasters as plot elements. This trend would continue with The Deadly Mantis (1957), The Day

3403-804: The craze, including Heatwave! (1974), The Day the Earth Moved (1974), Hurricane (1974), Flood! (1976) and Fire! (1977). The trend continued on a larger scale with The Hindenburg (1975), starring George C. Scott ; The Cassandra Crossing (1976), starring Burt Lancaster ; Two-Minute Warning (1976), starring Charlton Heston; Black Sunday (1977), starring Robert Shaw ; Rollercoaster in Sensurround (1977), starring George Segal ; Damnation Alley (1977), starring Jan-Michael Vincent ; Avalanche (1978), starring Rock Hudson ; Gray Lady Down (1978), also starring Charlton Heston; Hurricane (a 1979 remake of John Ford's 1937 film;

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3486-416: The disaster begins in the film, the characters are usually confronted with human weaknesses, perhaps falling in love or finding a villain to blame. The films usually feature a persevering hero or heroine ( Charlton Heston , Steve McQueen , etc.) called upon to lead the struggle against the threat; in many cases, the "evil" or "selfish" individuals are the first to succumb to the disaster. The genre experienced

3569-585: The end of the trend was marked by the 1980 comedy Airplane! , which fondly spoofed the clichés of the genre to surprising box-office success, producing a sequel of its own, Airplane II: The Sequel , in 1982. The resurgence of big-budget productions of the genre—aided by advancements in CGI technology during the 1990s—include such films as Twister , Independence Day , Daylight , Dante's Peak , Volcano , Hard Rain , Deep Impact and Armageddon . In 1997, James Cameron co-produced, wrote and directed

3652-424: The engine would be starved of fuel and shut down. For two hours, the train traveled at speeds up to 51 miles per hour (82 km/h) until the crew of a second locomotive, CSX #8392, coupled onto the runaway and slowly applied its brakes. Once the runaway was slowed down to 11 miles per hour (18 km/h), CSX trainmaster Jon Hosfeld ran alongside the train, and climbed aboard, shutting down the locomotive. The train

3735-616: The engineer whose error caused the runaway, nor what disciplinary action was taken. The film score was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams and the soundtrack album was released on December 7, 2010. Unstoppable premiered at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles , on October 26, 2010. It was released in theaters in the United States on November 12, 2010. A trailer was released online on August 6, 2010. The film went on general release on November 12, 2010. Unstoppable

3818-510: The film a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale. Film critic Roger Ebert rated the film three and a half out of four, remarking in his review, "In terms of sheer craftsmanship, this is a superb film." Vanity Fair summed it up as "a surprisingly well-made action movie," but quickly forgettable. Rolling Stone's Peter Travers —despite

3901-486: The film in a January 2020 episode of the Rewatchables podcast, and included it in his list of the ten best of the decade. In June 2021, he named it one of his favorite "Director's Final Films". Christopher Nolan also praised the film (particularly its use of suspense), citing it as an influence for his film Dunkirk . The editor of railroad industry journal Railway Age — having only read press releases and previewed

3984-471: The filming, but the black and yellow warning stripes from the AWVR livery painted on the plows of each locomotive were left untouched (except for 9777's plow) and remained visible on the locomotives. Most of the other AWVR locomotives seen in the film, including chase locomotive 1206, and the locomotive consist used in an attempt to stop the train, 7375 and 7346, were played by EMD SD40-2s leased from W&LE. 1206

4067-668: The firemen who arrive to quench the flames and rescue the inhabitants. Origins of the genre can also be found in In Nacht und Eis (1912), about the sinking of the Titanic ; Atlantis (1913), also about the Titanic ; the Danish The End of the World (1916), (about a comet ); Noah's Ark (1928), the Biblical story from Genesis about the great flood; Deluge (1933), about tidal waves devastating New York City ; King Kong (1933), with

4150-491: The full engine power output, which is calculated from MG voltage and current output. Diesel locomotives with hydraulic transmission may be equipped for hydrodynamic braking. In this case, the torque converter or fluid coupling acts as a retarder in the same way as a water brake . Braking energy heats the hydraulic fluid , and the heat is dissipated (via a heat exchanger) by the engine cooling radiator. The engine will be idling (and producing little heat) during braking, so

4233-404: The late-1970s when the big-budget films The Swarm (1978), Meteor (1979), Hurricane (1979), The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979), Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) and When Time Ran Out ... (1980) performed poorly at the box office, signaling declining interest in the disaster film product. Although The Big Bus (1976), an earlier disaster film spoof, had failed to be a hit,

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4316-407: The magnetic field ( excitation ). The amount of resistance applied to the rotating shaft (braking power) equals the rate of electrical power generation plus some efficiency loss. That is in turn proportional to the strength of the magnetic field, controlled by the current in the field coils, and the rate at which the armature and magnetic field rotate against each other, determined by the rotation of

4399-405: The men, who are hailed as heroes. Before the closing credits, it is revealed that Frank is promoted and later retires with full benefits. Will is reconciled with Darcy, who is expecting their second child, recovers from his injuries, and continues working with AWVR. Connie is promoted to Galvin's VP position, while it is implied that Galvin was fired for his poor handling of the incident. Ryan makes

4482-455: The motor circuit, when plug breaking is applied, to limit the reverse (braking) torque. Plugging is usually achieved by moving the controller, briefly, to the first step of the opposite direction, and then back to the off position. After zero speed is reached, plugging must cease to avoid the drive running in reverse, and this function may be provided automatically, by a 'plugging relay'. Plugging does not fit well with inverter-controlled drives; it

4565-514: The movie trailer — panned it as having "...stretched the truth for dramatic effect... [to produce] an entertaining diversion from reality... highly exaggerated." Trains magazine's reviewer says the film is "not a train movie;... It’s an action movie..." that "delivers" as "visceral action entertainment"—not "railroad propaganda." However, the review credits the film for depicting "most... working-day railroaders [as] safety-conscious...," trying to do "the right thing," adding "the railroad atmosphere

4648-481: The phenol could have caused in a fire, and he found it incredible that the fictional AWVR freely disseminated information such as employees' names and images and the cause of the runaway to the media. In the real instance, he writes, the cause of the runaway was not disclosed until months later when the National Transportation Safety Board released its report, and CSX never made public the name of

4731-423: The portable derailers set up outside Arklow would fail because of 777's size and speed. Upon reporting his plan to Connie and Galvin, the latter threatens to fire Frank, who informs him that he is already being forced into early retirement. Galvin also threatens to fire Will, as well as Connie when she speaks up for them, but they ignore Galvin and continue their pursuit. As Frank predicted, the train barrels through

4814-400: The portable derailers unhindered, to Galvin's horror. Knowing that Frank's plan is their only chance at preventing disaster, Connie and Werner take control of the situation from Galvin. Frank and Will catch up to the runaway's trailing hopper car and couples into place, but the car blows a seal and Will's foot is crushed in the process. Will hobbles back to 1206's cab, and Frank tries to slow

4897-432: The power supply system for use by other traction units, instead of being wasted as heat. It is normal practice to incorporate both regenerative and rheostatic braking in electrified systems. If the power supply system is not "receptive" , i.e. incapable of absorbing the current, the system will default to rheostatic mode in order to provide the braking effect. Yard locomotives with onboard energy storage systems which allow

4980-641: The project in July, citing lost patience with the film's lack of a start date. Fox made a modified offer as enticement, and he returned to the project two weeks later. Production was headquartered in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , where the fictional "Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad" depicted in the movie is headquartered. Filming took place in a broad area around there including the Ohio cities of Martins Ferry , Bellaire , Mingo Junction , Steubenville , and Brewster , and in

5063-494: The real-life CSX 8888 incident. But another Times reviewer, A.O. Scott , said "the charm of this movie... is its simplicity," focused on "an engineering problem... solved at top speed... by... a handful of professionals"—calling the film's "absorption in practical matters... exhilarating"—praising its absence of "subtext... larger meaning... political implications or psychological mystery." Director Quentin Tarantino highlighted

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5146-412: The recovery of some of the energy which would otherwise be wasted as heat are now available. The Green Goat model, for example, is being used by Canadian Pacific Railway , BNSF Railway , Kansas City Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad . On modern passenger locomotives equipped with AC inverters pulling trains with sufficient head-end power (HEP) loads, braking energy can be used to power

5229-427: The role of the electrical/mechanical energy converting device is determined by which interface (mechanical or electrical) provides or receives energy, the same device can fulfill the role of either a motor or a generator. In dynamic braking, the traction motor is switched into the role of a generator by switching from a supply circuit to a receptor circuit while applying electric current to the field coils that generate

5312-463: The runaway with the independent brakes but makes little headway with 777 still under power. Will stays in the cab to work the brakes and throttle while Frank makes his way along the top of 777's cars in a risky attempt to engage the handbrakes on each car. Eventually, 1206's brakes burn out and 777 starts gaining speed again. Using the independent air brake, Will coordinates brake timing with Frank by radio and they manage to reduce speed enough to clear

5395-495: The safety train's 120 passengers back to the cities at which they had boarded, including Bowling Green, Findlay, and Kenton. When the film was released, the Toledo Blade compared the events of the film to the real-life incident. "It's predictably exaggerated and dramatized to make it more entertaining," wrote David Patch, "but close enough to the real thing to support the 'Inspired by True Events' announcement that flashes across

5478-629: The same grey livery with different running numbers. The Railroad Safety Campaign excursion train locomotive (RSC 2002) was played by a SWP EMD GP11 rebuilt from an EMD GP9 . The two passenger coaches carrying schoolchildren were provided by the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society in Orrville, Ohio . Unstoppable was inspired by the 2001 CSX 8888 incident , in which a runaway train ultimately traveled 66 miles (106 km) through northwest Ohio. Led by CSX Transportation SD40-2 #8888,

5561-453: The same lever controlled both the throttle and the dynamic brakes; in fact, putting on "full throttle" and "full brakes" both involved advancing the same lever to the highest position after switching to a different operating mode. Thus if the engineer failed to properly switch modes, it was easy to accidentally apply full throttle instead of full brake, or vice-versa. Two of the train's tank cars contained thousands of gallons of molten phenol ,

5644-418: The screen at its start." He notes that the dead man switch would probably have worked in real life despite the unconnected brake hoses, unless the locomotive, or independent brakes, were already applied. As explained in the movie, the dead man's switch failed because the only available brakes were the independent brakes, which were quickly worn through, similar to CSX 8888. The film exaggerates the possible damage

5727-510: The train in his truck and switch it off the main track. When Ned arrives to find that the train has already passed, the crew realize it is running on full power. As Dewey and Gilleece unsuccessfully attempt to board the runaway train, Connie alerts Oscar Galvin, VP of Train Operations, and coordinates with state police to block all crossings. Federal Railroad Administration inspector Scott Werner, while visiting Fuller Yard to meet with students on

5810-522: The train left Stanley Yard in Walbridge, Ohio with no one at the controls, after the driver got out of the slow-moving train to correct a misaligned switch, mistakenly believing he had properly set the train's dynamic braking system, much as his counterpart (Dewey) in the film mistakenly believed he had properly set the locomotive's throttle (in the CSX incident, the locomotive had an older-style throttle stand where

5893-545: The train's on board systems via regenerative braking if the electrification system is not receptive or even if the track is not electrified to begin with. The HEP load on modern passenger trains is so great that some new electric locomotives such as the ALP-46 were designed without the traditional resistance grids. Dynamic braking alone is not enough to stop a locomotive, because its braking effect rapidly diminishes below about 10 to 12 miles per hour (16 to 19 km/h). Therefore, it

5976-432: The wheels and the ratio of power shaft to wheel rotation. The amount of braking power is controlled by varying the strength of the magnetic field through the amount of current in the field coils. As the rate of electrical power generation, and conversely braking power, are proportional to the rate at which the power shaft is spinning, a stronger magnetic field is required to maintain braking power as speed decreases and there

6059-440: The world and firefighters' attempts at rescuing occupants trapped on the top floor. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning for Best Cinematography , Best Film Editing and Best Original Song . Earthquake was also honored with four Academy Award nominations for its impressive special effects of a massive earthquake leveling the city of Los Angeles , winning for Best Sound and receiving

6142-464: Was another huge financial success, notching an impressive $ 84 million in US/Canada gross rental theatrical rentals ($ 592 Million in 2022-adjusted dollars); the disaster film officially became a movie-going craze. Directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gene Hackman , Ernest Borgnine , Shelley Winters and Red Buttons , the film detailed survivors' attempts at escaping a sinking ocean liner overturned by

6225-486: Was depicted by three different SD40-2s: W&LE 6353 and 6354, and a third unit that was bought from scrap and modified for cab shots. 6353 and 6354 were returned to the W&;LE and painted black to resume service, but 6354's windshield remains jutted forward from the AWVR livery. Judd Stewart's locomotive consist 7375 and 7346 were played by W&LE 6352 and 6351, which also played two locomotive "extras" (5624 and 5580), wearing

6308-594: Was in negotiations to replace Schwentke as director of the film, now titled Unstoppable . Campbell was attached until March 2009, when Tony Scott came on board as director. In April, both Denzel Washington and Chris Pine were attached to the project. The original budget had been trimmed from $ 107 million to $ 100 million, but Fox wanted to reduce it to the low $ 90 million range, asking Scott to cut his salary from $ 9 million to $ 6 million and wanting Washington to shave $ 4 million off his $ 20 million fee. Washington declined and, although attached since April, formally withdrew from

6391-466: Was more measured. While the film's action scenes "have the greasy punch of a three-minute heavy-metal guitar solo", its critic felt the characters were weak. It called the film "an opportunistic political allegory about an economy that's out of control and industries that are weakened by layoffs, under-staffing, and corporate callousness." The New York Times' Manohla Dargis dismissed it as "largely forgettable," with "transitory... pleasures, limited to

6474-643: Was nominated for Best Action Movie at the 2011 Critics' Choice Movie Awards , but lost to Inception . It was also nominated for Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie – Action . The film was nominated in the Best Sound Editing ( Mark Stoeckinger ) category at the 83rd Academy Awards , but lost. However, it won in that category in the 2010 Satellite Awards , where it was also nominated for best cinematography, visual effects, film editing, and original score. Disaster film These films often feature large casts of actors and multiple plot lines, focusing on

6557-451: Was produced by Irwin Allen (eventually known as "The Master of Disaster", as he had previously helmed The Poseidon Adventure and later produced The Swarm , Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and When Time Ran Out ... ). Directed by John Guillermin and starring Paul Newman , Steve McQueen , William Holden and Faye Dunaway , the film depicts a huge fire engulfing the tallest building in

6640-413: Was released in the United States on November 12, 2010, by 20th Century Fox . It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $ 167.8 million against a production budget between $ 85–100 million. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound Editing at the 83rd Academy Awards , and for Best Action Movie at the 2011 Critics' Choice Movie Awards , but lost to Inception in both cases. As

6723-439: Was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 15, 2011 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment . On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 198 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As fast, loud, and relentless as the train at the center of the story, Unstoppable is perfect popcorn entertainment—and director Tony Scott's best movie in years." Metacritic gives

6806-468: Was stopped at the Ohio State Route 31 crossing, just south-southeast of Kenton, Ohio . No one was seriously injured in the incident. RSC 2002 was inspired by a CSX Operation Lifesaver passenger train, which was turning around at Stanley Yard and was preparing to head back south after having traveled north from Columbus to Walbridge using the same track CSX 8888 was now on. CSX ended up having to bus

6889-514: Was used for two months during daylight, while the railroad ran its regular freight service at night. The real-life bridge and elevated curve in the climactic scene is the B & O Railroad Viaduct between Bellaire, Ohio and Benwood, West Virginia . A two-day filming session took place at the Hooters restaurant in Wilkins Township , a Pittsburgh suburb, featuring 10 Hooters Girls from across

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