Denver & Rio Grande: 1952 western train collision

[Bill Anderson]

Today I watched about half of the 1952 western Denver & Rio Grande on TV. It was apparent that the movie was filmed on one of the the Rio Grande narrow gauge lines. One dramatic scene was a head-on collision between two trains. In this era of computerized special effects, it may be surprising to learn that the footage was of an actual collision staged with two old engines that the railroad was ready to scrap. I am sure some well planted explosives were also used to enhance the drama.

Here is a Wikipedia article that includes an explanation of the filming of the collision scene.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_and_Rio_Grande_(film)

 

[Damon Hill]

I was expecting at least one boiler explosion, but it was mostly SFX. Even at a relatively slow speed, there wasn't that much damage.