Re: Scenic and the C&TS, an Oral History, Part 5A: 1974, Biting the Bullet

The filming of Bite the Bullet was one of my favorite times working on the C&TS. Most of the crew disliked having movie crews in the way, but I was fascinated by all aspects of the process of movie-making. Of course, it was less of a hassle for me as just a part of the maintenance and operating crew, and not having any part in the logistics of planning and coordinating operations of the company. In other words,I got to do more of the fun stuff, with few of the worries.

Bite the Bullet was a huge production (and imposition) for us, taking over virtually the whole railroad and all of its facilities. It was noted in another thread (Chama roundhouse boilers) that Gene Hackman and James Coburn had a bathouse scene in the roundhouse, but the film crew actually took over, and made into a set, the entire roundhouse. Back then, we didn't have the modern block and concrete facility that's there now - only the original 2-stall wood and brick structure. The two locomotive work pits were covered over with planking and made into a bar and gambling casino and the location where the race odds were posted and bets were taken; and the small east side building extension we had just built for car work was made into another bar (with working beer taps - a minor perk for us after the day's shooting was done. I watched them shoot a scene in there where a stuntman galloped his horse into the roundhouse and up to the bar, and ordered "A mug for me and a pitcher for my horse!" The horse proceeded to put his nose into the pitcher and guzzle the real draft beer).

The movie actors and drivers who weren't busy at the moment used the area to play poker for real with hundreds of dollars in a pot. The employee lounge and restroom area became the Madame's office, to manage the girls "working" outside in the crib cars shown in the post above. Fortunately, the machine shop was still usable, since we were still getting locomotives and cars ready for the opening of the operating season. A working horse stable and corrals were built between the roundhouse and the ash pit, where they actually housed the movie horses at night.

Because the only two working steam locomotives were occupied with the filming, we began the tourist train season by running Bighorn turns out of Cumbres with the Oahu Railway #19. Occasionally we on the passenger train had to wait for filming operations, especially at Mud Tunnel, to be paused and the movie train to get clear on the Sublette siding before we could continue on our way.

By the time the shooting was done, they had racked up 30 shooting days, having been there a total of almost 2 months, with construction crews and all. The director, Richard Brooks, told me they had over 4 hours of "takes" that would have to be cut down to less than 2 hours back in the studio. That's how I became the proverbial "face on the cutting room floor". But that'a another story...