Ed,
What's really entertaining is that I have had more than one of my passengers mention 'Emperor of the North' to me. It usually comes up when I come through punching their tickets, and they ask what happens if they don't have a ticket. My response (JOKING OF COURSE, with a smile and a laugh) is that I have to throw them off the train while going across the High Bridge. This response always gets a smile and hearty laugh.
The scene that is most remembered is where Shack drops his nice torture device under the car where one of the hobos is hiding. That metal end bouncing around between track, car underbody and flesh gives me a shudder every time I think about it.
note: the "Shack" in the photo is my conductor on the weekends, Willy. He is much nicer than Shack, and he doesn't look anything like Ernest Borgnine.
~Shane