Eugene Lourie was brought out of retirement to art direct (supervise) and to direct the second miniature train unit of "Super Train". Two differently scaled miniature trains were built. The (1) smallest miniature engine, luggage, passenger cars, end observation deck and swimming pool car, were each four feet long (4' x 0"), approximately twelve (12") high, mounted on a metal framed carriage wheeled base. A miniature hobby train shop in Burbank built the engine car and passenger car carriage frames, with the show's special effects crew mounting the car bodies onto the carriages. All of the cars had been carved from balsa wood. With very poor planning, no casts were made of any of the cars, especially the lead engine and observation rear end car mock-up. This miniature train was set up in a satellite hanger at the (Bob Hope) Burbank airport. The train track was elevated, over a miniature city-scape of streets and buildings. The track was on a loop in the hanger, with the elevated (10' x 0") track's end extending sixty (60' - 0"), aimed uphill at a 30 degree incline, beyond the hanger's exterior wall; with a pongee chord "S" trip (located in the middle of the train track to catch the lead engine car) at the end of the track (catching the engine) to stop the train. After several weeks (6) of miniature work, the engine car's variable speed was not properly monitored by the effects driver. The train's speed was too fast to maneuver the elevated 8' high return track loop, causing the train derailment. The lead engine car sailed off the track, flying ten feet in the air, missing the telescopic camera and camera operator riding a hydraulic crane lift, crashing onto the concrete hanger floor below. Repair of the engine car required one week, stopping the second unit camera crew work until repairs were made. (2). The second larger miniature train was sculpted and built by the train special effects team, with the engine and passenger car wheeled carriages provided by the Burbank Hobby Train Company. The length of the second miniature engine, luggage, and passenger car(s) was six (6' x 0") each, by two feet six inches high (2'-6"). This second train was set up on a hill top location site, directly above Six Flags Magic Mountain Amusement Park, Valencia, California. The larger train's tracks were set in a giant connecting "S" plan with bridges and tunnels for the larger train to traverse. The smaller train's tracks were woven in the distant horizon-landscape, with bridges and tunnels. This plan enabled both trains to travel in opposite direction for camera set-ups. (3). The full size ("miniature") train passenger cars' were built by prop-makers in the MGM Mill. The top and side elements of this fabricated mock-up train were trucked to an Oregon Amtrak train track location, where a freight train had been ordered for the crew to assemble the large scaled mock-up. Thirty prop-makers were sent to Oregon, with the third camera crew following the second week. The freight train cars proved to be a major problem. In designing the train tops and sides, no one considered the factor that no freight car is alike. A computer orders the freight cars for a train. The computer wasn't programmed to order all of the freight cars to be identical! In "Amtrak speak", no one orders identical cars...the order was filled with variable sized freight cars. The prop makers had to order additional material and supplies to make the pre-built parts fit each different freight car. While the camera crew traveled to Oregon, the weather had changed. After arriving, rain poured for a week. No film was shot! The plug was pulled! The prop makers struck the train scenery, and all the crews returned to Culver City without any exposed film of this third expensive train. Another poor planning factor was the scale of the trains. No one considered a manufactured normal toy scale for toy cars, trucks, dolls that would match the miniature train's scale. Locating set dressing to dress out the miniature buildings surrounding atmosphere was impossible. Although Gene Lourie had been the art director for the second unit, as well as the director, he concentrated on his directing assignment. Ned Parsons ordered his art director, Hub Braden, to oversee the set-ups of the miniature filming. Scavenging thrift shops for toy cars and dolls became one of his "decorating chores". Eventually, an assistant art directing crew was sent to the Ventura location to assist Gene Lourie. Every time Braden arrived at the Ventura location, he found everyone sleeping! Supervision was fruitless! During the series production, the first miniature was set up at the Dodger Stadium Parking lot overlooking the downtown horizon of Los Angeles city. After the series was canceled, the second size larger miniature train was sold to a train enthusiast living in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Supertrain swimming pool and train's tail observation platform was under construction, with the open pool outline area built above the stage floor on a four foot high stationary platform. The stage floor beneath the open pool pit platform was removed, the ground area beneath, dug out for a plastic swimming pool liner to form the swimming pool set. The first pool liner was installed without being filled with water. During the following night, the liner was stolen. The production construction schedule had a twenty-four hour daily crew schedule, including weekends. A second liner was installed. The following night, the second liner disappeared! The third plastic pool liner was installed and immediately filled with water, even though the set was unfinished. Cost of each pool liner was $1,200.00! Studio Security never identified the thief! The pool had a heating and filtering system located adjacent the stage wall's gas source line, with an overflow water line feed through the stage wall. Filming the interior of this set was difficult because of the massive sound reflection problem created by the set's hard surface shell walls, ceiling, and the expansive surface water area. The train's observation tail deck was constructed on a swivel caster wheeled platform, which pulled away from the swimming pool for camera and lighting access. This set tail section was purposely designed allowing the set unit to be relocated to an exterior railroad location sight in Saugus.
The hanger at the (Bob Hope) Burbank Airport used for miniature train filming was the same hanger used by "Star Wars" for flying jet model miniature filming.
When "Super Train" creative design meetings occurred between Ned Parsons and Dan Curtis in the upstairs MGM Art Department, Dan Curtis always included his wife's presence, with him, in all of these meetings. The decorator, Bruce Kay, and Ned's art director Hub Braden, also, were in these meetings. Discussions centered upon both the exterior train's features and the interior decorative treatments, color schemes, fabric and material specifications, etc. Dan Curtis, both producer and director of the pilot, was color blind! He employed his wife's intuition and color sense for approving all aspects of the train conceptual design elements! The uniforms for the train crew, stewards, conductors and staff became a major decision. In the original presentation illustration of the train, the train exterior had a red stripe which ran the full length of the engine, baggage, dining, sleeping, and compartments cars. During one of these creative meetings, "aubergine" (eggplant) became the identifying terminology for the train's color theme scheme. Approving "aubergine" indicated that the train's exterior red stripe had to change. Upon learning of this change, Eugene Lourie, who had been in charge of the second unit train miniature (as director and art director), screamed at Ned, "You are turning this train into a fag train!" Stomping out of Ned's office, Eugene Lourie had to order his painters to spray adhesive tape "aubergine" replacing all the red stripping on the two scaled miniature model train set units. The smallest model train cars were 24" long. The second larger model train cars were 6'-0" long. The full size train cars were the length of actual train cars (scenic side hard-wall and roof units being built in the MGM Mill), which were being sent to Washington State, to be mounted on an Amtrak train ordered for the second unit distant filming location.
"How much shake is there when riding a high speed train?" This question was argued and discussed by Ned Parsons, the director/producer Dan Curtis, and the cinema-photographer Dennis Dalzell. Referencing the speed of the Japanese Bullet Train and the high speed French trains implied that no obvious motion such as swaying nor bounce should occur. Dan Curtis decided the train's riders should have some form of swaying motion. After this decision was determined, preliminary camera tests were made with cast members and background extras, all photographed in selected Super Train compartment sets and dining carriages. Company grips were stationed at the train car set's platform end and middle with 4"x4"x10'0" long wood logs placed under the set platform. During the scene's filming, the grips would "rock" and raise the carriage set platform a few inches off the stage floor. The grips (who each looked like a Japanese wrestler) earned their nick-name "the gorillas". The teams of gorilla gangs were picked by the assistant director! Who would give the camera-cue, "gorillas rock!" (Prop makers do not qualify as gorillas because, when a set is turned over to the filming company, construction grips take over moving and handling stage scenery (sets) from the construction department's prop makers! Union rule dictates company film construction grips even repair and rebuild damaged sets during the filming process). Returning to the art department, Ned Parsons and Hub Braden would discuss how the "gorillas would rock the set units"! Ned's secretary would listen to their conversations, finally announcing that she wanted a set visit! Josephine, Ned's secretary, wanted to see what a gorilla looked like!