In 1982, Stephen King published a collection of four novellas under the title Different Seasons, which moved away from the horror writing for which the author had previously been best known. One of the novellas was titled “The Body,” and focused on the story of four friends going in search of the remains of a boy who they had heard had been hit by a train. It would later be adapted for the screen as the film Stand by Me, directed by the late Rob Reiner, and was released on August 22, 1986.
One of the key elements of the story involves the railroad along which the friends travel in order to look for the body, and the one which was used in the film happens to have a notable history in earlier Hollywood productions. 40 years on from the premiere of the movie, here is a look at the story behind this crucial location.
The Story Behind the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway
While the original novella took place in Maine, Stand by Me was set and filmed in Oregon, and in 1984 locations began to be scouted across the state to stand in for the key places in the story. According to crew member Bob Larson, Reiner had originally planned to film in Portland, but this became impossible when permission was denied to film on the Southern Pacific Railroad, allegedly because the train company did not like the idea of a dead body being seen to be found on their tracks. Shooting ended up taking place in Brownsville instead, and the railroad which ultimately played a prominent role on screen would be the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway.
However, Stand by Me was not the first movie to use this railroad as a location: one of the reasons it had been a popular choice for past productions was due to it being relatively short, having beautiful views which made it appealing onscreen, and being infrequently used and privately owned meant that it was easier to schedule filming.
The railroad’s cinematic history begins in 1926, when it featured in Buster Keaton’s The General. The story follows a man during the Civil War who steals a train and takes it north, in the hope of foiling the plans of Confederate soldiers. As the train would play a huge role in the story, it was important to find the right railroad for filming. The Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway also had some locomotives which were able to be adapted to resemble trains of the Civil War period in which the film takes place.
The railroad also appeared in Emperor of the North Pole, directed by Robert Aldrich, which was released in 1973 and is sometimes better known under its shorter title Emperor of the North. Trains also played a central role in this story, which focused on the conflict between a train conductor and a “hobo” who is trying to ride the train for free (the name of the film refers to the title which will be given to anyone who can successfully ride the train for free all the way to Portland).
While Stand by Me had not been the first film to shoot on the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway, it would turn out to be the last: as noted by the Cottage Grove Historical Society, the line was paved over and converted into a path in the 1990s, one of a number of disused train tracks converted in this way.
But the success of Stand by Me and the earlier films which showcased it on screen have ensured that its days as a railroad will continue to be remembered as long as these films are watched in the future.
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