Locomotive 131 was a Central Pacific Railroad passenger and freight train that ran a one-way circuit on a single track, stopping along its westbound route at the Hill Valley Railroad Station, with San Francisco at the end of the line. It was able to complete the circuit in three days, and normally cruised at 25 miles per hour with a top speed of 55, although "fearless" Frank Fargo allegedly pushed the speed to nearly 70 past Verde Junction. The engine was a wood-fired 4-6-0 (two axle leading truck followed by three driving axles) steam locomotive.^[1]

The chalkboard next to the ticket window at the station displayed the train schedule as of Thursday, September 3: Sacramento on Monday at 8:00, Haysville on Tuesday, San Francisco on Wednesday, and Carson City on Thursday at 3:30. ^[2]

Second to last visit to Hill Valley Station

On Friday, September 4, 1885, the train brought the town's new school teacher Clara Clayton among its passengers, and delivered the clock for the new courthouse. Doc and Marty took the opportunity to ask the engineer whether a steam locomotive could go as fast as ninety miles per hour (which theoretically could be done if the train wasn't hauling any cars behind it and if the boiler was heated to dangerous levels), and the day and time the train would return, in order to devise a way to push the DeLorean that fast.

Last visit to Hill Valley Station

The train returned to Hill Valley with several passenger cars three days later with a different engineer. It departed from the Hill Valley Railroad Station at 8:00 AM on Monday, September 7, 1885, during the duel between Marty McFly and Buford Tannen.

Clara Clayton and the barbwire salesman were among the passengers leaving town on the train. After Clara overheard from the two men how much Emmett Brown loved her, she intervened and stopped the train to go back to him.

The train restarted, and before reaching Carson Spur, it was hijacked by Doc and Marty as part of a "science experiment". Under the guise of handkerchiefs, they ordered the engineer and his fireman to uncouple the cars from the tender just before the junction. Doc and Marty took the locomotive to the DeLorean time machine, which they had unloaded onto the tracks in front of the silver mine.

The "science experiment" and its destruction

Doc and Marty pulled up to the DeLorean and begin to push it. Doc also showed Marty his presto logs that he would throw into the fire. As the train left the mine, Clara came over the hill on horseback. Clara caught up to the train just as the green presto log ignited. While Doc walked along the edge of the locomotive's boiler towards the DeLorean, Clara neared the cab and the second yellow log exploded, throwing her backward on the wood pile. When she reached the cab, Doc was already up to the front of the locomotive and she blew the train's whistle, getting his attention. As they passed the Point of No Return, they attempted to reach each other, and soon thereafter, the red log exploded, and the train began to fall apart. Clara lost her balance and dangled from the locomotive by her dress.

At about 1/4 mile, Marty placed his hoverboard out the door of the DeLorean and released it, and Doc caught it with his foot. Doc grabbed Clara as her dress tore and they escaped from the locomotive. Marty closed the hatch on the DeLorean as it reached 88 mph, and temporal displacement was successful. The locomotive crashed into the barrier and continued off the incomplete bridge into Shonash Ravine and exploded, destroying the train.

In the years that followed Marty's trip back to 1985, Doc constructed a new time machine made from a similar train to the destroyed Locomotive 131.

Behind the scenes

The locomotive that portrayed No. 131 was "Sierra Railway No. 3", built in 1891 by Rogers Locomotive Works of Paterson N.J., ^[3]and brought to California in 1897 -- one of several historic trains at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, Calif. It is also known as the "movie star" steam locomotive because of its appearance in over 100 films and television shows. Sierra No. 3 underwent restoration in 1998,^[4] and was returned to service on July 3, 2010 ^[5] at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, California.

Appearances

• Back to the Future Part III
• Back to the Future Part II & III
• Back to the Future Part III (video game)
• Back to the Future: The Animated Series
  • "A Friend In Deed"
  • "A Verne by any other Name" (exploded view)
• Back to the Future: The Card Game
• Back to the Future: The Game
  • Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 1: It's About Time (One of Edna's newspapers describes Clint Eastwood plunging to death on a runaway locomotive.)
  • Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 4: Double Visions (Mentioned only)

References