Hey,
I'm not actually a writer, but I've written film plots as a hobby for a few years now. Currently, I'm writing a Western train mystery plot, but I'm not sure how the final act should progress.

Does anyone know of some good train movies / books I could get inspiration from? Or if you've got your own twist ideas, please feel free to post.

Thanks a lot!
Michael.

Logline:
Hank Searod and Austin Thurman are two good guys in bad circumstances. Running from the law, they decide to take a chance at redeeming themselves by saving the newly arrived Wesley Diamond from robbery by the Winslow gang, but when their plan goes awry, they find themselves pursued by both the gang and the sheriff's posse.

I'd suggest a couple of stories by O. Henry. "Holding Up a Train" is a semi-fictional story based off the manuscript of a friend who actually was a train robber, which describes the robbers' methods in some detail. "The Roads We Take" and "The Passing of Black Eagle" both involve hold-ups in the course of the story. Here's the links:

http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/o_henry/158/
http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/o_henry/4/
http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/o_henry/105/

There is an 1897 novel on my own to-read list, The Great K&A Train Robbery by Paul Leicester Ford, which is in fact a train mystery - I haven't read it yet, so I can't personally recommend it, but it might be helpful.

Would nonfiction about historical train robberies be of any help?

Thank you Elizabeth! Those look fascinating.

I'm looking for either inspiration or research. Anything's fine at this point. I'm basing my characters on Smith and Jones, from "Alias Smith and Jones", so this isn't a holdup as much as it is a robbery by and of intellectual folk. I like heavy plots, so a simple shoot-out isn't my type.

That sounds like a very interesting plot, Michael! It's cool that you're into films. I haven't read much on Western train robberies, but I'll keep on a lookout and keep poking my brain in case I've read something and just can't remember it.

How is this going, Mborn? Are you still looking for reading and movie material?

Thanks for asking, Saphira. Not too well. My plot idea ended up falling through, and I wasn't able to find much inspiration, so I dropped it in favor of other projects with greater potential.

However, I recently visited an old retired train track and private train station, which made me wish to begin writing the plot again. Something similar to "The Wrecker" by Clive Cussler.