Goofs

From on top of a stopped train, Jan Michael Vincent watches the convicts ride away fast, hundreds of yards ahead. In the next scene, JMV is riding a saddled horse, ahead of the convicts, lobbing dynamite on them.

When James Coburn is in the bath, the distance between the cigar and his chin changes from close to away in different shots.

While wearing a heavy coat, Gene Hackman throws a lit stick of dynamite more than a hundred yards to head off the convict riding his horse.

While the engine of the motorcycle with the sidecar, can't be seen. The sound of the engine is not that of 1908, or before motorcycle cycle engine. They were not at all high revving engines. So, either this is a sound effect superimposed over the real engine. Or they used a replica motorcycle.

The song heard as the train leaves the station is "The Caissons Go Rolling Along". This song was written by Edmund L. Gruber in March 1908 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, so it would seem unlikely that it would be played by a band in the Rocky Mountains that same year. However, the tune was possibly adapted from earlier music, and was quickly so well known that when John Philip Sousa adapted it into the U.S. Field Artillery March in 1917, he was mistakenly convinced the melody dated back at least to the Civil War. Certainly an event which drew global attention, including from President Theodore Roosevelt - particularly for the involvement of two Army veterans - might have included the most up-to-date military music. A revised version of the song wasn't adopted by the U.S. Army as its official song until 1956.

When Sam Clayton takes the saddle off his horse at the end, it's clearly dry under the saddle, whilst the rest of the horse is wet and lathered. The lather and dampness is clearly fake sweat, as it would be soaked under he saddle also.

When the horse is being buried in the desert, its side is moving with breathing.

When Carbo (Jan-Michael Vincent) shoots the whiskey bottle in Sir Harry Norfolk's (Ian Bannen) hand, the bottle is positioned vertically right in front of Norfolk's arm. Norfolk himself is standing in front of a horse in the stable. The bullet fired by Carbo would have at least wounded Norfolk and quite possibly hit the horse in a real life situation.

At 30 minutes, one of the prostitutes is shown wearing black bikini underwear, a style that didn't exist until the 1960s.

Power lines and a modern sodium vapor street light are visible at the train station.

When James Coburn's horse is frightened by the bear and he and the horse fall off a cliff, there appears to be a jet condensation trail in the sky.

Gene Hackman's character describes the American charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba (July 1, 1898). He says the enemy guarded the church on top with French 75mm artillery guns. But these weren't officially adopted by the French military until that March, and were first seen in public in that year's Bastille Day celebration (July 14). French 75's were used during the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) in China and during World War I (1914-1918) in Europe--but never in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

The race takes place in in 1908. Engine 483 is a K-36 Mikado type that was built in 1925. The engine is no longer in service on the Cumbres and Toltec railway, having been cannibalized for parts.

As the third (Jan-Michael Vincent) of three riders is exiting the train at the race station (close to the 12 minute mark), you can clearly see a crew member wearing t-shirt, sun-glasses and wrist watch, looking perfectly mid-1970's.

The track tracks left by the filming are visible in the desert.

When Gene Hackman is racing the other rider in the ravine about halfway through the movie, tire tracks from the camera car are visible in the road bed.

When Jan-Michael Vincent's horse is shot in pursuit of the convicts, a rope, possibly used to create the fall, is seen trailing behind horse and rider.