Emperor of the North

AKA The Emperor of the North Pole. In this 1973 Depression-era film, legendary hobo "A no 1" (Lee Marvin) vows to be the first man to successfully hitch a ride on the train run by the brutal conductor Shack (Ernest Borgnine), who has vowed to prevent such a thing from ever happening. The resulting battle is memorably bloody.

Contains examples of:

 * The Great Depression
 * Hobos: Naturally.
 * Hollywood Fire: Averted
 * Runaway Train: Shack pushes his luck, but the train is never out of control.
 * Traintop Battle