Indeed, his insistence on realism almost cost his cinematographer nephew Claude Renoir dear, as his camera was smashed while he clung to the side of a locomotive speeding into a tunnel.
The compartments and corridor of the train were built by production designer Eugène Lourié, but Renoir used authentic locations for the scenes in the marshalling yards and the cab. Indeed, his insistence on realism almost cost his cinematographer nephew Claude Renoir dear, as his camera was smashed while he clung to the side of a locomotive speeding into a tunnel.