In the Frankenheimer interview he has nothing but high praises for Lancaster. Lancaster did his own stunts, including the stunt where the young French boy is shot and falls off the station roof. The story was supposed to take place in late spring, but it was so cold outside that the actors had to breathe in when they spoke their lines so as not to show their warm breath exiting their mouths.

What I didn't know before I acquired the DVD is that the yard facility they blew up was scheduled to be converted to standard gauge. They spent days placing explosives all over for the scene.