John Wayne stars as Colonel Cord McNally, a Union officer seeking revenge for the deadly Confederate heist of a Union army payroll train. 

The movie opens with the payroll being loaded on a train as it arrives at the "Plainview" depot. The steam engine was N de M #650 - the Duke's personal steam engine used in many of his films. Today this engine is on display at the National Museum of Mexican Railways in Puebla, Mexico. 

We get some great shots of the train on the move as the rebs set an elaborate trap ahead. 

Soon the Confederate soldiers are aboard and dropping a beehive into the caboose full of Union troops. 

This is intercut with McNally awaiting the train's arrival at the "Rocky Ford" depot. 

The rebs cut the cars loose and ride them down the hill to be snared in their rope trap. 

The town of "Blackthorne" was filmed at Old Tucson Studios in Arizona. Although it's appearance has changed over the years, this is now a theme park open to tourists. 

Old Tucson is featured heavily in the remainder of the film as the site of the final showdown.