Where was Train Dreams shot? Revisiting key filming locations of the latest Netflix film

There's natural beauty in the latest Netflix film, Train Dreams, which comes with an ensemble cast of Joel Edgerton, William H. Macy, Felicity Jones, and more. The film is about a logger, Robert Grainier, who is a man of few words and goes through a tragedy in a lush but lonely forest.

Clint Bentley, who also co-wrote it alongside Greg Kwedar, has directed the film. It is an adaptation of the novella of the same name, published in 2002. Most of the filming took place in Washington, and the crew made sure that they took some sustainable steps to produce it.

Given that the character in the movie is a logger, cutting down the trees had to be included in it. By the end of the production, they finally had a film that is now currently sitting with a lush 94% score on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

We will now look at some of the filming locations used in the movie.

Train Dreams filming locations

Spokane, Washington

Though the Clint Bentley movie is set in a place that looks more like an isolated region, it features a city that's actually the second-most populated location in Washington, Spokane. It is also where Father's Day came into existence. The reason this place worked like a wonder for Train Dreams is that it is one major region that has become a rail and shipping center.

A lot of movies have featured this place. The 2018 movie starring Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, and more was shot here. It's a true story about a group of friends who took the game of tag too seriously and played even in their adulthood. Other than that, Benny & Joon (1993), The Ward (2010), The Contract (2006), and more films have been shot in the location.

Colville, Washington

The next location featured in Train Dreams is Colville, a small region with a population of just over 5k. The logging camp featured in the movie was, in fact, real, called Webley Lumber Yard, as the director told The Daily Beast in an interview. He said,

"[It’s] an actual logging operation that’s been in that family since the 1800s. They were super excited for us to film there, and all we did was move the modern equipment out and we had the shot."

Not a lot of movies have been shot here, but one TV movie called Injunuity (2013) has featured this location before.

Metaline Falls, Washington

This is perhaps the smallest region that was featured in Train Dreams. According to the last census, 272 people were living here. The reason Metaline comes in the region's title is the abundant deposits of lead. There are limestone deposits in the region, too. Though it is a small region, it served well for the purpose of the Clint Bentley film.

Like Colville, not a lot of films have been shot here. However, the 1997 Kevin Costner movie The Postman did feature Metaline Falls.