FWIW, the train scenes in the desert with the fight scene on the logs was filmed using a locomotive of the Magma Railroad and most of the film footage was shot behind the high school in Superior, AZ. I had graduated from that high school and was working at the mine and waiting to be drafted at that time. The steam locomotive was in use until 1972 when the local smelter with it’s machine shop was closed (parts for the locomotive all had to be fabricated).
The movie I was babbling about is “How the West Was Won”.
“Gangs of New York” attempted to do a sympathetic portrait of New York Irish gangs which is why the part of those gangs murdering blacks during the NY draft riots is glossed over. Also the Pug Uglies were a Baltimore, not NY, gang.
Thanks for the background. I know where Superior is, use to travel about Az. quite a bit.