Harry Houdini monarch of mystery, arrived at Hollywood, Cal. where he started work immediately at the Lasky Studio under the direction of Irvin Willat on the big six-reel mystery [The Grim Game] written specially for him by Arthur B. Reeve, author of “Craig Kennedy” stories, and John Gray.
Houdini was met at the Santa Fe station in Los Angeles by Studio Manager Fred Kley and others, including a number of newspaper and publicity men who had been lying in wait for him with a number of stunts of extrication which they figured he would be unable to perform. They wasted no time In setting the famous escape artist to work and in a few minutes they had chained and roped him to one of the big wheels of a locomotive. When they believed he was secure they told him he might release himself if he could. He did so in less than a minute.
Source: Motion Picture News May 17, 1919
I think those pictures of Houdini tied to a locomotive were publicity shots for this article and not genuine challenges. I think there’s a number of them but I don’t have this original article.
There was not shots included in this particular article. If you click on the words “stunts of extrication” in the article above, it takes you to the related blog that John Cox did on this with more photos or go to his site using the link below.
http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2011/04/extreme-houdini.html