Category: Railroading

2920. A GREAT RAILROAD AT WORK (1942-USA). Narrated by LOWELL THOMAS. The great railroad is The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, once the best way for passengers and freight to travel between New York and Boston. The president of the line greets us by saying, “We are proud of our mechanical equipment, but […]

2922. STREAMLINING and SAFETY (1945-1947) Partial Color. Four films or the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads. 1. STREAMLINED (1947). Narrated by ANDRE BARUCH. This is “a new era in transportation,” and the lyrical beauty of this film is matched by the hyperbole of the announcer: “Only the throttle can stem the progress of the […]

2923. MODERN RAILROADING OF THE 1960s (1960s-USA) COLOR. TWO films produced for the AssociaLion Of American Railroads and narrated by famed newscaster CHET HUNTLEY. 1. NEW DIRECTIONS IN MODERN RAILROADING. How are railroads changing in the 1960s, and what will they be like in the “future”? “The art of railroading takes on the aspect of […]

2889. MEETING THE CHALLENGE (1946-USA) COLOR. A film produced by The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad boasting of “deluxe equipment, courteous service, good food and on-time dependability.” The B&O hauled coal, lots of it for the steel mills of Pittsburgh and the railroads of America. It served all kinds of industries in countless ways with 2000 […]

2890. THE ROMANCE OF THE RAILROADS (1945-1955-USA) PARTIAL COLOR. Three of the best railroading films ever made. They capture the spirit, the drive and the excitement of what it was like during the “golden age” of modern railroading. 1. WHAT IN BLAZES (1955). Produced by The Pennsylvania Railroad. Fires aboard a locomotive are just as […]

2900. THIS IS MY RAILROAD (1947-USA) COLOR. This is a snapshot of the Southern Pacific Railroad during its glory days, before the airplane lured away most of its passengers, before trucks on an interstate highway system lured away most of the freight. The Southern Pacific called itself “The Friendly Railroad,” and no wonder. Even though […]

2798. ALL ABOARD…THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD (1955-1956 USA). A delightful collection of four films produced by the “Pennsy” in the 1950s. This was what “riding the rails” was really like! 1. PROGRESS ON THE RAILS (c. 1955) What’s new in railroading? Glad you asked! There’s modern signaling and speed control devices, new advances in track maintenance. […]

2616. THE RAILROAD STORY (C.1960-USA). COLOR. A short film produced by the Illinois Association of Railroads to show how important railroads are in almost every aspect of everyday life. We see trains for freight and passengers in many nostalgic settings at a time when first generation diesels had just achieved 98% usage and steam was […]

2581. ALL ABOARD! THE NEW YORK CENTRAL COLLECTION. Three short films produced by the New York Central in the late 1940s. 1. THE STEAM LOCOMOTIVE. “The Iron Horse.” What American does not thrill to the sight of a speeding train? The biggest thing that moves on land! How a steam locomotive works, how they’re maintained. […]

2586. BIG TRAINS ROLLING (1955-USA) COLOR. How important are railroads in American life? Very important, according to this film produced by the Association Of American Railroads. ART GILMORE narrates this portrait of steam trains, diesel locomotives, freight haulers and crack streamlined expresses. Beautiful photography makes the narration almost unnecessary, but add it to the stunning […]