Railfilms of the Old Days

[micaelcorleone]

Here I'll post some films about the US Railroads of the 50s which can be found on youtube. I do this for all of you who haven't the time to search for those videos. (They are not mine)

Santa Fe Railroad 1954 - "Challenge for Tomorrow":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAlpC5DCJSA&feature=related
See:
-how Santa Fe celebrates its' centennial
-how trackworkers work safely
-how new systems improve speed and safety
-how a track motor car is hit by a train
-how a switchman falls down a freightcar
-how the maintenance works
-how refridgeratorcars are improved
-how Santa Fe tests security of its' equipment
-how the people of Santa Fe look like

[kin3]

That was good, thanks.

[micaelcorleone]

That was good, thanks.

Glad you like it.

Santa Fe Railroad 1954 - "The Passenger Train":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZJbrMAG7XU
See:
-how it is to travel with the Super Chief
-how little Bobby Watson is going out West alone to spend his vacation on Uncle Ray's Ranch
-how the train is prepared for the journey
-how you can spend your time at the station
-how comfortable it is to travel in a roomette
-how a chaircar, a domecar and a observationcar look like
-how Bobby takes a meal in the lunchcar
-how the crew changes
-how passengers go to sleep (so interesting )
-how trains can go through mountains(I can't believe it )
-how Bob goes off to the ranch to new adventures

[micaelcorleone]

Santa Fe Railroad 1959 - "Better way for the Santa Fe":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeFWOiqn6FM
See:
-how Native Americans along the Santa Fe live
-how progress comes along with the Santa Fe
-how the Santa Fe System was in 1959
-how Santa Fe could maintain service all the way to Bagdad (not the Bagdad you might expect )
-how Santa Fe even goes right through Disneyland
-how Santa Fe came to its' coulors
-how Santa Fe digs a canyon in Arizona to fasten the trains (44 miles of new mainline)
-how 10 million tons of explosives are used
-how the construction site turns into a winter wonderland
-how the new line crosses highway 66
-how the new tracks are laid and stabilized
-how Santa Fe No.19 travels as the first sceduled train on the line
-how huge the costs were
-how good the Santa Fe management is

[Chock]

'and so we say, farewell, to those filthy redskins, as we drive them off their lands to allow the Santa Fe to stick a dirty great big railroad through their sacred burial grounds..'

Al

[micaelcorleone]

'and so we say, farewell, to those filthy redskins, as we drive them off their lands to allow the Santa Fe to stick a dirty great big railroad through their sacred burial grounds..'

Yeah, that's how it was back in the 50s.

Santa Fe RailRoad 1950's - "Pay Day":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNylLs4eoPY
See:
-how switchman Louis Canoppi gets his new 21 inch TV-set (broken)
-how it all startet on "payday"
-how everybody was so excited about the arrival of the TV
-how everything was the fault of the Santa Fe people
-how the TV-set was manufactured in Chicago by Motorola
-how many faults you can make when loading freight into a train
-how boxcars smash one into another
-how boxcars smash one into another
-how hundred more boxcars smash into other ones
-how the Canoppis meet at the supermarket
-how Santa Fe guys play Baseball with cans
-how dangerous it is not to oil the bogies (burn, burn, burn)
-how Santa Fe handels it's cattle freight
-how a boxcar is prepared to transport grain
-how all the damages can fill three warehouses
-how do you keep your customers when you deliver stuff like this?
-how a switchman works right
-how you do better and I do better, then i bet we can do the job done
-how a humpyard works
-how Santa Fe improves it's freight handling and so calls itself "America's New Railroad"

[micaelcorleone]

California Zephyr ride to Durango 1958 - "Magic Rails to Yesterday" EDIT: here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTaZvrUtipI
See:
-how San Francisco was in the year 1905
-how San Francisco looked like after the great earthquake
-how the California Zephyr leaves Frisco
-how the train climbs the Feather River Canyon
-how a Steamengine makes its' last run
-how the train crosses the salt deserts of Utah
-how Salt Lake City looked like
-how the train passes the beautiful countryside of Colorado
-how some abandonned narrow gauge tracks are visited
-how it is to ride from Durango to Silverton on the last Narrow Gauge Railroad
-how the cunductors give away coffee and donuts to the passengers
-how beautiful this run is
-how a waterstop is made
-how the tourists spend their time in Silverton
-how a gunbattle starts in Silverton
-how the street gets littered with deads
-how a unique Wild West wedding takes place, complete with shotgun
-how a chinese laundrymen can't get into his shop
-how the sheriff stops some robbers
-how the locomotive leaves Silverton for the return trip

This movie is so funny!

[arizonachris]

Ummm, Micael, you forgot a link on that last Post. The others were really cool to watch!

Oh, I think I found it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTaZvrUt ... re=related

[micaelcorleone]

Ummm, Micael, you forgot a link on that last Post. The others were really cool to watch!

Hey, thank you Arizonaman. I've added the link now in my post.

Here's another one, even with link :
1950's Santa Fe RailRoad - "The Super Chief" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Ysb30y7sw
See:
-how much advantages of traintravelling there are
-how the new Super Chief is the answer to the question of ultimate comfort and luxury and modern travelling
-how a young lady is planning her trip to Souther California and does think a train is just a train
-how the lady (after a little convincing by the narrator) chooses to give the new Super Chief a chance from Chicago to LA
-how the Observation Lounge offers moving around space (waht a word )
-how a Super Chief Roomette looks like and offers the most comfortable beds ever
-how the new Bedrooms look like
-how the new Compartment looks like
-how the Drawing Room looks like (even radio, wow )
-how the luxury hotel can move with you when you travel by train
-how clean, compact and efficient the kitchen is: highest quality food (mmmhh )
-how stunning the new Pleasure Dome Car is (even writingdesks, latest news, stock bulletins and a Barbershop on rails)
-how the young lady has to admit that the new Super Chief isn't "just another train"
-how the first and only private dining room on rails looks like (no extra charge)
-how Native Americans sell their products to the passenger in Albuquerque
-how the train slowly, surely gathers speed
-how the Super Chief runs through the "Golden State" and finally arrives at Union Station LA
-how the lady says that everyone and everything was just great on the Super Chief
-how it's Santa Fe, All the Way between Chicago and the West Coast (39 3/4 Hours travel time)

[arizonachris]

I actually rode the Durango to Silverton about 10 years ago. I think it's still operating today. Was quite fun. There is also a train out of Clarkdale Arizona, it takes an old narrow gauge route to an old mine then back to Clarkdale. I haven't been able to find it on the Net, I did that one about 10 years ago as well. It's a diesel, not steam. But it was still a lot of fun.

[micaelcorleone]

Pennsylvania RailRoad 1951 newsreel - "Wheels Of Steel" - featuring the GG1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5fi9viZoTs
See:
-how a locomotive is a Hercules, Atlas, a model engine, just a page in a picture book, but in the grown-up world a backbone of the America it helped to make
-how the day of the GG1 starts: fueling sand, inspection
-how the GG1 has "the strongest handshake in the world"
-how fuel and water is added, by a woman
-how the engine is cleaned by a "pig"
-how the Presidential Special Car looked like and how the Seal is polished
-how the train is loaded with food and napkins
-how it was at Grand Central back then
-how the train travels from New York to Washington, D.C.
-how the engineman views the travel
-how the train hits speeds of 80 miles per hour
-how track and overhead wires are maintained
-how the capital looked like back then
-how the railroad helped to make America great
-how great the presidents and statesman were
-how the locomotive does its job on "Wheels of Steel"

[micaelcorleone]

Pennsylvania RailRoad 1952 - "Progress on the Rails"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd-cSMYKh3A&feature=channel
See:
"Publicity film produced by the Pennsylvania RailRoad in 1952 showing modern safety features introduced by the railroads, as well as other technological advances that allow the railroads to run more efficiently."

[micaelcorleone]

Pennsylvania RailRoad 1955 - "Opening a New Frontier"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSZN1c22A0M&feature=channel
See:
"Pennsylvania RailRoad promotional film from 1955. Highlights the early intermodal road / rail 'piggback' services being introduced at the time."

[micaelcorleone]

1950 - Rock Island Line - "Wheels of Progress"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv2NbdJwfQM&feature=channel
See:
"Publicity film from Rock Island Line. Discusses the modernization of the railroad, services offered, and integration with other forms of transport on land and sea."

Reminds me of how good we have it here in our Western countries.

[micaelcorleone]

1957 Publicity film about the Wabash RailRoad - "Once upon the Wabash"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKUCNT3kAl4&feature=channel
See:
"A newly married couple on their honeymoon is riding in a late 1940's car along the Wabash mainline, when suddenly the dining steward on the Blue Bird, exercising magical powers, whisks the couple onto the train at the wish of the new bride. They are given a tour of the train and then a 40 minute tour of the Wabash Railroad empire."


1952 New York Central System newsreel - "Within the Oval"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQjYSB6ivHg&feature=channel
See:
"Educational publicity newsreel made by the New York Central Railroad. Shows the activities of the railroad in the early 1950's. Diesels, electrics and steam locos are seen in operation as well as some behind the scenes activities."

I can't believe what they have done to NYC. How can you just be so dilettantish and why did they have to merge it with the Pennsylvania Railroad and now these two once great railroads are destroyed. I just can't believe it!