Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @periscopefilm
Want to learn more about Periscope Film and get access to exclusive swag? Join us on Patreon. Visit / periscopefilm
Visit our website www.PeriscopeFilm.com
View our Amazon store here: amzn.to/3XQHsVD
Financed by the railroad lobby, "The Story of Trains" uses the story of a trip aboard the Pacific Daylight passenger train to present the history of America's railroads. The film was an attempt to remind Americans of the importance of rail transportation, in an era when air travel and interstate highway shipment of goods had begun to erode the public's interest and support. Shot from sea to shining sea, and featuring some of the most beautiful imagery the filmmaker Carl Dudley could present, "The Story of Trains" is at its heart a patriotic movie and a love letter to American railroading. It's full of fantastic images of railroad depots including Union Station in Los Angeles (at the 6:34 mark), turntables carrying massive freight locomotives, one of Southern Pacific's G-4 Locomotives 4443 pulling the Pacific Daylight, harbor activities (18 minute mark) and much more. (Note: this film is similar in tone and style to another one of Carl Dudley’s films "On the Track").
The film opens with a pinstripe New Haven Railroad Alco DL-109 diesel locomotive speeding past (0:08) as passengers recline in modern seats. Ore cars at a mine (0:24) are followed by a montage of steam locomotives and the goods they bring to market. At (2:00) the film transitions to an historical segment, showing a group of people traveling by horse and carriage (1:56). A book titled “Early American Railroads” by John H. White leads us back into another era (2:02), a No. 18 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive headed down tracks (2:18). Men are seen standing on a Great Northern Railway switch engine (3:04). The film introduces two children named Carol and Jimmy who are packing for their first train ride (4:08), getting into a 1940s Yellow Cab (4:24), and arriving at the 26 Cincinnati Union Terminal (4:41). The station's Railway Express office (4:58). At (6:00) a massive Big Boy type locomotive is shown on a turntable. At (6;47) a family is dropped off at Union Station by cab.A ticket agent stamping tickets with a stamping machine (7:20). Carol and Jimmy are shown boarding a GS-4 class (4443) train from Southern Pacific, this is the train famously called the Pacific Daylight (8:48). At (8:57) an African American Pullman porter guides the children to their seats. At (9;17) the train leaves the station. At (10:23) the conductor processes the kids' tickets. The film then reveals the inside of the railway postal car (10:33) and the dining car -- with special attention to Southern Pacific’s children’s menu (11:27). At (11:48) a large piece of ham is carved by a white aproned chef. At (12:33) passengers talk in the comfort of the many-windowed lounge car. At (13:09) the beds are made by the porters and passengers go to sleep. At (13:53), a shot of a car wheel as it rides along the tracks. Transitioning, the film illustrates a freight train traveling through wilderness (14:20) and emphasizes the crucial role of trains in transporting America's farming resources. It begins with a farm where wheat is grown. A harvester moves through a field, then the film shows off cattle, fruits, and vegetables being loaded, moving on to raw materials like wood, iron ore, coal, cotton, and oil (14:44-18:33). At (15:10) grocery store shelves and the refrigerated meat counter are shown stocked with bread and other products brought by rail. At (18:12) a port is shown with boxcars sitting by the docks. At (18:40) a modern diesel locomotive rides by. At (19:14) a little league baseball game is shown. This part of the film attempts to highlight another aspect of the societal impact of this massive and efficient transportation system: railways fund over 100 million students a year through paying taxes (19:02). At (19:54) the Daylight arrives at a station and the children debark. Additionally, the film displays the outside of the University of Notre Dame du Lac’s law building (22:02) and the Cathedral of Saint Helena (22:11). The film’s conclusion is cut. The film ends (23:59).
Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we've worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com