Back when blue collar workers were paid living wages and could afford to own their own homes and support their families on one income. We've lost our way.
Almost my entire family worked the New Haven road from it's beginning to it's demise out of New Haven. Trackmen, yard men, engineers and station masters.
Not one PC screen or piece of graffiti to be seen... Clean well dressed people with a decency in their appearance and attitude. Pride in work, trade, one's company and country. All this, despite the difficult times being gone through. Very different times. Seems like a dream...
And most of those jobs have been abolished due to technology and our Govt's stupid policy of taxing the railroads to subsidize its competitors. That is called "progress."
I remember as a kid in the late 1940's my father bringing me down to the railroad station to watch the unloading of the mail car. Canvas sacks of mail were unloaded from the mail car onto a wood flatbed cart with iron wheels, that was then wheeled to the parking lot to a waiting Post Office truck. We lived about a block from the New Haven tracks in Mount Vernon, New York.
This film, though fascinating to watch, is also an amazing resource for all the model railroad fans who try to create layouts that duplicate, with minute accuracy, the way railroad operations really looked and how they were really run.
They could've preserved 2. One at the Danbury Railroad Museum and the other one at the Railroad Museum of New England. Or? But the next member #1410 from scratch! It will have a new top speed of 125MPH when it's a full throttle. And will travel from Washington D.C. to Boston. MA.
Same here. Would’ve been nice to see one preserved and put into excursion service. It would have given the I5 the chance to *really* show what it was made of. NH never gave them that chance as track speed didn’t usually exceed 60. Damn shame.
Amazing to think that this was filmed mere months after the attack on Hawaii by the Japanese. I love seeing these old films and equating to them what significant events happened around the same time. Thank You for the upload. Cheers
God I would kill to go back in time and see New England at its peak manufacturing. Non-urban renewed cities, no highways cutting through downtowns, beautiful stations still maintained that are no longer with us, steam locomotives, and passenger trains.
This loco. Shape was replicated in Australia. The New South Wales Government Railways designed and built the C 38 class Pacifics from 1943. The first were streamliners with a very similar look to these NYNHH locos. I love the look of them.
Some things are better for sure, but you have to admit that well-dressed people are rare today! Women tie their hair in a scraggly ball, put on the track pants and go out in public-sad...
@@Stratovair Don't forget their sleazy tattoos. Back then, a tattooed lady would only be found in a carnival freak show. And that is where they still belong.
They worked hard and didn't live in big fancy houses. Went to church on Sundays...did it right! One wonders who the brains were behind all of this. Closer to God ... that's for sure.
This is nothing short of miraculous! So much went into this industry. Nothing like that today. Water. coal, oil, sand, wood and steel. So many jobs, right down to the chefs and servants in the diner cars; the tower men, yard men, mechanics and of course the train and engine servicemen!
This is positively beautiful footage, you have here. New York New Haven and Hartford is a misunderstood carrier. Had potential to do great things, but was often financially plagued. Even Penn Central didn't do much to solve the woes. Thankfully, the remaining active parts of the NH are doing better thanks to changes like the Staggers Rail Act.
@@LIMowersAndMore Unfortunately not a single NH steam locomotive made it to preservation. The closest we have is #3025 at the Valley Railroad which is a Chinese SY made to look like an NH J1 mikado
I was born in Connecticut in 68 and have lots of family there although I no longer Am. Additionally, my father worked for Pratt and Whitney in West Hartford and I worked for Chandler Evans (div of Colt Industries).
Maybe the Best railroad documentary. From A to Z American railroading at its peak, (the Glory Days) as told by the great Lowell Thomas. Beautiful huge steam engines. The New Haven was historic in railroad electrification, had the most beautiful electric engine (although not in this movie)
I worked in a film lab across from the maker of this film, Jam Handy (seen in the opening credit), then closed. Some of our old guys had been with Handy and had lots of stories. Jam Handy received a commission, wrote the film, shot the film, processed the film, cut the film, did the mix, and even sent guys out to project it in the theaters!
Many thanks for this amazing film that shows so many hard working Americans!! And of course the magnificent history of trains in action and progressively moving forward every day 24/7… Many thanks for sharing 😊
A lot of this footage was at the Cedar Hill Classification yard. There are sections of it to this day still in the woods abandoned. At 15: 56 you can see Sleeping Giant state park in the distance.
Did anyone else notice that the woman’s Pullman sleeper ticket was dated December 6th? Since the copyright date is 1942, that would make it the previous December. She would have gone to sleep from GCT/NY and woken up to Pearl Harbor the next morning (the 7th). Also explains the narratot’s comment, “… what with rubber tires rationed.”
I've watched this clip quite a few times over the years and never knew until recently that the opening scene of the movie was filmed in Hamden CT at the Mt carmel canal line station. And yes I also happened to notice the date of the ticket that the woman purchased for that pullman, it put a lump in my throat. Life changed during her journey.
America had such a great transportation system, and it was all destroyed by truck and bus makers. Electric trains, powered by efficient power plants were , or should have been the future. Instead, highways and thousands of cars & trucks each emitting toxic fumes are what we ended up with!
I like the diesel switcher. The Earliest ones in the UK were from 1932 and the earliest main line diesels were introduced in 1947. Diesel and electric traction were implemented from 1955 in the UK
America had such a great transportation system, years ago! What happened? Even up here in Maine there was an extensive trolley / light rail system as well as the passenger trains.
1942: Stationmaster: (NY,NH,&H) You were one single minute late! What is the meaning of this!! 2019: Stationmaster: (Amtrak) Only 3 hours late! Perfectly on time! Great job! I think we can learn something: after Penn Central, speed wasn't the same (70 Mph-20 Mph)!
I began my passenger service after freight service with the NY,NH&H. The last thing I wanted was having to provide the answer for was lost time. With Amtrak they had a scheme that interline trains leaving late were on time if they hadn't lost any more time into the final terminal. With certain enginemen I knew that "making up time" was a cinch if my crew could get "them" off and on. Never had to answer for making up time.
The NYNH&H was an amazing network, but it was a patchwork of purchases, leases, owned track and rights of way. Some purchases and leases were conditional on retaining stops and lines that led to a "death by 1000 cuts." The same applied to labor practices, career structures, etc. In spite of this, on the day of the 1929 stock market crash NYNY&H shares were trading at $250. Many great memories of traveling aboard.
The first scene is so special and yours has been edited. The train arrives and stops, the young lad and the engineer exchange a glance and then the train takes off. Cut to the engineer on the modern engine... it's implied that is the young boy grown up and in charge of the Yankee Clipper!
To think I worked in that underground tower. It was Tower A one of 3 towers on the upper level of GCT. It was stacked on top of Tower B wihich controlled the lower level of GCT. There was Tower A (upper level plats), Tower C which controlled East Yard (1-10) the Back yard (50s) and Tower U now known as CP 1 at E59st and Tower B for the lower level.
And if those computers are ever taken out by an EMP this country will come to a grinding halt. Disconnect anyone 30-and-under from the Matrix and watch them instantaneously lock up--numbly staring downward while waiting for their cellphone screens to come back on.
And despite most coal trains being gone we actually use 4 times the amount of coal per year globally than we did when this was filmed. Gorgeous loco though.
New Haven held coal reserves on the ground to last seven years according to NH projections. One such reserve was in the Randolph, Avon, Holbrook area south of Boston. The NH feared coal miner strikes. I think there was some near the Cos Cob generating plant too.
The I-5 is one of the most beautiful locomotives ever built
Absolute work of art.
I'm 57 and truly believe I would have been much happier living in this Era !!!
What a marvelous window into the past, hard working men doing hard work. I very much appreciate you folks sharing this.
"...hard working men doing hard work..." And living to the ripe old age of 55.
Back when blue collar workers were paid living wages and could afford to own their own homes and support their families on one income. We've lost our way.
The I-5 departing Boston South Station with the Yankee Clipper tow and speeding down the line is single handedly the best part in this film.
it is
the music makes it even more epic
I love these old films, so optimistic.
Hz
Almost my entire family worked the New Haven road from it's beginning to it's demise out of New Haven. Trackmen, yard men, engineers and station masters.
It's a shame to see such an amazing railroad network be brought down
@@KINGFISHOL its a shame so many class 1 railroads were shut down for much worser , less efficient and less climate friendly cars.
Not one PC screen or piece of graffiti to be seen... Clean well dressed people with a decency in their appearance and attitude. Pride in work, trade, one's company and country. All this, despite the difficult times being gone through. Very different times. Seems like a dream...
Ofc everything looks nice and perfect, it's a promotional film aka corporate propaganda
@@wchaunis it that hard to believe people used to have pride and decency
And the aerosol spray can was not in regular use at that time.
That slip track was pretty cool. I could watch that all day.
The amount of staff in those days is unbelievable.
And most of those jobs have been abolished due to technology and our Govt's stupid policy of taxing the railroads to subsidize its competitors. That is called "progress."
I admire the heroic voice of the narrator
I remember as a kid in the late 1940's my father bringing me down to the railroad station to watch the unloading of the mail car. Canvas sacks of mail were unloaded from the mail car onto a wood flatbed cart with iron wheels, that was then wheeled to the parking lot to a waiting Post Office truck. We lived about a block from the New Haven tracks in Mount Vernon, New York.
Love to hear old stories
This film, though fascinating to watch, is also an amazing resource for all the model railroad fans who try to create layouts that duplicate, with minute accuracy, the way railroad operations really looked and how they were really run.
Doing just that! Lots of fun for this old guy over 60 years
The I-5s were beautiful. I wish they survived the scrapyards.
@Carl Ferrigno #3025?
They could've preserved 2. One at the Danbury Railroad Museum and the other one at the Railroad Museum of New England. Or? But the next member #1410 from scratch! It will have a new top speed of 125MPH when it's a full throttle. And will travel from Washington D.C. to Boston. MA.
Same here. Would’ve been nice to see one preserved and put into excursion service. It would have given the I5 the chance to *really* show what it was made of. NH never gave them that chance as track speed didn’t usually exceed 60. Damn shame.
They are really good looking locomotives
Yeah, me too.
Amazing to think that this was filmed mere months after the attack on Hawaii by the Japanese. I love seeing these old films and equating to them what significant events happened around the same time. Thank You for the upload. Cheers
God I would kill to go back in time and see New England at its peak manufacturing. Non-urban renewed cities, no highways cutting through downtowns, beautiful stations still maintained that are no longer with us, steam locomotives, and passenger trains.
And only about 130 million people.
That was the first time I had ever heard of or seen a "slip track" to test locos.
Train yard logistics alone are extremely amazing!
Great footage. Maintenance, baby, maintenance!
This is one of the better railroad films of the era. Sure like seeing those streamlined I-5 4-6-4's!
This loco. Shape was replicated in Australia. The New South Wales Government Railways designed and built the C 38 class Pacifics from 1943. The first were streamliners with a very similar look to these NYNHH locos. I love the look of them.
Most of my family worked ofr the New Haven out of the New Haven Yards and station. My grandfather was a stationmaster there in the 40's.
All the railroads back then were great.
Before most of them went bankrupt.
what a great vid!!! My! how life has changed (and not for the better). Everyone was dressed nicely, no pajama bottoms or sweat pants!
At least you wont get polio now-a-days.
Some things are better for sure, but you have to admit that well-dressed people are rare today! Women tie their hair in a scraggly ball, put on the track pants and go out in public-sad...
@@Stratovair Don't forget their sleazy tattoos. Back then, a tattooed lady would only be found in a carnival freak show. And that is where they still belong.
@@Stratovair Growing up we had to wear suits to go to the Forum to watch the Habs play. It was nearly a religious experience.
NH YardLimit so true my friend, so true.
They worked hard and didn't live in big fancy houses. Went to church on Sundays...did it right! One wonders who the brains were behind all of this.
Closer to God ... that's for sure.
This is nothing short of miraculous!
So much went into this industry.
Nothing like that today.
Water. coal, oil, sand, wood
and steel. So many jobs, right down to the chefs and servants in the diner cars; the tower men, yard men, mechanics and of course the train and engine servicemen!
Great film enjoyed very much
This is positively beautiful footage, you have here. New York New Haven and Hartford is a misunderstood carrier. Had potential to do great things, but was often financially plagued. Even Penn Central didn't do much to solve the woes. Thankfully, the remaining active parts of the NH are doing better thanks to changes like the Staggers Rail Act.
Jessica Kasumi their are only three surviving new haven steamers I think....but hell those days are gone.....
Penn Central was a disaster, almost by design. (sighs)
But they're far from the only railroad company that was, though.
New Haven was a pioneer in piggyback freight, but unfortunately their system turned out to be the Betamax of transportation.
@@LIMowersAndMore Unfortunately not a single NH steam locomotive made it to preservation. The closest we have is #3025 at the Valley Railroad which is a Chinese SY made to look like an NH J1 mikado
One of my great-grandfathers (my father's father's father) was a train engineer on the line from Albany to Boston 🥰🚂🚂🚄🚅🥰
Rode the New Haven from Boston to NYC 3 or 4 times a year with my Mom. This brings back a few memories!
¿
It was a mighty RR for a long time.
Really enjoyed this thanks
I was born in Connecticut in 68 and have lots of family there although I no longer Am. Additionally, my father worked for Pratt and Whitney in West Hartford and I worked for Chandler Evans (div of Colt Industries).
How quaint, a long long time ago in a galaxy far away, when you took for granted that things in America actually worked.
Thanks to the New Deal.
@@romanlyubchak7986 Mid to late 60's, Roman. it all went to hell then.
still does in many places
Beautiful history brought to life, very sentimental.
It. Doesn’t’ get. Better. Than this ! The movies. From. The. 40’s. Are. Real. Classics !
Best RUclips Video Ever
Fantastic quality, one of the best quality films of this vintage I've seen. What a stirring shot at4:45. And matching sound too!
Maybe the Best railroad documentary. From A to Z American railroading at its peak, (the Glory Days) as told by the great Lowell Thomas. Beautiful huge steam engines. The New Haven was historic in railroad electrification, had the most beautiful electric engine (although not in this movie)
I worked in a film lab across from the maker of this film, Jam Handy (seen in the opening credit), then closed. Some of our old guys had been with Handy and had lots of stories. Jam Handy received a commission, wrote the film, shot the film, processed the film, cut the film, did the mix, and even sent guys out to project it in the theaters!
And there at the end of the movie is the end of a train with an old man waving bye. I like that better than a FRED.
Stunning transition from steam engine to electric. In my country took much longer. A real video training thank you.
Many thanks for this amazing film that shows so many hard working Americans!! And of course the magnificent history of trains in action and progressively moving forward every day 24/7… Many thanks for sharing 😊
Amazing!
I grew up with this Documentary. My father had it on VHS. It was done by Pentrex.
It’s hard to believe there was actually a time like that in America,l.
A lot of this footage was at the Cedar Hill Classification yard. There are sections of it to this day still in the woods abandoned. At 15: 56 you can see Sleeping Giant state park in the distance.
Thanks! For a feel good video.
Merry Christmas 🎄.
Did anyone else notice that the woman’s Pullman sleeper ticket was dated December 6th? Since the copyright date is 1942, that would make it the previous December. She would have gone to sleep from GCT/NY and woken up to Pearl Harbor the next morning (the 7th).
Also explains the narratot’s comment, “… what with rubber tires rationed.”
I've watched this clip quite a few times over the years and never knew until recently that the opening scene of the movie was filmed in Hamden CT at the Mt carmel canal line station. And yes I also happened to notice the date of the ticket that the woman purchased for that pullman, it put a lump in my throat. Life changed during her journey.
Those pullman heavyweight cars are simply beautiful
This is so cool and a Thumbs Up for you also.
THANK YOU FOR GREAT HISTORY VIDEO
This is really good!
America had such a great transportation system, and it was all destroyed by truck and bus makers. Electric trains, powered by efficient power plants were , or should have been the future. Instead, highways and thousands of cars & trucks each emitting toxic fumes are what we ended up with!
Railroads were destroyed by government edicts along with other advances
One of the nations biggest tragedies :(
I liked the fleeting excerpts we had of Dvorak's eighth symphony.
I like the diesel switcher. The Earliest ones in the UK were from 1932 and the earliest main line diesels were introduced in 1947. Diesel and electric traction were implemented from 1955 in the UK
That's is an ALCO model. Made in upstate NY.
America had such a great transportation system, years ago! What happened? Even up here in Maine there was an extensive trolley / light rail system as well as the passenger trains.
I loved the part where these great iron juggernauts were overhauled!
1942:
Stationmaster: (NY,NH,&H) You were one single minute late! What is the meaning of this!!
2019:
Stationmaster: (Amtrak) Only 3 hours late! Perfectly on time! Great job!
I think we can learn something: after Penn Central, speed wasn't the same (70 Mph-20 Mph)!
😄
I began my passenger service after freight service with the NY,NH&H. The last thing I wanted was having to provide the answer for was lost time. With Amtrak they had a scheme that interline trains leaving late were on time if they hadn't lost any more time into the final terminal. With certain enginemen I knew that "making up time" was a cinch if my crew could get "them" off and on. Never had to answer for making up time.
3:44-5:04
Best part of the entire flim.
Classic New Haven pagoda-style tower at 7:46
I Love That Train
Thanks. Great film.
Nothing like the steam locomotive....
Always gives me a chuckle whenever they say, "Exceedingly modern!" in these films xDD.
AWESOME
Look how Snappy everybody dressed back then not like the slobs today
They were just nice-looking slobs.
Ah Lowell Thomas!
Man that sure looks proud
Excellent!
Nice ! 😀👍
The very first steam loco was a very attractive engine. Also good to see coal fired locos more than the oil fired ones.
Lowell Thomas, wow
I fondly remember his travelogues from the '50s, mostly on TV.
4:43 7:45 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙘
The NYNH&H was an amazing network, but it was a patchwork of purchases, leases, owned track and rights of way. Some purchases and leases were conditional on retaining stops and lines that led to a "death by 1000 cuts." The same applied to labor practices, career structures, etc. In spite of this, on the day of the 1929 stock market crash NYNY&H shares were trading at $250. Many great memories of traveling aboard.
I had taken a traim from New York to Boston, in 1997.
Header had been changed from electric engine to diesel engine at New haven.
'NortheastDirect '
15:04 my favorite scene
Billie jean is not my lover
When a train does the Moonwalk
Very cool 👍
Lowell Thomas was a wordsmith. Strange he used the word “ponderous”. Twice even.
Even Lowell had to read from scripts written by others on occasion.
I have these on vhs tape i remember watching it as a child
29:39 "the industrial genius of America." now we make nothing and soon probably to be nothing.
The first scene is so special and yours has been edited. The train arrives and stops, the young lad and the engineer exchange a glance and then the train takes off. Cut to the engineer on the modern engine... it's implied that is the young boy grown up and in charge of the Yankee Clipper!
It has been edited. You can see the complete film here: ruclips.net/video/70KJsjIaDVU/видео.html
The narrator would make picking my nose sound monumental.
Those New England accents are so great! I was born in New Haven
I was born in Stamford, Connecticut! And I went to new haven sometimes!
3:17 ok, that’s cool
Riding to a joint, wow what a different world...
To think I worked in that underground tower. It was Tower A one of 3 towers on the upper level of GCT. It was stacked on top of Tower B wihich controlled the lower level of GCT. There was Tower A (upper level plats), Tower C which controlled East Yard (1-10)
the Back yard (50s) and Tower U now known as CP 1 at E59st and Tower B for the lower level.
New haven is my favorite only cause i live nearby
The actual running time of this classic film is 45 minutes, just acquired a 1942 16mm print.
I note this version is 30 minutes but I acquired several years ago the longer 45 minute version, print is 82 years old. Eventually will post it.
Yup, as explained in the description, this is a "railfan's version" of the film. This version focuses mainly on scenes of railroad operations.
Look at all the people making a paycheck and getting it done with no computers
@@Dan_isreal.08 And how was that boomerish? He was saying how heavily we rely on computers to do things today, an example how time has changed
And if those computers are ever taken out by an EMP this country will come to a grinding halt. Disconnect anyone 30-and-under from the Matrix and watch them instantaneously lock up--numbly staring downward while waiting for their cellphone screens to come back on.
Is the audio for the 4-8-2 at 17:52 timed for 3 or 4 chuffs per revolution? It should be 3 as the R3s/R3as were three cylinder locos.
I remember these good days. Back when steam railroading was king.
I remember steam Locomotives alot
It a shame there is barely no new haven steam locomotives preseved
Americans working hard and proud to be Americans
And despite most coal trains being gone we actually use 4 times the amount of coal per year globally than we did when this was filmed. Gorgeous loco though.
Really? Thats interesting.
New Haven held coal reserves on the ground to last seven years according to NH projections. One such reserve was in the Randolph, Avon, Holbrook area south of Boston. The NH feared coal miner strikes. I think there was some near the Cos Cob generating plant too.
this ran right behind my house here in scriba ny
Pretty Crazy seeing no young men all fighting in WW2 when this was filmed
People had to run things back home. Railroads were critical for defense.
My dad was already in the PTO when this was released.
@@s.sestric9929 90% of military equipment was moved by rail, and 97% of troops were moved by train too.
I was half expecting to see”Buy War Bonds” at the end!
😉🇺🇸
"Any bonds, todayyyy!"
I was looking for different railroad slogans on the boxcars.
15:04 Michael Jackson after brought back to life as a steam locomotive
I have this on VHS.
The tracks at 2:52 had to have a few hundred derailments over the years
Harry Briscoe Possibly but they hire good switchers and dispatchers to operate the switches. Maybe like 10 derailments but not saying few hundred.