At This Moment (1956) - Unusual Railroad movie explained!

I'll play the entire film in a moment but first I want to give a little context so it makes more sense and you can understand what's really going on this remarkable short film from the mid-1950s was made at an important moment American history for over a hundred years railroads had undeniably driven the growth of our country but now there were oncoming threats trucking and airplanes it's no accident the year this film was made 1956 the Eisenhower interstate highway system was authorized and the railroads knew there would soon be efficient highways connecting the nation's major cities which would then be filled with trucks and just as bad airplanes were flying more people than ever and although trucks aren't mentioned often they are the giant elephant in the room but only show up a couple times like in this clip and rushed the whole the same home carried by one big freight train would take a convoy of heavy trucks ten miles long just wouldn't trade mind you and about 15,000 freight trains you're on the move every day while trucks aren't more efficient in the absolute sense they're more flexible and need much less planning and scheduling to move Goods around trains and trucks can work together or be competitors but I guess the railroads thought they needed to boost their image and get railroads back into the minds that people before they were made completely irrelevant you can hear what almost sounds like near panic and the railroad owners voices speaking through the characters welfare of the nation depends on the railroads I wonder just how many people up and down all the main streets realize that but what makes this film really different unlike the hundreds of other industrial films that I've watched is that almost none of the dialogue is delivered in the usual very direct rah-rah American industry kind of way with the strong Stern voice of that bid century film narrator there is some of that but if you pay attention it's actually something happening in the imagination of one of the characters while this film does deliver a steady dose of facts and figures it does it in a completely indirect way where the characters play roles of people knowledgeable or ignorant of railroads and the play between them is where the knowledge is dropped yes it's a bit awkward and forced at times but everything considered I think it's about as smooth as anyone could make it also notice how footage or imagery is carefully in casually sneaked in Oran four railroads how would you move large equipment across the country like that for instance or something that size I know virtually nothing about dramatic techniques but even I can see how cleverly different devices are used to deliver the intended message and it's no wonder the guy who wrote the screenplay was twice nominated for Academy Awards even though he only ever wrote a handful of scripts as you watch the railroad plea for relevance through the mouthpieces of our actors you get a certain 1950s flavor you'd never get today like lots of indoor smoking like the film as a cigarette ad female objectification back on track one boy animal poking and whipping and even scandalous sexually amended Kelly did you know that 4,500 connive figures don't lie why thank you Scotty good night Kelly the railroads while indeed still vitally important to our nation have lost this contest and about 70% of Americans goods are moved by truck now and airplanes carry the vast majority of passengers do i do love passenger trains when they make sense to take with the coming of electric self-driving trucks I imagine will be even more pressure on the railroads this channel is all about not only building and making things but also understanding how and why things were important and how these things had changed over time by putting things like this film in historical context it gains much more meaning and you can come away with a different understanding than if you didn't have that background if you like that sort of thing please subscribe and stick around also I'd love to hear what you think about the film and railroads in general in the comments anyway if you can get past the necessarily forced dialog and sometimes awkward acting this short is a joy and contains truly beautiful vintage footage of our nation's railways from the opening credits showing railroads feeding a gleaming modern city to Kelleys dancing at the end this film is a noteworthy reminder of this moment in real history say you know I've been thinking about that remark you made a few minutes ago about railroads being overrated yeah oh don't get me wrong I know that they've been important at least in the past but this is a modern age and I suppose railroads aren't modern maybe I don't know about railroads maybe you and a lot of other people pick it up Kelly okay anyway stick around you might find it interesting or won't [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] 80 to 82 on five Scottie not today promised my wife I need home for James miss all the latest news uh-huh and arguments well see ya say hello to Kelly for me take hard yeah I'm looking for a joint of some sort around here call Scotty's can you or tell me what it is yeah I can tell you something else too mister don't let Kelly hear you call Scotty's our joint Kelly who's Kelly I'm Helen to the right you can't miss it holy say hello to Kelly for me yeah sure James Kelly how much beginning over time keep hearing echoes did you get your message overboard George yeah I saw when I came in 85 90 of dollars thanks a lot George I'll bet you're Kelly you wouldn't want to bet with me I happen to know I might have guessed it what'd you say well and I was looking for a superintendent named Paul Todd I was told I'd probably find him in here well you know he's not here now but he usually comes in about this time oh well I guess I'll wait then uh could I trouble you for a cup of coffee trouble not just one coffee Joey all right hey how about a cup of coffee huh good and hot easy on the cream heavy on the shake no trouble at all right how about those twins of yours have been saving a page one spot for the nose you know any day now hey Bill yeah what's all this about oh well that's all I know about it's just what it says there hey you got cigarette Thanks I understand they've already had a program on steel one on automobiles laughs railroads that I want to see well thank you people why not after all what's more important to the welfare of people and business on the railroads sure well how can they tell the story of the railroads and one program maybe was six foot one I have a talking railroading to my wife for 20 years I haven't repeated myself once not funny not funny well what's so hard I got all they need for a TV show look every hour 1,000 trains leave somewhere for somewhere 4,500 carloads of freighter shipped 4,500 Arisa fifteen thousand Railway Express shipments a handle 1 million three hundred thousand pounds of us now every hour it's got a you and your facts and figures yeah well it comes easy after listen are you guys for 15 years what's all the fuss about evolution of us you mean it's always like this any I then you should be here when they start discussing baseball or better yet Congress like I was telling my brother lucky Detroit I forgot you spoon back on track one Boyd tell her my brother must destroy sure automobiles are mighty important but how would they make them wasn't for the tons of steel is railroad halt to your factory yeah twenty-five thousand tons a day along with four hundred and fifty thousand square feet of plate players nine hundred thousand pounds of copper and oh sorry Russ why pick or nose how would you make anything without railroads refrigerators breakfast food airplanes you name it yeah tell me don't you get tired of railroad talk in here all the time no I like it why oh just curious you see I'm not a railroad oh not really so maybe it's hard for me to swallow all this talk about how important railroads are after all almost everything i buy seems to be delivered to my house by truck after its first been hauled by railroads about a hundred a thousand miles James Kelly excuse me who's city boy bill never saw me well maybe they ought to put a memory genius like Scotty on his TV show hey how about that he's only kidding Scotty no maybe some MC fella gets me up there and ask me questions about the railroads it's not means he might be terrific I'll take wrestling maybe they'll call me the human encyclopedia oh brother how much railroad track in the nation maybe this feller is right off my teller nearly four hundred thousand miles how much straight to the railroads Hall more tons of freight more miles than all other forms of transportation put together how much taxes to the railroads hey in here 1 billion two hundred and fifty million dollars how much does it cost to all a ton afraid a mile by railroads averages less than a cent my hair it can't stop me is he then maybe turns to the studio audience and he says anybody in the audience got a question to ask yes what happened to those ham and eggs I ordered okay coming up coming up but don't forget these are hauled by the railroads - yes I know you know maybe Scotty's got something there now that 400,000 miles of track business I mean well-built paid for a maintained by the railroads don't forget that and with every mile a line you got a cash investment of a hundred and ten thousand dollars don't forget that and maybe that's the story this TV program what a talent suppose you took just one moment you showed the people what's happening on the railroad tracks of the nation and the single month that'd be something with and see the headline editor turns TV producer okay okay but look oh maybe you have this follow as he sort of what sort of an area while he talks you show pictures of what's happening along the 400,000 miles of track maybe he'll start off by saying right at this moment right while you're thinking about it at this moment as in every moment of America's history the wealth of the nation lies dispersed far and wide throughout a vast continent to make this reservoir of wealth useful huge quantities of raw materials must be moved regularly to the centres of production finished goods must move freely to the marketplaces of the nation and the world [Music] [Applause] [Music] in the endless and indispensable movement of materials and goods the greatest role is that played by the railroads of America at this moment the railroads are hauling the food products on which the health and vitality of the nation depends [Music] [Music] at this moment the railroads are moving the endless variety of law materials which the industries of the nation will refine convert fabricate process and manufacture [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] at this moment the railroads are carrying the finished products of Industry and agriculture which the people of the world will buy sell and use [Music] [Music] [Music] today as always the welfare of the nation depends upon its railroad welfare of the nation depends on the railroads I wonder just how many people up and down all the main streets realize that and rush the whole the same hope carried by one big freight train would take a convoy of heavy trucks ten miles long just wouldn't trade mind you and about 15,000 freight trains around to move every day nice and cold Scotty tell you what I wouldn't mind I'm showing on TV especially for those people who never think much about railroads weren't for railroads how would you move large equipment across the country like that for instance or something that size as long as you're talking about the hauling jobs the roads do how about mail about 90 percent of all in the city mail is carried by the railroad watch more Uncle Sam paid the railroads less to move that 90 percent and it cost them to move the remaining 10 and don't forget Express the railroads pick up and deliver over 350,000 Express packages a day Kelly have another cup of coffee oh sure say you know I've been thinking about that remark you made a few minutes ago about railroads being overrated yes oh don't get me wrong I know that they've been important at least in the past but this is a modern age and I suppose railroads aren't modern maybe I don't know about railroads maybe you and a lot of other people pick it up Kelly okay anyway stick around you might find it interesting I will you know that's another story they could put on TV see you later sorry about all the advances the railroads of Maine correction are making all the time at a cost of over a billion dollars a year and all their own though I mean private capital today you've got more tonnage moving in a single try and faster movement of freight why why a whole fistful of reasons and I'll tell you one of them power take the new diesels they've speeded up switching and train makeup operations and at this moment new diesel power is pulling greater tonnage trains than ever before and pulling freight it's passenger train speeds do diesels are hauling three-quarters of the nation's rail traffic and even newer types of power are being tested all the time right along with the new mode of power you can talk about the advances in average added power made faster heavier trains possible advances in a brakes make it practical the force it takes to stop a freight train going 60 miles an hour would be enough to lift that whole train 10 stories in the air that's a lot of force how many people realize that with a simple movement of a single lever an engineer can put that kind of force into action with just one lever he has complete positive control of the longest and heaviest freight train on the steepest grade because of their brake improvements even the fastest train loads of livestock were fragile merchandise can be brought smoothly and swiftly to a stop without injury or but power and brakes are only part of the story why today trains run with greater regularity and dependability yet with greater safety than ever before because of the big advances made in the signal systems with today's modern systems trains can automatically control signals behind them following trains get an immediate and clear picture of conditions ahead the wayside signals are duplicated in locomotive cabs regardless of outside conditions the engine man always has a clear vision of the signals which ride with him in the cab nowadays two-way train traffic can move with greater speed and safely over single track systems than ever before why because train traffic can be handled by signals over hundreds of miles of track from a remote tower by a single man lights show the location of every train by simply flipping levers he can put trains on sidings and allow others to move by in the opposite direction on the main line [Music] faster train movements safely I wonder how many folks know why well build there's this to be said no communication methods doing a lot to speed up train movement eliminate delays and increase safety okay dick Blackman's back on ride eastbound nine six nine six two eastbound nine five four one okay eastbound 95 for one everything looks good okay nine six nine for putting you on a siding at Quentin conductor nine 604 to Greg Tower cattle on the track had to stop a mile south of crooks Road just another example of modern methods the railroads use to write their German what's Morse more to the story why freight shipments are moving faster today right at this moment improved systems for classifying courage freight cars can be classified at the rate of one every 12 seconds by a single operator in a tower he pushes various speed selector buttons and a strip freight wheels with the exact amount of pressure to slow the car down to the speed the operator selects it's a long story the story of the advancing rails I'll say it's a long story yeah and it could go on to about rails roadbeds and Bruges the new rails you have today are heavy sturdier and made of better metal and the new roadbeds being put down how much faster they're made how much faster rails are being laid because of modern mechanized equipment new rails new road beds new track laying methods grades reduce sharp curves eliminated so that goods and people move more smoothly safely and faster than ever before this TV program ought to have the story on modern passenger service how many people know that they can enjoy the same comfort on trains as in their own living rooms and the same kind of safety too [Music] it would be a mighty interesting story on passenger service believe me okay Kelly thing you know they shouldn't forget the number of purchases the railroads make uses all the things it takes to give the public modern transportation service how many items Oh nearly a hundred thousand different items from manufacturers and suppliers in over 12,000 cities and towns the bill amount almost seven million dollars a day and that's all railroad though no subsidies no tax money no show I tell them you'll call back and I'll be right there any way you look at it it's a tough story to tell in half an hour and I don't envy the guy who is got the job now Leslie hey I'm sorry about Paul Todd is usually here oh that's quite all right I enjoyed the way you know maybe you want to see this new TV show the boys have been talking about they gonna be really good yeah I sure hope so I hope so too 2550 a dollar thanks a lot and stop back again sometime well thank you I might surprise you and do just that [Music] Kelly did you know that four thousand 500 figures don't lie why Thank You Scotty good night Kelly tonight we bring you another in a series of public service programs featuring the American private businesses upon which our whole way of living depends this is a story which begins in the research centers and laboratories of railroads railroad associations universities engineering societies and in the research facilities of thousands of suppliers and manufacturers this is the story of the advancing rails it's an important story well no matter who you are where you are or what you do the railroads influence your life and the way you live tonight we present the story of the nation's railroads a story happening at this moment that fellas face looks mighty for me it should isn't that to follow us having coffee here a couple of weeks ago when we were all if you asked me the wise guy hey look bill they're doing just what you were talking about look at that [Music] as a private business the railroads crown of the continent into a nation help little shops become large factories small towns become cities linked every community with every other the welfare of other businesses and the welfare of the nation's people have that always will depend heavily upon the railroads continuing to operate as a private business continuing to advance continuing with these advances and as private businesses to help keep the nation prosperous in times of peace strong in times of emergency under a free and enterprising system of business operation the railroads can serve you best at this moment and as they work on through every moment of every day and night for me hey Kelly I don't think that fellas a wise guy that programs good Kelly I hope you find the TV program as good as I found your coffee and Irish advice job well kind of a nice white guy anyway [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Machine Thinking

Views: 161,098

Keywords: railroad, rail, train, locomotives, cargo, machines, lathe, mill

Id: 3pRSDItUGmM

Length: 31min 18sec (1878 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 22 2018