GM 1938 Diesel locomotive Promo Film

A film from GM with history of early diesel engines and switching locomotives believed to date from around 1937-38.

[@andreware6492]

These engines look much better than today's engines

[@TheMNrailfan227]

Boomer alert

[@FQP-7024]

@@TheMNrailfan227 nah he's right dude, amtrak took a giant crap on out modern day passenger trains

[@jerrylarson723]

I agree. I truly admire the ALCO P 8

[@Zdogcat]

I love the streamlining on the old diesel locomotives

[@lorettacaputo6997]

Great historical presentation of how diesels replaced the steam engine. I loved the footage of the early doodlebugs and all of the first generation of diesel switchers in operation. Thanks.

[@Isochest]

That's the bad bit. The Doodlebugs should still be running on rural lines

[@donmoore7785]

According to this film, automobile engines had been nearly perfected... in 1933.

[@lembriggs1075]

Thanks for posting! Helps in understanding how and why the railroads “Dieselized” during the 40’s and 50’s.

[@lindenmurgo9273]

It sure does. Before that, in a niche area of South Australia, their low population density and rail patronage in the 1910's and 20's brought about petrol and diesel railcars to replace steam locomotive hauled services before 1940's and 50's dieselizing of rail in the rest of Australia. Unfortunately, this eventually lead to buses replacing way too many trains several decades later.

[@BNSFandSP]

WOW, there's a LOT of rare footage in here...

[@richardclarke376]

I had no idea the US had streamlined diesel locos like that as far back as the early 30s. In the UK they didn't get rid of steam locos until around 1968

[@caseyjones745]

The "Who's Who" of early diesel passenger trains! Great movies of the "firsts" in action. Thanks for sharing!

[@andyharman3022]

Great history and rare footage of early ICE locomotives. Must watch over and over.

[@muir8009]

This is brilliant, what a find! Such fantastic footage. Really is the train of tomorrow - funny how the PRR S1 was presented as being the train of tomorrow at the worlds fair, yet, here we are looking at them a couple of years earlier. Would've been very hard to plug the diesels with the New Haven or PRR electrification, but I'm guessing those weren't the intended audience. Thanks for posting, very significant video.

[@luislaplume8261]

The S1 was the biggest and most streamlined steam locomotive ever built for passenger service. It debuted in the Railroad section of the 1939 New York World's Fair in April of that year in Flushing Meadow Park in the borough of Queens, NYC. Which was also the same place where I went to my first World's Fair in 1964 with my late parents.

[@papabits5721]

The best looking locomotives ever

[@KevinRichards-my5oj]

That time was the beginning of the end of the steam locomotives. From there, they still continued producing steam locomotives up until either the 1940s/early 1950s, & it wasn't until the 1960s when nearly all steam locomotives phased out & replaced by more diesel ones.

[@postal_the_clown]

I have an ashtray like the closest one @1:00. The Nevada State RR museum has done a great job restoring a McKeen Car with a colorful history.

[@jamesstuart3346]

Video was so convincing I traded my Corolla for a Doodlebug

[@blueheart_92]

I just absolutely love that Missouri Pacific locomotive at 10:41

[@flamingoefarms]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!! ENJOYED IT TREMENDOUSLY!!! I want a job working on or with the trains in my next life!!! Wish I could have one now!! I live in W. KY. if you have a job available!!!

[@roadwolf2]

Diesels are great for money saving but they put so many people out of work and closed down so many depots. Back in the days nearly 1in 4 towns had a small steam depot. Not to mention the nostalgia of a machine that seemed to be alive. One that breathes and grunts and had a personality that only some drivers could understand

[@lennoxschannel7484]

Diesels may not grunt or breath heavy, but they do growl, purr, hum and whine loudly than a steam engine does, the engineer can understand.

[@mjrodriguez8670]

I enjoyed watching this vintage display locomotives, even though I prefer modern steam machines to EMD units. Great film!

[@rmgilyard]

What’s wrong with EMD units?

[@deanmeyer1815]

Switching from steam to diesel sure did eliminate a lot of good paying jobs

[@FreihEitner]

I'm not usually one to play the "hold my beer" card, but at 10:19, "Diesel powered switch engines have clear exhaust, even when working hardest." And ALCO said, "hold my beer".

[@MitzvosGolem1]

Charles Kettering AC Delco invented Two stroke Zephyr diesil train .

[@trackman174]

Although not as interesting and romantic as steam, the diesel requires much less maintenance and are much more fuel efficient. All this adds up to more profits for the railroads. Diesels didn't kill passenger service....the airplane did.

[@nicolasiamendola8557]

Only in America did that happen. In Europe and Japan there are still trains that compete with planes.

[@ChasOnErie]

RAILROADS ... THE GREENEST MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE WORLD!!!

[@4speed3pedals]

The narrator was talking about safety when a lone switcher crossed the path of another switcher pulling cars. I doubt that would be allowed today - just after 10 minutes into the video.

[@Zebrails]

No one else see the close call at 10:20 on?

[@muir8009]

That is unreal, I don't know whether it's staged to get two diesels in shot, or if operations were really like that. Maybe I'm just being cautious but I find that incredible, neither of the locos were going that slow... might have to rethink the old model railroad switching maneouvres now :)

[@greglivo]

The narrator is commenting about how the clear exhaust of the diesel locomotive does not obscure the view of the operator. It looks like the locomotive with the string of cars slows down, demonstrating the engineer was able to see the crossing locomotive and slow his train.

[@ajstevenson1905]

Ironically, they were talking about safety...

[@OLNO66]

That’s pretty interesting for sure but, they’re certainly in yard limits which require running no faster than you can stop for various obstructions.

[@Mike-fx1eu]

I love the way this guy mispronounces “Salinas”.

[@tjlovesrachel]

Good ole EMD

[@tassorc]

These two-cycle engines are much better and modern than today's engines

[@DP-hy4vh]

Of course the big advantage to diesel; you don't have to waste two or three hours heating up water for steam like in a steam locomotive. In the railroad business, time is money.

[@G0IMB]

It was about 40 minutes not 2-3 hours

[@STho205]

@@G0IMB there is also the blow down, the ash dump scrub, and the external manual lubrication checklist at the end of the last run before parking her. It adds up to about half a modern shift not moving cars between the end of a run and the pullout the next day. I've watched the morning crew readying of the Consolidation and Mikado at East Chattanooga Yard and it takes over an hour before they are ready to move them. The work on Sat and especially Sun night before they are parked is even longer. A sexy motive power and a joy to watch run and be in a passenger car behind...but the Diesel electric is far better for reducing the dangerous and intensive labor of the crews and having many more miles between full maintenance cycles.

[@the_vadym]

@@G0IMB Depends on whether steam locomotive is cold or not. If it is cold, might possibly take the whole day to rise steam in the boiler.

[@tudwortyjmcguern5689]

in 1954 ,1.5 million people worked for the rr's, today less than 300k

[@Artines999]

♥.♥ Thanks for sharing...

[@twistedwired]

Wow, OK I'm convinced now, diesel electric is the way to go.

[@luislaplume8261]

The Texas Mexican Railway in 1939 became the first American railroad to become fully dieselized.

[@paulallenpatriarca]

People from 1938 appreciating the railway transportation better than politicians these days... hahaha

[@thavvolf9157]

The Mackenzie car still exist it was bought and restored.

[@MattKonsol]

Lots of history of emd.

[@menguardingtheirownwallets6791]

If railroads had simply decided to create high-speed trains that could 'fly' at 300 to 400 mph between cities, they would have taken almost all of the business away from intercity aircraft. Why take a plane when a train would get you there without the hassle of having to go through airport security? But that would have required the building of rails that don't have any level crossings, and that was too expensive for railroads, so the result was that they lost all passenger traffic.

[@wizlish]

Is the soundtrack for this film available?

[@wizlish]

... What a classic Jam Handy narration!

[@herronrailvideo1169]

No. It was on the film when it was transferred to video and is not a separate recording.

[@stevenikitas8170]

These were the first "hybrid" engines, long before the Toyota Prius (introduced in 1997).

[@kc4cvh]

The traveling public expected improved service, higher end-to-end speeds in particular, when Diesel-electric locomotives replaced steam power in the post-war era. Diesels didn't deliver, some schedules actually slowed, electrical fires and breakdowns occurred and the public gained the impression that Diesels represented a cheapening of service, not a technical advance. Soon, the passenger train was moribund in America.

[@billbright1755]

They have to fuss round you for hours to get steam. With me a fill of petrol and a touch on the starter.

[@Isochest]

Diesels will and always be a stopgap to electrification. The USA hasn't got there yet but an energy catastrophe will make the USA monopolists take note

[@ronsmith6662]

Maybe no cinders, but no soot? I don't think so.

[@notroll1279]

Compared to a steam engine, it's a lot less. Look at Cologne cathedral - it caught many decades of steam locomotive fumes from the main railway station built next to it. Its sandstone turned black during that time. Diesel engines could have only done a tiny fraction of that.

[@itchyvet]

@@notroll1279 NOT TRUE ! As a retired locomotive operator of 30 years, I can assure you diesel locomotives are only 'clean' if serviced properly and regularly. Sadly realities of service ensured that did not happen, and many locos spewed out unburnt diesel as a dorect result, cinders/carbon also set fire to many a farmer's field.

[@itchyvet]

In this day and age, there is only one proven clean economical mode of function for railways and that is ELECTRIC.

[@smwca123]

@@notroll1279 Railways in Cologne (Köln) are electrified, so zero emissions.

[@raspergrey4935]

like train

[@chrise3801]

Bring back steam

[@3RTracing]

Pretty sure that one of those narrators was Ronald Reagan.

[@blaueleiter]

where is the spirit of these times?

[@derrickodyes1934]

Seems people would rather ride steam trains now

[@Muddybagclean]

Jesus Loves You

[@bertiebus8453]

Diesels are such mixed up engines!! I mean, for one, they don't use coal or water, that's just not normal. And why oh WHY do they TWO cabs!?!?! How do the drivers know if they're coming or going? Do they even fucking KNOW which way to turn?!!? WTF?!

[@the_vadym]

Two cabs so you don't need to use turning table to change direction of movement. You just go to another cab and you're ready to move.

[@hithere7382]

@@the_vadym GG, people have to start somewhere.

[@nicopavvi8494]

Diesels ruined the railways

[@ErickC]

They sure did. They reduced costs, increased efficiency, reduced wear on the rails, allowed for easy multiple-unit operation, had greater tractive effort at lower speeds, and didn't require nearly as much maintenance. All ruinous, terrible things.

[@TheBandit7613]

@@ErickC People are confusing diesel and air travel. Going from Denver to Chicago for lunch and having dinner back in Denver.

[@lennoxschannel7484]

They didn't ruin all the railways, they made foundations easier, they made the rail lines better and more efficiently and they've helped create fuel more cheaper. And they helped make the steam engines' career a lot better.

[@lennoxschannel7484]

The diesels made our survival iveitable. you know.