The Freight Goes Through 1952 Railroad Film [4K]

The Association of American Railroads produced a film a film in 1952 to show the Freight Loss and Damage Prevention section of the Association of American Railroads. If you enjoyed this video please hit that LIKE and SUBSCRIBE button. I really appreciate & value all of the LIKES and SUBSCRIBERS to my Videos & Channel!!

[@BackshopRailProductions]

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[@GuyjKite]

1952 was 6 years before my time. My grandfather back in 52 worked for a class 1 railroad. The southern railway. He started out at 17 as a shop laborer worked his way up from fireman to loco. Engineer. Stayed 47 years. Companies today dont seem like they care about employees. Those railroad men had two families. One at home and one at work.

[@wpbrigham]

Back when people had pride in their work!

[@lawrencesimmons5093]

That's right. None of them were paid a fortune but they were proud of their livelihood. Whatever happened to the days? Everyone seems to want to be super rich and showy nowadays.

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

Not always the case. I am a maintenance technician for a foundry and I take great pride in my work. It's hard work. Hot, noisy, stinky, dangerous and can take your life in a split second if you are not paying attention all the time. But I do it 50 hours a week.

[@KutWrite]

I worked for CSX for over ten years. I - and almost all railroaders I met - had great pride in their professionalism. It's hard work and a hard life, but very satisfying when done right.

[@wpbrigham]

@@KutWrite My grandfather had a lifelong career working for the railroad in Boston. He brought me to work with him many times. Everyone I met loved their job and prided themselves working for the railroad

[@ShortArmOfGod]

Railroads are considerably more efficient now. So much for pride.

[@Robbi496]

These old videos ALWAYS emphasize the people who are "in the trenches" unlike today when it is all about metrics and number crunching

[@chuckabbate5924]

Psr...dont get me started

[@KingSlimjeezy]

its funny because the entire video emphasises the number crunchers are coming for their job

[@oldenweery7510]

I found this fascinating. Even though I've been a model railroader for 65 years---and a rail fan before that!---I learned things I hadn't known before. When my eldest brother mustered out of the Air Force, in the spring of 1954, he had difficulty finding jobs, but he worked steadily for quite a while for Filer and Stowell in Milwaukee, WI, out in the plant's railroad yard. Eventually, he signed on with the Milwaukee Road in the Menominee Yard as a switchman. He was proud of the fact that although a new hire had to work three shifts under supervision, his trainer saw right away that because he was a model railroader he could tell at a glance how switches were lined and his training period was shortened. I now have an understanding of the knowledge I know he soaked up like a sponge to perform professionally. Thanks for posting this. It reminded me of my brother, who was my mentor in just about everything I needed to know about cars, railroading, and life in general.

[@oldenweery7510]

@Christopher Dibble Those days when railroading was a lifelong occupation and everyone was proud of being a part of it seem to be long gone. Although many railroaders take pride in their work, to a lot of them it's "just a job." (Pardon me while I quote Mork from Ork: "Heavy sigh...") Stay safe.

[@railroadskater2896]

@Christopher Dibble What type of trains? If it's one of those Class 1 MEGA-railroads, then I could see why.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

@@oldenweery7510 A UP engineer once told me it's a single man's job. His tone, was almost as if he'd like it a lot more had he, not a family. My dad has been driving a truck for nearly, three decades. And that's what that son of European immigrants wanted to do since he was a child, however, we sure miss him when he's gone. And, likewise, I'm sure the wife and children of an engineer, misses him as well.

[@rapman5791]

He ain’t heavy, he’s your brother

[@thewestpointrouteguy8611]

Note that in 1952, there was still a mixture of diesel and steam on many railroads.

[@cpufreak101]

Yep, the GP7 was only 3 years old and I think the first SD7's were just being built

[@robertl.fallin7062]

@@cpufreak101 I remember regular scheduled steam thru my little town in Va. Then one day their was no steam and no one noticed for ten years.

[@gmac8852]

Love diesel

[@craigpalmer5693]

Back in the 50s and 60s 42 years ago now 21 century technical frieght train hauling good stuff food clothes keep railroad tracks safe old school days awesome video friend bless you

[@highballinghogger]

Love these old railroad films !

[@Mike-tg7dj]

Wow, now I know where all the salvage stores along the road to get to my uncle and aunt's house when I was a kid. I remember as a kid spending summers at their house to discover that my shopped at one of these railroad salvage stores. I can remember it plan as yesterday, it was no frills except shopping buggies. This road these salvage stores were on runs parallel with a major railroad yard. Fast forward this we bought our cabinets at salvage next to the same rail yard.

[@b3j8]

That poor car at 10:14 reminds me of an evening of switching at our local Penn Central era hump yard. We lived less 10 blocks away, and you'd hear those cars slam like it was next door!

[@gingerbread6614]

We love all kinds of old films on trains mostly steam. Thank you

[@doanster]

What a well-written narrative. Thank you for this video!

[@ulrichskaarsgard7848]

And 2 years later in 1954, SRI developed "Hydra Cushion" for the Southern Pacific, greatly reducing damage in freight.

[@thatoneguy611]

I love these 1950’s rail videos. It goes back to a simpler and better time.

[@JugSouthgate]

Back before the Interstate Highway System and jet airliners.....

[@Twin_Flyer]

Love those old films!

[@flamingoefarms]

BLESS YOU & THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!! for putting all of these videos on for me!!! Simpler times back then and also much happier when I was young, I remember them well, wish I was back there again, got today's times in the world beat all to hell!!!

[@Robbi496]

2nd Post: Since they started using remote controlled switching, damage claims have gone up. I know this from friends who work for today's railroads

[@cheekymonkey444]

A few years before I retired as an engineer, the NS brought remote control locomotives in yard service. They were nothing but trouble. Sideswipes, run through switches, run over derails. The whole yard became less efficient. They never learned their lesson. All that damage was covered up to make remote control locomotives look good on paper. To this day the same old problems plague the yards. It was proven time and again that operating locomotives with engineers was an efficient, and more importantly, SAFE method of switching. Of course the NS would rather bankrupt itself than admit it is a bad idea.

[@chuckabbate5924]

@@cheekymonkey444 I work in commuter as a Conductor in Boston, and years ago worked for Conrail around Massachusetts. The industry has gotten way wotse,especially for crews. The company doesnt want to be responsible for anything anymore. Ive been,esp. during this pandemic, im still working, and hopefully our brothers and sister in amtrak and freight can back to business.....safely

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

@@chuckabbate5924 God help the poor bastard with a Swift truck behind him and a Conrail train in front of him!

[@williamschlenger1518]

Great educational film.Most of these jobs are gone.

[@erichanhauser3190]

This is soooooo cool. Love it!

[@flamingoefarms]

I want a job on the railroad!!! I'm in W. Ky. After watching this, I promise to be gentle working with the freight!!

[@daveyboy_]

Great Quality film

[@csxns]

Freight by rail before the Interstate highway.

[@saltydog4443]

Great Video. I love trains and railroads.

[@paul06660]

Its like period military propaganda but for the railroad instead. But made during an era where a person could make a good living with just one full time job and took pride in what they did.

[@ChatGPT1111]

Yes, and provided for his entire family with that one job! I wonder if the 'powers that be' found a way to double the workforce by breaking up the family so women would be forced to work. We already know that inflation benefits the rich by monetizing their debt.

[@gregleuze6657]

Really enjoyed the video.

[@Krish1991]

Back when US trains had Caboose ...

[@JugSouthgate]

Because there was no other way.

[@jimihendrix1575]

4K in 1952! Amazing. Finally, proof we were reverse-engineering alien technology!

[@ivanreis1538]

GOOD VIDEO!!!

[@kawasakiz76]

Very neat video!

[@BackshopRailProductions]

Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@tm502010]

Interesting stuff!

[@buntik1687]

Still educational in 2020.🚂

[@SgtChip]

Back when railroads were the driving force of progress. Now, they have been put in the backseat of a truck. I hope soon railroads will get back into first place.

[@michlo3393]

That isn't true.

[@WindyCityExpeditionist]

This must be in chicago. I've only known one city that has more railroads going to it than any other railroad. They even said it's in the hub.

[@walrus4248]

I still haven't figured out how they can control the speed from the hump, oh maybe the retarder brakes but it still seems tough

[@opiumextract2934]

Well, I'll tell ya. Car gets pushed over the hump, and gravity has it until it hits the first retarder. The retarded slows it down to a gentle roll until it reaches the next set of retarders which compress against the wheel to slow it down further. Once it reaches the track, another set will grab and should keep it about 3-4 mph. At the very bottom of the track is the last retarder that keeps the cars from rolling out the other end. I'll try to find a video

[@irvinklugh8858]

LIKE IT

[@wsg4847]

Notice the lack of spray paint vandalism on the cars? So refreshing when compared to cars today.

[@quattrobajeena1689]

It's about respect. People now are ungrateful to what railways do for us. It's never seen nor told. This is a problem i believe must be payed attention to.

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

“It was not until 1941 that the aerosol spray can was first put to effective use by Americans Lyle Goodhue and William Sullivan of the United States Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, who are credited as the inventors of the modern spray can.”

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

@@quattrobajeena1689 it’s about spray cans not being widely available to Americans yet at this point, or barely available.

[@wsg4847]

@@andrewlaverghetta715 You may be right, but I was a kid in the 50's and I just can't imagine Americans then vandalizing like they do now. We never bothered to lock our doors at home, nor were there any school shootings despite the presence of guns everywhere. The only bad news in our small Southern town was the occasional car wreck. American character has changed for the worse. America today is a dangerous place. Tagging today is more than an availability of spray cans.

[@user-yg4wi6zr8x]

Where are the yard police ? This is ridiculous. Pathetic

[@amtrak706]

Why all the digital oversharpening? It looks like an oil painting.

[@JoneKone]

Yeah, sorry to say but this doesn't seem like a good up sampling.

[@GlockG34]

I clicked on this because I like old train videos, without paying attention to the year in the title, but when I saw one clip that was just a few seconds long, I knew it was produced in 1952. Trivia question: what was that clip?

[@timothymarks9308]

👍💯

[@IndianaNorthWestern]

10:00 "notice the shockwave" the WHOLE car bounced up like 4 inches and bent, I don't think that's a shockwave anymore

[@michaelrichardson1898]

It's like ups lol

[@doanster]

What is that machine that pulls those pallet trucks at 17:00?

[@jazzbo13]

It's called a dragline.

[@lukestrawwalker]

Overhead pull system with drop bars, similar to what's used on assembly lines to move parts and vehicles or machinery around a factory. Basically a chain running in a track with pull bars coming down from the ceiling, hitched to the pallet trucks to drag them along. Nowdays it'd be done by robotic pallet trucks following lines on the floor automatically under their own power... Later! OL J R :)

[@timpriddy349]

40 foot boxes and american made pride

[@Baynewsvideo]

The lesson is... Quit drinking on the job, and stop breaking stuff. Grandpa was with the RR and he was always drunk. Now the engineers and conductors have to hide the booze...from the supervisors. Those cows in that film all died.

[@robot7759]

Supervisor? Big butt 😸

[@ivanreis1538]

YES

[@BrylcreemBill]

And back when companies took care of their workers instead of just using them in order to maximize profits.

[@raspergrey3171]

Like train

[@TheJamesmario]

Volume is a bit low

[@MonkeySpecs301]

I wonder how much the person who wrote the script got paid.

[@holretz1]

It sounds as the railroads already was fighting a loosing battle......

[@marvinluther7534]

its hillarious how they say: you are now a ingenier and you know: blablabla. lol as if the knoledge strikes you like a hammer when somebody says you are this and that now^^

[@macmedic892]

I know! It's like you take all these classes, and go through a bunch of training, then you pass a test and BOOM! you're a doctor! You're a lawyer! Everyone knows when someone is "now" [insert title here] it's because they have met the minimum requirement for the title... that the learning is just beginning.

[@allansmith931]

Safety meeting video.

[@HoboHeaven]

4K? Quality is still crap in highest resolution

[@michaelbreski5845]

Tractors do not hump mybe bck them you could.

[@mark-wn5ek]

Railroad propaganda film. I spent my working life as a railroad engineer....what the Brits call a 'train driver'.....which I guess is the same as airplane flyer or ship steerer. Anyway....I've read through the comments and found nothing said by genuine railroad men...but by dreamers and men who play with toys. "I've played with toy trains for 65 years..." it's about time you grew up junior. "My brother played with toy trains and they gave him a promotion at the real railroad because of that." That's bullshit. These films were shown to just about every new hire...in order to brainwash them to think all damaged freight was A: their fault and responsibility B: vital to the national defense and economy C: ultimately it was so the company could fill their coffers with more profits. What these films didn't show, were the starched shirts calling the shots that constantly demanded faster, faster, on time, keep the schedule, cut initial terminal delays, yada, yada. Those hot boxes could have been prevented had the cars been shopped, but yard master's said...run it, they can shop it at the next destination. Humped freight often was damaged because the retarders were out of adjustment or worn out. Crews didn't determine hump speeds! Cars are typically humped at 4 mph or less. If they slid thru the retarders or jumped a skate...(doubtful you know what a skate is as they don't come in Lionel or Marx toy sets) the cars rolled unimpeded until they struck a standing cut of cars....again, not the crews fault. The stuff I witnessed was hilarious at times. Coal hoppers telescoped from impact...but the ones I saw like that were ancient and the center sill was weak. I've seen fertilizer shift in truck trailers on flat cars and the doors knocked open....fertilizer scattered all over.....many of us didn't buy garden fertilizer for two years! Why did that happen? The manifest hump retarders were controlled by an ancient 1957 era computer that was mostly defective by the late 70s.....it would fail to properly slow the cars thru the retarders. Manifest humps are much steeper than coal humps and car speeds correspondingly higher. I didn't mean to write a treatise but wanted to separate fact from fiction and real life from playing toy trains. I'm an old man now, retired off the former C&O/Chessie System/CSX. I witnessed many things, changes, accidents, tragedies and some funny things. Middle management mostly consists of idiots and company sucks. Try have those positions because they're unfit to do the real work and too incompetent to make rational decisions of upper management. Most work days were a circus. I ought to write it all down but real railroaders would find it a bore and the dreamers and pretenders still wouldn't understand it. As in the beginning, this film was company propaganda. The FRA made a bunch too.

[@railroadskater2896]

Well, it shows there are always 2 (if not 3) sides to every story.

[@uranusimploding9830]

Thank you sir .....in 2021 I'm in a different business than railroading, but EVERYTHING you said is true of my job ...... I work in emergency services, where lives and property matter .....but my " director " had never, has never and will never, ever do my job .....he did not do it before being appointed to the position by a board of directors...... he gets ALL his ideas out of magazines put out by the national organization that supposedly represents our profession...... they ONLY represent the upper management types like him .....as far as the comment on middle management ...... ROFLMAO at that one 😝🤣😂😄😆 .....so true ..... I tried middle management for two years .....after a lunch meeting with two of my " colleagues " and hearing their " plan " to make the " group " fall in line to the " directors " wishes I bailed out .... I told him that taking the position of supervisor was a mistake on my part , and I've seen very few shades of red that could match his face that day ...... I'm back as a peon, DOING what he cant, MY JOB ....... again, thank you for your comment ..... I have Ogauge model trains, but as my hobby ..... I'm no expert in the railroad, but i know my job as it appears you did in your time , and that's what counts .....BS propoganda is still around today in my job, put out by the likes of the national org and my " director " .....guess it will ALWAYS be that way

[@gravelydon7072]

Well here is one comment by someone who knows what a skate is. :-) And as someone who has been qualified by Seaboard System to operate as crew on the local branch.

[@phuturephunk]

This guy gets it!

[@Blippity_Bloop64]

That must have taken quite the skill to guide those cars in at 4MPH in all conditions, gradients, and load levels. Additionally, I've decided my stage name is going to be "Smash Power".

[@hectorhardy4781]

Like train

[@raspergrey4935]

like train