The Passenger Train (1940)

Contents. An account of a train journey.

Passengers arrive by cabs at the station. After they purchase their tickets, they pass through the gates to the track where their train is waiting. The streamlined Diesel engine locomotive stands ready for the trip. Mr. Shroder, the engineer, checks over his controls, and his attendant inspects the big motors.

Final preparations are made for departure. Baggage and mail are loaded into the cars. The conductor calls "All aboard!" and signals the engineer. The train doors are closed, and Mr. Shroder opens the throttle. Sand pours onto the rails to keep the wheels from slipping as the train gets under way. A signal is set for "Stop," and the engineer applies the air brakes. When the signal changes to "Go," the train moves ahead.

In the coaches the conductor is taking tickets. The passengers are comfortably seated. The conductor passes through the vestibule from one car to another.

Mr. Shroder closes the throttle to slow down for a sharp curve. The train passes under a viaduct and speeds on its tracks along a river. The commentator explains that tracks are often built alongside rivers. In the observation car some of the passengers are talking, some writing, and others playing cards. Now the train passes through a deep cut and into a tunnel. At historic Harpers Ferry (West Virginia) it crosses the Potomac River.

In the dining car, dinner is being served. The chef and his staff of cooks prepare the food which the waiters carry on large trays. The Pullman porters prepare the berths for the night. Some of the passengers who are not yet ready to go to bed read newspapers and magazines. The porter places a ladder for a passenger to climb into an upper berth.

While the train rushes through the night, the engineer and his attendant are busy watching the motors, the controls, and the track ahead. The safety and lives of the passengers depend upon their skill and watchfulness.

Appraisal. Excellent for (1) showing the operation of a passenger train and (2) giving impressions of the experiences of a passenger traveling by train. Should be useful in developing an understanding of the contribution of science to modern transportation and in furthering an appreciation of the high level of organization and cooperation required in the operation of a railroad.

[shaunrobson]

"... Menus ... large cards with lists of food ..."

Um, thanks for that !

[mahender.psinghbudgurjar]

This clip deserves 100, 000+ likes.. anyway.. wow.. what a Masterpiece presentation it was..

[Rescue]

Excellent video. It really gives you a "you are there" view of life in America in 1940. It's classy and people have dignity. Even the pullman porters and chefs.

[mikeredenius]

An obvious mashup of two separate films. The first 9-10 minutes is obviously a B&O train, but none of their trains utilized Kansas City Union Station as shown. More than likely it is the National Limited out of St. Louis. The last minute is from a Santa Fe Film including a station shot of Lamy and the drumhead of the Chief.

[estelleadamski]

Loved this! All the ppl dressed up to travel, as it was a special event. When I was 3 I rode a train from KS to MO, I remember waiting on the platform, anxious and excited for the train to come. Trains today do not have the same feel or grandeur of the old trains. At that exact moment in time 1940 America was a safer place than now in 2022. We have such huge problems that will change the landscape of the USA, in every way.

[bboomer]

Looks like the railroad employees really liked and valued their employment Really good video, thanks for posting.

[sharid]

Very nice movie about riding long distance passenger trains 🚞 in the '40s, and all the features you DON'T get to enjoy these days! Observation cars, writing actual letters on paper at a desk with a real pen by hand! 😋 Dining cars with real wood tables and chairs, tablecloths, china cups ☕ and dishes with fresh cooked🔪food to order 🍝, glassware, 🍷 silverware 🍴 even! And the Pullman Porter there to make up your bed for you to sleep in all 🌃 night! But, boy howdy did that train🚅 ever smoke up those tracks!! Rolling from Maryland through West Virginia, and all the way to Lamy, New Mexico and ranch country 🐄 👢👖by morning!! And a totally different staff by then too! Man that is making some time! ⏰ 😉
Best I ever had was traveling solo from Newport News, Virginia to Chicago in November of 1975 to stay with future in-laws until after Christmas! The wheel driven generator fell off the bottom of the car somewhere in the mountains of W.Va, in the dark, and we had no lights or heat. We all got moved to the first class car, making it rather crowded! By Christmas, my Air Force fiancé had joined me a few days before Christmas, and we spent a week together with all of them. Traveled back home from Chicago Union Station 🚅, two hours from their house, and like the trip getting there, overnight, no Pullman, no roomette, no nothing except reclining seats in the coach! The dining car we lost just after ordering our breakfast, because we all had to go back to our car to be able to continue our trip home in the right direction! No breakfast.😱 All we had the rest of the trip was the "Club Car" or whatever, with a very limited selection of pop and packaged snacks! We were starving by the time we got all the way back home to "Virginia by the Bay!" But it sure was some kind of an adventure for an 18 year old young lady and her just-turned-20 fiance!

[normansilver]

I knew a Chef who was employed by the Rock Island RR. He had his own Dining Car, hired all his help through the railroad d and only travelled about 400 miles before the Diner was swapped out for another working under the same conditions. The Rocks stove and ranges were Coal fired too.

[NMRONZ]

It appears that one of the mail clerks is carrying a gun in a holster.

[charlesmcdonald]

I very much enjoyed that. I did not know that they converted the car to a sleeping car.

[JP-subp]

Wonder what age group the makers expected would watch this film.

[toddcampbell]

Back when the United States had class !!

Rail travel at that time was the fuel for everyone's imagination.

[YukariAkiyamaTanks]

Its interesting to see how much union station has changed over the decades, that waiting room is gone now and the old ticket hall as well

[MerleOberon]

The dining car looked like it was from the 1890s.

[TheMikkster]

That station was used in the opening sequence of Strangers on a Train - I think

[captainmorgan]

At 3:30, the narrator says, "... the engineer sets the air" with the video cutting to view of the air piston actually *releasing* the air! Piston in, let's the train begin; piston out, makes the train stand about.

[vlepore]

Walking about or sitting on big benches!

[lestersabados]

I wish I was active in 1940. I just love the sexy way the ladies put themselves together with chunky heels and pretty hats. They oozed style.

[owais]

Believe me India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan & many 3rd world countries are still way back then this video scenes and beauty 😢😢😢

[rextony]

Going thru the tunnel me me think of polar express