Movin’ On is a 1968 documentary presented by the United Transportation Union and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainment and produced and directed by Harold Mayer that recaps the history of the American railroad, with an emphasis on the people who built the railroads and operated the lines. Photographs and footage are used to recreate the visual history of the railways, while folk music from the period alternates with the film’s narration for effective audio. This second half of the film begins with a photograph of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. The film shows pages from the ledgers that are used to record the injuries to trainmen. A woman dances in “Little Egypt” during the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago (02:25). A photograph shows men lined up, waiting for work, at the Pullman Palace Car Company outside of Chicago (03:00). Other pictures show Pullman workers striking. A photograph shows Eugene V. Debs speaking to a group of trainmen about a union; images show empty rail lines during the strike. Another photo shows a group of U.S. troops assigned to run the trains during the strike (06:15). The film then uses footage to show viewers trains moving along tracks through countryside and over bridges (08:40), men hauling railroad ties and building a track (09:12), and footage from the point-of-view of a train engine as it enters a small town (10:43). The film then shows some brief footage of WWI, American men working the railroads, and U.S. troops posing with their loved ones prior to boarding trains that will take them away from home. Eugene V. Debs stands with a group of supporters after he is pardoned from his jail sentence (12:12). A railroad worker hangs out of a car as it moves along the track (12:55). Footage shows people chasing trains, wagons being hit by trains as they cross tracks, and clips from movies that feature damsels in distress tied to train tracks or bandits robbing trains. Unemployed men climb onto trains (16:00) to ride to new places in hopes of finding work. Police officers in California question men who arrive on trains looking for work (16:50). Footage shows men riding atop train cars as the trains pass through countryside and next to factories. The film then shows some of the great passenger trains moving along tracks (20:05). There are shots of locomotives flying by, going through cities, and trains driving through rural countryside hauling freight. The film also shows damaged train cars and cargo cars from train wrecks. Modern-day trainmen connect cars, ride on trains, and climb aboard moving trains. The film ends with footage of trains moving down tracks next to a river, under bridges, and through various scenes of the American countryside.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFi...